Lighting Techniques for Animation

Instructor: Peter Markowski Venue: LAAFA/EIDO

Painting process

Step I: Light logic

How To Render by Scott Robertson and Thomas Bertling A book covering the basics of calculating lighting, i.e. "light logic". Direction and placement of shadows, amount of shadow, fall off.

Step II: Theatrical lighting

Theatrical lighting may work counter to logical light placement. This is lighting that is necessary to "tell the story."

(TODO: add some visual examples.)

Step III: Procedural layering

• Add one layer at a time. Work on one layer at a time.
• Work back to front.
• Work night to dark.
• Low contrast to high contrast.

Mike Humphries

A good example of this process using gouache.

Uses badger brush for soft effects and to alter overall value and / or color

Examples

Illustration with bears, snow and mountains.

It contains logical light:

• Most contrast and detail on the middle ground where the main characters are placed.
• Low contrast on far mountains
• Another layer of closer mountains with slightly more contrast and saturation.
• Low contrast in the foreground, but with darker colors than the distant mountains.

It contains illogical (but theatrical) light:

• Spot light on main characters (the bears.)
• The light on the bears is contrived. There is no natural source. It exists purely for the story and to add drama.

"Light responsibly"

Track any light sources that are introduced into a scene.

Apply their light logically to objects in the surrounding environment.

Comment on production

Workflow: Paint BG → ship → make color key.

Problem encountered in that when the color key is made you may discover conflicts between the characters and the BG when they are placed onto it. Maybe they don't stand out enough.

Recommends dropping characters onto the BG while painting to catch these conflicts early.

A pool of light can often help make the characters stand out from the background.

Method for working out composition of light

1. Figure out the main light as a schematic. Very bold, like literally black and white. Slowly introduce values.
2. Put in accent lights.

Genre/special lighting

Standout examples: noir, horror

The Godfather Marlon Brando sitting at his desk—all you can see in his face and his shirt and pattern of light coming coming through the blinds behind him. Everything else is black.

Kubrick's The killing same with light coming through the blinds and hitting the characters.