Lighting help for illustration

[tom.barrett]

This is a total rework of an illustration I did many years ago. Would love to know if the lighting in this looks ok for a dark attic, or if it is overdone, or needs more contrast. Appreciate all feedback. Thanks!

[Jim Gleeson]

@tom-barrett Something feels off about the light going to the right. Maybe the light source needs to be more obvious.

[tom.barrett]

@Jim-Gleeson Thanks, Jim. Was considering that to be a little bit of reflected light so as to not lose all of the details on the right side of the room (the story I created for this is that they are searching for the chest on the table, far right). Maybe it's a bit too dark at the ceiling where the text would go.

[Tom Harshberger]

@tom-barrett I really like this! Maybe some light shining through the gap where the door and the hinge meet (hitting the lamp and globe).

[Robyn Hepburn]

@tom-barrett I think it looks great! The lighting seems perfect to me, even the "reflected" light. I also like the suggestion of the chink of light from the door-gap.
The great thing about illustration is that you can change reality to suit your purposes. 🥳 I did a quick search for "children's illustration dark" and saw some great pictures, and rarely is the lighting realistic. There's sometimes a stark contrast, or there's a bit more light in the dark than one would expect. Some examples:

By Udayana Lugo (where does the light come from on those faces? Who cares? )

By Jon Klassen

You going to keep going with this illustration? I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops!

[tom.barrett]

@Robyn-Hepburn Thanks for the examples Robyn! I was thinking along the same lines, letting go of reality for clarity's sake, but still making it believable. And yes, I do plan to finish this one. Hope to post an update soon!

[Ortiz Young]

I really like this photo.