Using Highlights For Drama and Depth This tutorial expands upon what we talked about in the Layers tutorial previously, so be sure you understand the basics of using layers and layer modes discussed in there. Many artists know to add shadows to their work in order to create depth. Shadows help to give a sense of volume, form and ground a scene. However, not very many pay as close attention to the use of light in creating powerful highlights. Through this tutorial, I hope I can grab your attention with power of good highlights in creating atmosphere. I've been toying with different coloring techniques on Makeshift Miracle as I create the pages each week. I used to start with Black and White line artwork on a separate layer and add Multiply layers of shadows until I'd achieved the effect I wanted. However, I've been getting far more powerful results with an alternate technique: Line Art / Mid Tone and Shadows / Highlights Line Art: I start by scanning in my artwork. This panel is from Makeshift Miracle page 27. I also decide what my light source will be. It's important to choose a direction for the light and think carefully about how that will affect what's around it. Harsh light creates distinct shadows and harsh tone changes, soft light creates more gradients and softer edged shadows. Do some research. Look to photos, films or other artists and see how they approach light and darkness. Understand how shadows and highlights appear on the subjects you're creating. Reflective metal will have a very different look then a human face or a soft blanket. Mid Tone and Shadows: I lay down a mid tone of whatever color I choose for this page. The mid tone becomes a base, literally a mid point between the shadows and highlights. It keeps me from using too much white in the scene so that I can save it to add drama. The shadows are created by adding Layers on Multiply mode or by using the Burn Tool right on the mid tone layer if I'm in a rush. Highlights: Here's the punch! I add a new layer on Normal mode over top of the shadow layers but below the Line Art. Here is where I add white highlights with a brush, carefully showing where the harshest light is interacting with the subject. It pulls out much more depth than the typical "shadows only" picture. It also draws the viewer's eyes towards the rim of light on Colby's face. With the highlights on its own layer, I can erase, alter or intensify the highlights without worrying about wrecking the rest of the piece. Looking at stage 2, you can see how much more dramatic the final stage is with the addition of highlights. Just to drive the point home... here's an example from Page 24... The finishing touch on this one is the soft glow from the monitor that washes out the line artwork slightly. This is created by adding a Highlight layer in Normal mode on top of the Line Art layer. I paint a soft white zone on the edge of the monitor and then lower the opacity of the layer until it creates the desired effect. Highlights Give a Sense of Material This sink shot from Page 22 look more metallic because of some well placed highlights. Using the Polygonal Lasso Tool in photoshop, I choose shapes that can represent reflected light on the metal. Then, I use a large soft brush and sweep it by the selection area, creating a gradient highlight with a harder reflected edge and a softer spot moving towards the mid tone. So, kick up Photoshop and experiment with highlights. Look at subjects carefully and analyse the light sources and effects all around you. Questions or comments? Feel free to E-Mail me. Home / Archive / About / History / Tutorials / Praise The Makeshift Miracle is hosted on Keenspace, a free webhosting and site automation service for webcomics.