21-Draw-Illustrators-Guidebook-vol-2-ebook-(2021)

LOCAL
COLOR
HARD LIGHT
SHADOW LAYER
WINDOW
LIGHT
BOUNCED
LIGHT
After the shadows are established, I think about the way light
is hitting my characters. Most of them have a thin rim of light
created by the window. This helps them stand out from the
background, so I exaggerate this effect to give my characters
more impact.
I also need to incorporate the flashlight. Since the flashlight is
very close to the boy holding it, light will hit his face, bathing
him in warm light. The flashlight will also create a stronger rim
of light around the girl in front with the hockey stick.
With my shadows and light sources
accounted for, I move on to bounced light.
Light from the environment will bounce
around and hit the characters. For example,
in the face of the boy with the flashlight, on
the opposite side of his face, I paint in some
subtle blues from the setting. This fills out
the forms nicely but also serves to make a
character feel like they are immersed in the
scene rather than just painted on top.
RIM LIGHT
FROM THE
WINDOW
BOUNCED
LIGHT FROM
THE ROOM
As I work on the lighting of my characters,
I also add more and more
FLASHLIGHT
details. Rendering out the
forms of the hands, clothing,
and hair. The main areas I focus on are the
faces, hands, and overall poses. These three
things contribute the most to the character
performances!
CHARACTER DRIVEN ILLUSTRATIONS
143