Yin

Light and shadow are often capable of conveying strong emotions, perhaps even more than actual facial expressions themselves at times. In this piece, I wanted to create a stern, intimidating, but cool expression for the character. My initial attempts with directly using facial expression alone did not get very far, with either the character looking too tense, or too lax as a result. It was challenging to properly dial in the right mood with expression alone. Using lighting however, allowed for a substantial upgrade beyond what was initially possible. I elected to use a spotlight effect which allows for the character’s hair to shade most of her eye region. This adds a sense of mystery and coolness, while the mouth and lower face remains lit. The end result is a character that expresses the look that I aimed for while still feeling realistic.