Lightandshadow Course

Render amazing highlights and shading with this step-by-step approach| From pro comic colorist K. Michael Russell

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.9

- Students will have a solid basis for rendering highlight and shadows.
- Students will learn a simple
- step-by-step that creates complex-looking results.
- Students will learn an easily repeatable workflow for adding light and shadow.

What you'll learn

Students will have a solid basis for rendering highlight and shadows.

Students will learn a simple

step-by-step that creates complex-looking results.

Students will learn an easily repeatable workflow for adding light and shadow.

* Requirements

* Students should understand the basic use of their preferred digital art app such as using brushes
* selection tools
* and layers. This course uses Photoshop & Procreate
* but any art app with layers and blending modes will work.
* Students should have a digital drawing tablet & a digital art program.

Description

This in-depth, step-by-step course will teach you how & where to add highlights and shadows to line art in real-time! I’ll show you how to analyze the shapes of the forms in your drawings and correctly start thinking in three dimensions instead of two. We’ll be using the same techniques that I’ve used in my professional work in over 75 issues as a comic book colorist.

You’ll learn:

How to layer multiple types of lighting to create a stunning final image.
Simple ways to think about your lighting colors.
When to use harder and softer edges when rendering.
How to edit your rendering colors to completely change the tone of a piece.

Whether you are looking to color just for fun or for work, this course will teach you time-saving techniques and shortcuts that will allow you to create rich and beautiful colors without bogging down in a ton of color theory concepts.

In additions to the hours of video lessons, the course also includes:

Full resolution, layered PSD files of the exercises for practice.
I even include one of the PSD files from my recent work on HACK/SLASH, so you can see this layering method in action!

Work at your own pace!.There's no need to rush, since there's no time limits.

I've created hundreds of hours of tutorials and taught thousands of students worldwide. You can expect top notch video & audio quality throughout.

These lessons feature Photoshop CC and Procreate. You can use any art application that includes layers and blending modes. Some examples would include Clip Studio Paint, ArtStudio Pro, Krita, Sketchbook Pro, and Medibang to name a few.

NOTE: This is not a rank beginner course. I will review some concepts, but if you are completely unfamiliar with coloring, I would consider one of my other coloring courses for the basics first. This course focuses on rendering light and shadow simply and effectively. It does not discuss storytelling or focus as a colorist, and I would consider enrolling in “A Pro Guide to Digital Comic Book Coloring” to understand the fundamentals of sequential color storytelling, adding mood and depth, separating planes, etc, if you are unfamiliar with those concepts.

So join me! I hope to see you there, and I'd love to help you down the path to becoming a great colorist!

Who this course is for:

Anyone looking to simplify how to add light to their line art.
Anyone looking for an easily repeatable "formula" for easy rendering of light and shadow.
Anyone looking to learn more about how to light their 2D artwork.

Course content

4 sections • 24 lectures

Getting started 4 lectures

Introduction Preview 02:58

Welcome! Let's get going!

About the instructor Preview 02:12

Learn a bit about the instructor, colorist and art instructor K. Michael Russell.

Tools Preview 02:00

This lecture covers the tools I use. I also use a light and anatomy app to show off some concepts in this course called Handy: An Art Reference Tool. It is not required, but can be useful.

Let's get on the same terms Preview 04:13

We'll get some terminology out of the way here.

Direct lighting concepts 7 lectures

Direct light explained Preview 12:09

Direct light is your primary light source. We'll discuss it here.

Soft or hard light to shadow transitions Preview 10:37

The transitions between light and shadow are critical to a great result.

Choosing lighting colors Preview 11:55

A simple way to choose lighting colors without needing hours of color theory.

Practical use of direct light Preview 14:59

Practical examples of direct light exercises.

Highlights Preview 08:55

Highlights are points of concentrated reflected light.

Surface texture impacts highlights! Preview 05:11

Review Preview 00:21

Indirect lighting & more 7 lectures

Indirect light Preview 08:42

Identifying light sources & more examples in media Preview 11:38

What's a terminator?! Preview 03:57

Ambient occlusion?! I thought that was a game thing Preview 04:59

Subsurface scattering Preview 04:16

The Fresnel Effect - It sounds so academic! Preview 16:33

Review Preview 00:19

Final exercise 6 lectures

Exercise - Part I Preview 12:01

Exercise - Part II Preview 12:12

Exercise - Part III Preview 12:26

Adding "punch" Preview 04:46

Outro Preview 01:01

Bonus! Preview 00:25

Congratulations on making it to the end. I hope you’ve enjoyed it!

If you’d like to check out some of my other courses on Udemy, I’ve linked them below with a discount for you!

Using Procreate:

The Beginner’s Guide to Digital Art with Procreate - If you want to learn a simple coloring workflow in Procreate from the basic tools on up, this is a good place to start.
The Advanced Guide to Digital Art with Procreate - This course takes a deep dive into Procreate’s tools and features -- covering features such as making and different rendering techniques.
Let’s Color A Goblin with Procreate! - We’ll color a drawing I’ve provided step-by-step throughout each lesson.

Using Photoshop (or another equivalent app)

A Pro’s Guide to Digital Comic Book Coloring - This is my main coloring course (v2.0) using Photoshop. There’s also a big focus here on storytelling -- the most important aspect when coloring for comics. You can use other apps like Clip Studio for many of these functions here, but the courses uses Photoshop.
Advanced Digital Comic Book Coloring Concepts & Techniques - This course offers a deep dive into how I use Photoshop’s more advanced features and discusses how I think through coloring specific materials like metal, glass, lightning, etc. (This is not for beginners!)
The Beginner’s Guide to Color Theory for Digital Artists - The course covers the basics of color theory and ways to apply it. This applies to any app, but uses Photoshop to show the concepts.
Digital Coloring: Comic Style Light and Shadow Made Easy - This course is a more technical look into rendering light and shadows. If you want a logical, almost formulaic approach to lighting, you might like this one!