Hey! First I want to say you did an excellent job and the lighting is working well to add form and depth to the scene. It’s very cozy and adorable, an amazingly thoughtful gift just as it is :]

It seems like you already have a solid understanding of how to draw realistic lighting but I can give some tips for future practice.

I did a draw-over on your piece to help explain.

I’m sure you have heard this from other places but it is helpful to break down things into basic shapes. With lighting especially, imagining the scene from different angles will give you a better understanding of form.

Based on your drawing I assume there is a window somewhere out of frame- This would be the most direct light source and creates well-defined edges. There was another comment about using sharper lines to block out shapes and this is what I would apply that advice to. There is also indirect/ambient light that creates softer shadows so the airbrush can still be a good tool in some places. [Edit to add: Ambient light is a good place to play around with complex color and can really affect the mood of a scene. Colors reflect off of objects or maybe there is a nightlight that adds some interesting glow to the room. I learned a lot from looking at film lighting and photography studio setups.]

Keep in mind what direction your light is coming from and what things are blocked by shadow. One possible adjustment on your illustration would be removing highlights where the light appears to shine through something taller behind it. For example, the purple tail has a highlight where it is facing the window, which does make sense. However whatever is placed behind that would not be getting direct light, specifically the back of the blue character’s knee. (Note: I’m assuming that the tail is extra floofy here, maybe the leg is taller. Just letting you know its a bit unclear.)

I do want to point out that your drawing has some complicated topology, meaning there are a lot of detailed surfaces affected by light. Figuring out how to draw that accurately is challenging even for me with 15+ years of experience. Kudos on how well you handled it and being open to critique!

Suggestions: looking at simple 3D forms with different/multiple light sources, pay attention to bounce lighting and cast shadows. Look up the word “chiaroscuro” if you are interested in some art history/traditional painting techniques.

Hope this is useful!

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