Krita
Comic illustrator Toby Willsmer explains his techniques for creating standout lighting and shadows in your illustrations
In this workshop I’ll be focusing on some of the techniques I use for adding dramatic lighting and shadows. In this illustration I really wanted these elements to be key, and I’ll be guiding you through the steps that I usually take when working on this type of composition.
We’ll start from the early sketching stages, all the way through to the completed illustration. This includes some post colour adjustments to help make your finished illustration pop off the page.
I’ll be explaining what to keep in mind such as light sources, and lighting figures and surroundings when drawing and painting them. We’ll also be looking at shadows and how to use them for storytelling and movement in your artwork.
For this piece, I’ll be using the painting software Krita and will explain the default brushes I used for this illustration, and how to give the finished piece extra life using a filter layer. Almost all of my work is figurative-based and having a basic understanding of anatomy will really help you when it comes to adding dramatic lighting to enhance figures.
Whether you’re a beginner or honing your skills. Concentrating on the early drawing and blocking stages will really help you to achieve the right balance of light and dark in your composition. This practice will greatly benefit you when you begin to paint your illustrations. Okay, so let’s get stuck in!
1 Initial idea sketch
When starting an illustration I’ll keep it very simple, defining the basic shapes with simple lines to build up the composition I have in my head. There’s no right or wrong way to do this and it’ll involve a lot of trial and error. If something doesn’t work, then don’t hesitate to bin it and start again. Essentially, it’s a rapid brain dump of ideas until I’m happy.
2 Build the composition
From there I’ll work into the sketch, starting to map out the figures and surroundings. Working with a strong light source can be scary, knowing where to use black, and where not to, will ultimately define the image. Here the background and wall shadows will be mostly black so there’s no need to draw any details in those areas. They’ll be mapped out in the next stage.
3 Figure out the placement of your light source
Deciding where the light source is positioned will dictate where the shadows fall on the figures and are cast on the surroundings. In a separate layer, I’ll go and quickly block out the blacks and shadows using a dry bristle
