Hey Polar, I have an art-related question if you don't mind? On your Roxas picture, between the highlight on his arm and the shading on the other side there's a reddish stripe to separate the two. (I hope a described that well) I was wondering-- how exactly do you start to find the right color for that? Is it based more on lighting? Skintone? I've seen it used by a few artists and I'm trying to figure it out but cannot find references. Thank you!
That’s a core shadow~ In theory it should be the darkest part of the shadow, it’s the edge where the form is no longer touching direct light, so it’s placement can really add volume. Why is the core shadow the darkest point? Bc of reflect light, colors are effected by other colors/light around them.So past the core shadow (to the dark side) things are picking up reflect light/colors because there is such a bright light source.This short vid I found below is a good visual rep of how a shadow can change drastically based on what it’s reflecting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9dPvi0JVasThe red color between the core shadow going to the light side is apparently called the “terminator” I’ve never heard a name for it, but I’m assuming it’s a transition color to show a smoother roundness? (lmk if i’m wrong) In my case I made my terminator very saturated/warm to match with my warm lighting.
(In most cased the reflect light would be a cooler color, but I wanted this painting to be very warm)When you squint the shadow should still look like the darkest area, don’t go too ham on the lightness of the reflect light or it’ll look like a second light source instead of a subtle reflection. However you can amp up the lightness of your reflect light on anything you want to look glossy or wet since those things are much more reflective than dry skin/clothes.
