ADD LIGHT TO YOUR CHARACTER DESIGN

Jiunn Kuo reveals how and why he uses striking lighting, glow effects and atmosphere in his character-focused illustrations

- Jiunn Kuo

Lighting in character illustrations is more than a finishing touch of highlights.

It shapes the emotion of the scene, guides the viewer's eye and gives the character a strong sense of presence. This artwork is part of a fan-art series that I've been developing, and I'm excited to share both the final result and the creative process behind it. Expressive lighting has become one of my signature approaches in illustration and something I constantly enjoy exploring as I refine my style.

The workshop begins with a clean line drawing and a simple value pass to establish the essential forms before any colour is added. Setting the light and shadow structure early on helps define the strength, direction and contrast of the illumination, enabling the rest of the painting to develop more confidently. From there, I organise the character, background and effects into distinct layer groups so the artwork remains flexible and easy to adjust at every stage.

I'll also explain how I build glow effects, place soft and sharp accents and maintain a stable value structure even when using bright and stylised lighting. By dividing the painting into manageable steps, these methods can be applied to a range of styles, whether you prefer subtle, atmospheric lighting or bold, luminous highlights.

Set your composition with a sketch

I use loose, simple lines to capture the character's pose and movement, relying on reference images when required. I focus on the proportions and the overall balance without adding details. The goal is to place the character quickly within the composition.

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