As I quickly sketch out my perspective, I plan out how my directional light will play a part in the composition. With a dusty room, light almost becomes an object, because it's caught up in all the dust particles that fill the air.
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I quickly lay in my values and make sure I draw bright directional light values, from the opening in the ceiling to the spot where the light hits the ground.
I prefer to use a Photoshop textured brush when doing this, because it gives the air that distinctive dust-particle effect. Most importantly, when dealing with a dark environment that's being lit by a singular strong source, it will create some fantastic bounced light.
For this scene the warmer sunlight reflects off the ground and then upwards to cast a warm light on the cool colours of the cavern interior.
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This article originally appeared in ImagineFX magazine issue 108.
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