That one comment about my lighting completely changed my work

I posted a portrait in here last week and someone said my shadows were too muddy and killing the depth. They suggested I use a cool blue backlight instead of warm tones, so I tried it on a new piece. Has anyone else had a single critique that totally shifted your whole process?

3 comments

3 Comments

campbell.tara22d ago

Did it feel weird at first switching from warm to cool tones? Sometimes one small change really does open up a whole new way of seeing things.

sammoore22d ago

Swapped out my whole living room palette last spring and it felt super wrong for the first couple days, like all my furniture suddenly clashed with itself. But I just lived with it for a week before making any final judgment, and by day three my brain started clicking with the new tones. The trick is to keep one warm accent piece around for a while as a bridge, it helps your eye adjust without going into shock. That small shift ended up making me rethink how I use lighting too, cool tones bounce around differently than warm ones do. Seriously give it a solid two weeks before you decide if you hate it or not.

norathomas21d ago

Drove me absolutely nuts at first, thought I'd made a huge mistake and was ready to haul everything back to the store. Day two I walked in and it was like my eyes finally got the memo, now I can't imagine going back.