For a 3D Modeler one of the most fun things to model is a character and what is the most expressive part of a character? - the face. If you are a character modeler you should learn how to light the face of a character to improve your reels and images of your character model. This blog will focus on two different ways to light the face of a character; Rembrandt lighting and butterfly lighting.
Rembrandt Lighting
Rembrandt lighting is type of lighting that is named after the painter, Rembrandt, from the 1600s. Rembrandt lighting is when you light the face in a way that a triangle shaped of light is formed under the eye of the side of the face that is less illuminated. It is named after Rembrandt because of how he lit the faces of his subjects in his painted portraits. In this Rembrandt portrait of a woman you can see the triangle shaped light under the eye on the side with more shadow on the woman's face:
Butterfly Lighting
Butterfly lighting is a type of lighting where the key light is placed above the face at an angle. It is called butterfly lighting because of the butterfly shape it makes under the nose of the face.
To understand how to use these two lighting styles in Maya watch this video:
After watching the video choose a character model and practice using Rembrandt and butterfly lighting in Maya to light it.
Also become a subscriber to the school's YouTube channel to learn more lighting techniques.
Keep in mind that lighting is a skill and you will need practice to get a good understanding of it.