User blog comment:Goddess of Despair/RWBY user battle tournament/@comment-5726563-20130224234301/@comment-5726563-20130225004644

There must be some light source, even if too dark for humans too see. He can change it into simple shapes, but nothing that is animated on its own. He must keep contact with it because as soon as it loses contact with his body, such as if his scythe was knocked away, it deforms back into a normal shadow. Thus, no ranged weapons. He can create whip like shadows that can extend out (Shinu). The size of things he can make depends on the light. The darker the shadow or the further the light the more he can make. A normal day gives him about an inch thick shadows worth of material to work with. If the light is brighter, or at a greater angle to him, he has more to work with. If a light is lower or closer to him, he has less to work with. His shadows are not affected by light once they are solid, so if he is expecting a fight with someone who uses light producing material, he would form his weapons first and not change them.