3 Lighting Tricks That Change Everything

Free Face Drawing Course 👉 lpart.me/faces

If your paintings keep looking the same, lighting is probably the problem.

You can use the exact same colors and still get wildly different results—just by changing the light. Here are three lighting setups I rely on to instantly add mood and variety to my illustrations:

☀️ Desert Light
Warm background, strong sunlight, and cooler shadows from the sky. Try lighting the character from behind instead of the front, then add a bit of fog and sharp highlights to get that sun-soaked, saturated look.

🌆 Neon Light
Start dark and cool. Cover the character with a purple-tinted shadow, then hit them with multiple light sources from different directions—like city lights at night. A touch of bloom or fog on the lights makes everything feel alive.

😈 Villain Light (my favorite)
Go bold with a saturated red background, then use cooler light from below to instantly make the character feel more sinister. Add heavy ambient shadows and finish with a strong rim light from the opposite side.

✨ Same base colors. Completely different moods.

If you want to learn more about lighting and painting faces, I’ve prepared a free sample from my course. You can go to the link in my bio or to part.me/faces 👉 just click Start watching for free and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.

🖌🖌🖌🖌

My name is Lucas Peinador, I’m a concept artist and illustrator. I am originally from Costa Rica, now living in Slovenia.
I love painting and teaching about painting. This channel is dedicated to art and creativity, to share the mindset, technique, and tools of an artist working in the Entertainment Industry.
Thank you for passing by 🙂

#LucasPeinador #Painting #conceptart #illustration #digitalpainting #procreateurse #paintingprocess #drawingfaces #artworkflow #stylizedportrait