Dynamic Light In A City Scene

See how Aaron Griffin streamlines his workflow and adds life with custom brushes

- Aaron Griffin

Hey wonderful readers! In this workshop I’m going to be talking through my process of creating a glowing spirit animal within a night time city scene. I’ll be discussing the foundations of sketching out a bigger scene and the key stages that make up creating an illustration of this kind.

There are a variety of methods I can choose from when tackling the initial sketch phase. In this piece I focus my attention on shapes and values, building up a strong black and white composition. I’ll talk about the efficiency of working in this method and how it provides a solid base to work from. It can be easy to become lost in small details too early or trying to work too fast with the aim of just getting more work done. Sometimes the best thing you can do is work slower, smarter and just simplify your process.

I’ll then colourise my sketch using different blending modes and colour layers. I’ll also be discussing my brush settings and their effectiveness to add more variety to your workflow.

Along the way I’ll provide lighting tips and tricks that can really help your glowing elements ‘pop’ in the scene and provide great focal points in a bigger composition. So, without further ado let’s get stuck in!

1 Research and References

When I’m given a brief, a loose concept usually builds up in my mind. Before I begin sketching however, I like to explore my ideas by researching and collecting a variety of references. I arrange my references into a mood board (a collage if you will) – I find this a great starting block to sketch from.

2 Working with shapes and thinking about values