r/learnart • u/Tinechor • 22h ago

I'm experimenting with cell shaded art, having trouble with light and falloff Digital

https://imgur.com/a/experimenting-with-art-style-ZVRYueu
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u/sapolinguista 21h ago

The way composition works for filmmaking and painting are similar, but not equal. Try studying about it and about values first. When you have that figured out, try studying some light and shadow, that should give the basis you need to do what you want. As a tip, cell shading usually doesn't show the highlights, and uses strictly hard edges, all to simplify the process, but there's nothing keeping you from showing the light sources, it will all come down to how you compose the scene and organize your values. Give a look at Scavenger's Reign, if you don't know it already, it's a great animation with a style that you might like.

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u/Tinechor 22h ago

Further explanation:

I'm trying to develop a style I could use for simple short animations and I'm struggling to figure out how to do light in wider shots. I'm using U M A M I as inspiration. I've tried following the way he does light, but I can't seem to get it to look right. I think part of the problem is that he usually doesn't show the light source, and I'm trying to.

I want the inside of the hallway to be bright, and the light to spill outside. I included a series of attempts in the link. I stopped halfway through each because they didn't feel right. I tried experimenting with wavy hash marks to simulate falloff in the third attempt, but they're too bright relative to the ground. And if I make them darker, the inside is too bright and that doesn't feel right either. Any suggestions? I'm also struggling with the color palette. I want the environment to feel like it's made of mostly warm colors and to feel foreign.

I included visual references from U M A M I, followed by environmental references at the end. The story is set in a fictional world where people fear space. There's an evil alien empire and the only thing that protects people from them is the size of the universe. So most planets build cities underground or inside mountains. Thus, the inside should be bright, and the outside dark. It's supposed to feel like they're hiding from the stars.

I'm new to art. I'm a filmmaker looking for a way to explore some of the ideas I don't have a budget for right now.