Joey Livingston
Painting Multiple Light Sources Creates the Illusion of Depth
Boys at Work
BY JOEY LIVING STON
Artist, Web Developer
Florida, USA
Joey Livingston starts with a story, then illustrates it in the app “Brushes”. He takes us along for the full tour in his important discussion of light and creating the illusion of depth.
Step 1
Painting on the iPhone and iPod Touch isn’t so different from painting in any other digital or natural medium. The fundamentals still apply. We begin with a simple sketch to establish the overall composition. The line work here shows the sketch at a pretty advanced stage, which will provide an excellent roadmap for the piece.
Step 2
We want to illuminate the room only slightly, with the sunlight coming in from the window, to give the impression that they had been working all night, into the wee hours of the morning. On a separate layer, we paint the garage as if no one was in it. Focus on the ambience of the morning sunlight pouring through the upstairs window and through the rails around the upper level. Gently work the shadows into the area below. Finish all the details of the objects hanging on the wall and on the shelves.
Step 3
Once the garage is complete, we begin painting in the foreground colors on a new layer. We use the original sketch to lay over the top of the whole piece and provide extra definition to the forms of the boys and all the objects in the garage. The dim light provides an opportunity for some really interesting highlights created by the other light sources we created in the room, the fluorescent desk lamp and the welding sparks. Both of these sources produce a good bright blue light, which contrasts nicely with the deep oranges and yellows produced by the daylight. The sharp light that they provide contrasts nicely, not only in color but also in effect, to the morning light. You’ll notice that the effect of the morning light is somewhat soft and subtle on the boys’ heads and backs, while the light from the lamp and sparks has a very sharp, defining effect on the profile of their faces to finish off the piece.
