In the image below, you can see the character has been shaded to present a light source coming from the right-hand side of the image, which subsequently provides shadows on the characters left. I challenged myself with this project to try and replicate how light would reflect and diffuse across different surfaces.
INSPIRATION
The inspiration for this piece came from multiple areas of media. One of these areas was the cyberpunk genre, which throughout history has shown the viewer a number of interesting helmets and masks that create a distinctive figure such as their colouration, which can range from multicoloured to monochromatic or having features on the mask that are notable, such as horns or having a section of it recessed/set back from the rest of the piece.
I also drew inspiration from the Marvel Comic books and the Marvel films, specifically surrounding the helmet of Iron Man. I find the helmet that the character Tony Stark wears incredibly interesting, as the helmet has several moving parts that controls the front plate and the design evolves throughout various films as his character makes upgrades to his suit, which inspired the character’s helmet that the viewer can see in the piece.
(Cerebus Tactical, n.d.)
EXPLANATION
I started this piece by creating a basic shape model to act as a framework to allow me to build my character. I had a rough idea of a character concept, taking inspiration from the cyberpunk helmets that I had viewed which featured a range of colours and details being set back whilst also wanting to feature smaller details that I found when researching Iron Man’s mask. I also wanted the character to have an element of danger and mystery to them, almost applying the mercenary trope and opted to give them armour in the form of a chest plate and shoulder guards, whilst retaining the feeling of mystery through them having a shemagh/poncho around their neck.
Once I had created the initial linework, I created a layer of base colours as this would allow me to add rendering and shadows to the image without affecting the base layer. By creating separate layers for the varying sections of shade and light, I had control over the opacity of the sections and could freely make edits to them without affecting the entire overall image.
I also experimented with changing the opacity of the brushes that I was using, opting to change the opacity and fill with the brushes that I was using to represent the different strengths of light and shadow. This can be seen on the right-hand side of the character, with hard light being shown through the use of solid white, which then diffuses across the respective surfaces into softer shades.
COLOUR CHOICES
I wanted the helmet to be a brighter colour than the rest of the character’s outfit in order to draw attention to the detailing and the various shapes that make up the helmet itself. I wanted the helmet to have a contrast between the different sections, so I made the sections of the helmet that are set back black whilst making the layers above it blue, creating a definitive split between the sections.
I also used orange for small details on the helmet, such as by the mouthpiece and the vent on the left-hand side of the image. I found that orange was a good colour to use to highlight the small details on the helmet due to it being a complementary colour to this shade of blue.
OUTCOME
I’m quite happy with this piece, as I don’t often practice realistic shading and rendering with light sources and often resort to placing shadows freely across my pieces. I experimented with new ways that I could shade and render a piece, which can be used to improve pieces that I make in the future.
If I were to make improvements to the piece, I would have continued further with shading and lighting the character, creating a gradient of varying hues to represent the strengths of the light source; In certain areas of the piece, specifically on the right-hand side of the character, the light doesn’t diffuse in a clear gradient and abruptly stops, whereas realistically this would transition and diffuse across the material.
Referenced material:
Cerebus Tactical (n.d.) CYBERPUNK RONIN HELMET-215. Cerberus Tactical. Available online: https://cerberustactical-shop.3dcartstores.com/cyberpunk-ronin-helmet.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2021].
Monteleone, L. (2020) Trauma Team. ArtStation. Available online: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/g2BLDx.
Nugraha, A. (2019) @Sidagupanjang | Instagram. www.instagram.com. Available online: https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Jy6hsn_Kw/ [Accessed 29 Nov. 2021].
Screen Master (2019) Tony Stark Suit Up Mark III Armor | Iron Man [Open Matte/IMAX HD]. www.youtube.com. Available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh15huXNFeA [Accessed 29 Nov. 2021].
Tenor (2020a) Iron Man Marvel GIF – Iron Man Marvel Mask – Discover & Share GIFs. tenor.com. Available online: https://tenor.com/view/iron-man-marvel-mask-robert-downey-jr-gif-15997726 [Accessed 29 Nov. 2021].
Tenor (2020b) Iron Man Tony Stark GIF – Iron Man Tony Stark Robert Downey Jr – Discover & Share GIFs. tenor.com. Available online: https://tenor.com/view/iron-man-tony-stark-robert-downey-jr-marvel-superhero-gif-16430080.