Light and Shade for Characters

A handy, accessible, and beautifully illustrated artist’s guide to using light and shade to push character designs to a professional level.

This shorter-form book from 3dtotal Publishing, from our new series Create & Learn Collection, takes readers through clear and simple methods to achieving top-quality lighting in their drawing and digital paintings.

The invaluable content is written and illustrated by professional artists, including an in-depth introduction by Kenneth Anderson (aka Character Cube), a character designer and illustrator based in Scotland, UK, who specializes in the creation of characters for animation, gaming, and traditional publishing. After covering the fundamentals of light and shade, he explores the ways lighting and shading can be used to describe form, push character stylization, and enhance storytelling.

This is followed by eight invaluable tutorials from global artists, including Iranian concept artist Taraneh Karimi, Serbian illustrator Ognjen Sporin, and Italian character designer Isabella Agosti. They cover a range of topics, including ’Controlling tonal structure of a character with light and shade’, ’Using light within a character design’, and ’Using light and shade in a stylized 3D character’.

With a compact format and short, clear tutorial steps, this book is ideal for those wanting a quick reference guide or more relaxed approach from a tutorial book. It’s an ideal gift for an artist friend just discovering their digital-painting skills, or a must-buy for artists wanting to discover how the professionals create spot-on lighting and shade in their designs.

Introduction chapters by Kenneth Anderson aka Character Cube (89.6K Instagram followers @charactercube). Based in Glasgow, UK, Kenneth is a freelance character designer and illustrator. He specializes in the creation of characters and character-driven illustrations for animation, gaming, and traditional publishing.

Contributor Taraneh Karimi is an Iranian artist living in Spain. She has 149K Instagram followers (@taraneh.artworks). She is a self-taught concept artist and character designer with over a decade of experience, working with renowned companies like Disney Animation, Netflix, and various game and animation studios. She primarily uses digital tools, such as Procreate on the iPad and Photoshop on screen tablets.

Contributor Ognjen Sporin is from Serbia and has 118K Instagram followers (@o.sporin). Ognjen is a freelance illustrator and concept artist who has created art for video games, animated movies, books, and tabletop games. Notable past clients include Netflix, Blizzard, Marvel, and NetEase.

Edited by 3dtotal Publishing, based in Worcester, England, UK. 3dtotal publish high-quality art books dedicated to bringing invaluable training to beginners, hobbyists, and professionals alike. Their books feature top industry professionals from around the globe who share their experience in skillfully written step-by-step tutorials and guides. Illustrated throughout with stunning artwork, these best-selling publications offer creative insight, expert advice, and essential motivation.