Drawing your light source

I've found the best point, in the creative process to determine your light source, is after you have your base vector shapes created for your illustration and prior to coloring. Even though I'm creating a digital illustration, I find it helps to move back to analogue, and problem solve my detailing by drawing it out first. During the course of an illustration project, I may go back, and forth between digital and analog several times before I finish my final artwork.

I simply print out my design in black and white, then start drawing on top of the print out, with a regular 2B pencil. Through drawing, I experiment with how I could shape, and form my shadow and highlights within my illustration. I usually print out more than one copy, and try several different approaches before I discover the one I feel will work best. Remember working out this type of detailing is more exploratory in nature, than it is an established a step-by-step process.

So experimentation is very important, and will ensure you will arrive at your best possible solution not merely the first one you try. This methodology, works for more simplified illustrative designs as well. For example, let's say Pacman and the Scrubbing Bubble had a kid, and I decided to illustrate it. This would be my base Vector Graphics in simple black and white. We decide our light source is going to be positioned above, and center to our little character.

This means the surfaces closer to or exposed to the light source, will be lighter while surfaces further away or hidden from the light source will be darker. This is the fundamental way lighting works in forming shadows, and highlights. If you have a secondary light source of course, you'll have other detail information to consider as well but for this example, we're only going to focus on one primary light source. With our primary light source in mind, we draw out how the shadows and highlights might be formed, this shows how I drew out my shading for this character. Since this is a symmetrical illustration, I only had to draw half of the detailing with our drawn detailing defined, we now have a visual reference to guide our vector building efforts. An this leads to a well crafted, final character illustration, and all of his colorful friends.

Whether you're illustration is graphic or more realistic, the fundamental principles of lighting apply to any creative context regardless of style. So once you've determined your light source, take the time to draw it out because utilizing this form of analog exploration. Will improve your illustration capabilities, and increase your craftsmanship as it pertains to illustrated detailing.