Painting a character entirely in shadow | Advanced Lighting Lesson

Summary by Krater

This painting tutorial demonstrates how to paint a portrait lit entirely in ambient light, explaining how planes of the head interact with soft, indirect lighting and ambient occlusion.

From the video

Answers: How do you paint a portrait using ambient light and planes of the head?

• Ambient light painting technique
• Planes of the head for portraiture
• Ambient occlusion in painting
• Direct light vs ambient light comparison
• Grayscale portrait lighting

What it concludes

• Ambient light provides softer gradations and a more limited value range compared to direct light.
• Painting ambient light requires identifying the deepest spaces and giving those areas the darkest values to create ambient occlusion.
• The head is made of planes that react predictably to light direction regardless of its complexity.