Any Tips for Lighting and Shading?

[wraith lotus]

I want to improve the lighting and shading in the image, but I don't know where to start. So I was hoping for some tips on how to improve on it.

[pastel heart]

the color in the light is too monotone

[fallen pecan]

It needs more value, especially since the lighting is coming from directly above them, and the light should kink of bounce off the dude, it shouldn't be like a flat colour.

[stone nexus]

look up some youtube tutorials, or ping me if you want me to find you something

[wraith lotus]

Thank you for the advice and tips, the piece definitely looks better and more complete now.

[upbeat moth]

make sure you develop where the light is coming from and then figure out where the shadowy parts would be. Also when make like a light or wtv you wanna make it brightest at the top and then make it get darker as it expands from the source (sorry If its hard to understand Im not good at explaining<//3)

[pastel heart]

Can u send the updated version pls

[final fern]

Lighting and rendering are broad subjects with numerous ideas under their belts, and it's hard to talk about relevant ideas in a single critique comprehensively, so I'll point to some resources. There are plenty of reputable artists and educational channels on YouTube that put up excellent instructive material. Marco Bucci published a series that condenses various fundamental painting skills into 10 minutes videos; Stephen Bauman has a “drawing essentials” playlist comprised of snippets from his lessons on Patreon; Sycra has a 17-part series called “Foundations of Light and Shadow”.

However... If you can also invest in some books, I highly recommend it! When I’m learning about a topic for the first time, I look for resources that do ideally two things: (1) answer my questions ASAP (and as accurately as possible) and (2) give me answers to questions I didn’t even know I had. For these reasons, I rec. books like Color and Light by James Gurney and Color & Light by 3DTotal Publishing for their accessibility and breadth.

Gurney’s Color and Light is a very friendly resource, mainly bc of his language. Gurney’s writing consists of mostly simple syntax, and each chapter is chock-full of examples, practical insights, and delightful imagery, which helps ground unfamiliar information into place. This resource is great bc Gurney surveys an array of topics pertaining to depicting light, such as the anatomy of light and shadow, Munsell’s color system, unique light sources and scenarios, to name a few. One caveat is that Gurney writes with traditional media (as opposed to digital media) in mind, so if you’re looking for tips on digital tools, you won't find too many here. Despite this, the ideas covered in this work remain applicable to most visual artists regardless of medium! Though, if you're looking for a book that caters towards digital art, I also enjoy Artists’ Master Series: Color & Light by 3DTotal Publishing.

[final fern]

I’ve yet to finish reading it, but, so far, the text scratches my itch for technical elaboration. Compared to Gurney’s book, 3DTotal Publishing's book is physically denser, with a third of it dedicated to tutorials offered by three illustrators. As far as I can tell, the most notable differences (in content) are in the books' writing styles and media they cater towards, but both offer a buffet of topics.

As for rendering (AKA modeling), it's a subject in its own right, and usually involves talk of the “fundamental forms” and value application, for example. I haven’t read too many books on rendering, but I’m sure a quick search will do the trick. Hope this helps—good luck!

[wraith lotus]

This is the updated image, I know there is still room for improvement but I think it is at least a little better.