CREATE SCENES WITH GOLDEN HOUR LIGHTING

Learn how to recreate this beautiful, magic hour atmosphere in your art

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The 'golden hour' - the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise - is often harnessed by professional photographers. Also referred to as the 'magic hour', these times of the day provide the perfect lighting to capture stunning photos. The golden hour is known for producing beautiful natural light that is easy to work with, and this was something I aimed to demonstrate with this 'Mushroom Girl artwork.

In these steps I break down my creative process, sharing my lighting techniques for capturing a golden hour atmosphere.

01 PREPARE THE SCENE AND CHARACTER 

This 'Mushroom Girl' scene was modelled by Sara Tarr. First, I checked the topology of the models before lighting the stage, then I decided to use MASH in order to scatter more mushrooms and turf, helping to make the scene even more beautiful.

The texturing process was undertaken with Substance Painter. Due to the fact that the character is in the middle-ground of the frame, I didn't pay attention to the texture's details obsessively. In this artwork, the girl in her dress is in a place full of mushrooms with her doll, implying that it all happens in a dream. Because of that, the material and pattern of the dress is made to look like pajamas to help convey the feeling of a dream.

02 CHARACTER SHADING