Back to Basics – Light Source & Shading (LIVE Airbrush Tutorial)
Tonight I’m kicking off a new Back to Basics tutorial series where we break down the core skills every airbrush artist needs. No gimmicks—just the fundamentals that actually make your work look three-dimensional.
In this first installment we’re focusing on light sources and shading—the foundation for creating depth, dimension, and convincing 3D effects.
Using simple shapes and gray tones, I’ll show how light and shadow build form, control contrast, and create the illusion of volume. These are the same principles used in everything from photorealism to stylized illustration.
To wrap it up, I’ll apply those techniques to the classic chain design—one of the first vector sets I ever released and the subject of one of my earliest YouTube tutorials. A little throwback while revisiting the fundamentals that make everything else work.
If you want to improve your brush control, shading logic, and overall realism, this is where it starts.
Back to the classics. Back to the fundamentals.
Chain vector used is part of this collection
https://mackayfineart.com/products/chain-how-to-files?_pos=1&_sid=67c7997e5&_ss=r
Airbrush 101 Basics video and File download
https://mackayfineart.com/products/free-airbrush-practice-sheet?_pos=1&_sid=8f679b588&_ss=r
