What direction do you tend to cast your light from?

rajillustration 2021-01-07 05:31:04 UTC #1

left
right
front smack dab in the middle don't @ me
I'm a 50/50 left and right lover
spooky bottom
Lighting???? In this economy????

0voters

I just have a theory that right handers tend to draw light casted from the right corner, and left handers tend to have light coming from the left. Just curious how you guys do it.

Me? I'm a righty, and my light is just always from the right, and I have no regrets.

Black_Conscious 2021-01-07 05:34:41 UTC #2

Is it sad that I am confused on this right and left

rajillustration 2021-01-07 05:37:38 UTC #3

Ha, I maybe didn't explain it well--when you do art, and there's light in it filling your scene, where do you like to put your light source usually?

I just got this from the internet, PS, so don't blame me for the misspelling of "hightlight"

Black_Conscious 2021-01-07 05:38:58 UTC #4

ohhhhhh, thanks I get it now

IndigoShirtProd 2021-01-07 06:07:54 UTC #5

Usually wherever the character(s) are facing in a stand alone illustration, but generally left since I favor drawing characters facing left. In a comic page, it depends on the setting and time of day.

Puck 2021-01-07 07:57:22 UTC #6

That depends on where the light source is.
Edna knocks at Mondo´s dressing room in the theatre, she stands on the right and the light is coming
from a lamp on the top of the ceiling from the left.
She opens the door to enter the dressing room of Mondo, she stands in the door frame and there
is light behind her from the ceiling lamp and a little light source from a candle in Mondo´s dressing room

darthmongoose 2021-01-07 09:05:19 UTC #7

I tend to default to the direction the main character is facing if I'm not specifically thinking about the lighting in a scene or illo. If there's an obvious visible lightsource it makes things easier sometimes. Many of my paintings on the sketch layer you'll see a bunch of arrows to remind me of the light direction!

GloamingCat 2021-01-07 10:38:06 UTC #8

Left, and coincidentally I am left-handed, but it's not because of that. My first artistic experiences were making graphics for RPG Maker and the default graphics have this standardized top left light, so I've been sticking to it since then XD

It's different for comic, though. I usually do light coming from center top, just to simplify.

Iridium 2021-01-07 13:09:12 UTC #9

I love shading and lighting, and I try to be as precise as possible. However, I noticed that I do favour right- inclined lighting LOL seems more confortable, I don't know xD

Pandastrophic 2021-01-07 13:57:37 UTC #10

I choose the direction of the light source mostly based on how much it would fit the atmosphere of the scene. Like Backlighting looks very dramatic so i would add some lights behind the characters so the scene can be backlit.

But if its just a random drawing my default is the opposite of where the character is looking so the farther side of there body is shaded, Like if its a 1/3 headshot facing the right, light would be on the left.

nathanKmcwilliams 2021-01-07 19:15:01 UTC #11

Depends on the scene being drawn. So I guess I'm 50/50

DokiDokiTsuna 2021-01-07 19:34:00 UTC #12

Left, because I tend to instinctively draw people facing left, and I usually cast light onto a characters face. I am right handed. ._.

It looks like your theory was right, but I'm an outlier...

NickRowler 2021-01-07 19:41:01 UTC #13

I am 50/50. I am more interested on making them “pop” than making sure the light source is constant. I will however have more consistent lighting in low lit or shadowy scenes.

AHaplessFool 2021-01-07 20:31:46 UTC #14

I'm a lefty, and whenever doing drawings for fun I tend to do it from the left side too! The lefty-righty thing with art is really neat in tons of ways; When I start a drawing on a fresh page it tends to be on the right side of the page, whereas my right handed friend always starts drawing from the left side.

skicoak 2021-01-07 21:23:35 UTC #15

Mine is an inner light that brings joy to all who know me...

I frequently use a technique an old college professor taught me which he called "abstract lighting" (but I have never seen it called that anywhere else lol).

The theory is that even with a single strong light source, it is bounced and refracted in multiple unpredictable ways... So you're allowed to "cheat" however you want for effect. You see it pop up a lot in noir and neo-noir.
Underlighting that isn't logical, a red backlight with no source...anything is fair game as long as it isn't distractingly wrong.

For anyone who is wondering about what I am babbling about...

vothnthorvaldson 2021-01-07 21:31:33 UTC #16

For single illustrations, left top corner unless there is a visible light source. I'm right handed but leaning toward ambidextrous.

But I don't do a lot of single illustrations without clear light sources.
In my comic, I have a lot of exterior scenes, so I put the light source where the sun/moon is supposed to be.
This is theory. I often mess up because it is difficult to remember all the times to take in account seasons, hours, directions etc.
But as a general rule that's what I do.
Indoors I usually have a visible light source (either a lamp/candle or a window).

nathanKmcwilliams 2021-01-07 21:43:11 UTC #17

The first time I ever read one of your posts was the most enlightened I have ever been

But I really like that concept of lighting.

skicoak 2021-01-07 22:08:19 UTC #18

I have blackout curtains on all my yachts so no one confuses me for a lighthouse. Lol

Rhonder 2021-01-07 22:37:18 UTC #19

I'm in the category of folks that default to whichever direction the (key/focus) character is looking in the absence of an important or definitive directional light source. Admittedly wasn't quite sure, had to go back and look at some of my past art lol. Voted 50/50