Hello, everyone! SunStrike Studio creates graphics for mobile and computer games. Below you will find detailed feedback on one of the tasks performed as part of our open test assignment. The author of the work has given us permission to publish this information.

Art of the artist Victoria Lemeshevskaya

Very often artists rush to work on the details of the work, forgetting to lay down a foundation. This is how we end up with objects where each detail has a unique source of light, with the resulting image falling apart into individual components instead of looking as one whole object. Tackling the work in stages can help novice artists avoid such mistakes:

Search for references

Real life references make made up ideas seem more convincing. They make it easier to get a sense of volume and anatomy. Photographs also help select poses that would look “stable” without being “stiff”:

The sword in the image below is missing to give a better view of the structure of the body behind it:

Lighting

The simplest way to start working with volume is to use an averaged out canvas and draw a sketch of the image with the lighter color that will be used for the brightest areas:

If you have trouble imagining how the light will fall, once again, use references:

Once the lit areas are defined, it becomes easier to determine which sections will be in the shade:

Using additional light sources such as rim light will help give the image even more volume:

If you are not confident about whether the light has been applied correctly, there is a quick test that could help you check it - try “slicing” your picture, it will make the problem areas more apparent:

To summarize, we recommend that you always take time to think your work through, do not rush starting on the details, and take time to assess the “framework” of you piece. Moving from the bigger picture to details is much simpler than trying to piece together tiny pieces of the puzzle.

Look for more test task reviews from us in the near future!