In this article, I will use the character illustrations below to explain how to create an illumination background and how to edit the characters to match the background. It's very easy to do, so I hope it will be helpful for beginners too!

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Introduction

Since there is a process of applying processing such as blurring, it is efficient to work on them by dividing them into a character folder and a background folder as shown below.

1. Draw the background of the illumination

① Draw the street trees in the background

First, change the background color. Since this is a night scene, set the background to a dark blue color.

Next, we'll draw some street trees. This time, we'll try drawing the trees using one-point perspective, which can easily create a sense of perspective.

Draw the silhouettes of the street trees using a color lighter than the background, as shown below.

Choosing darker colors as the distance increases will create depth. The shape of the tree will look more realistic if you draw it with the tips of its branches branching outwards.

Next, we will add wood grain to the street trees. Add a new layer above the street tree layer, change the mode to "Multiply", clip and write.

I add vertical lines in light grey to create the wood grain, increasing the amount of detail.

Now the street trees are complete!

②Draw a light bulb

Now we'll draw the light bulbs that will provide the illumination.

 

 

From the "Decoration" tool, select "Clothing" and then "Acanthus."

Add a new layer above the street tree layer and draw the light bulbs of the street trees in a light yellow.

It's a good idea to use a smaller brush size the further back the tree is.

Next, copy the light bulb layer and move it below the light bulb, then change its mode to Add (Glow).

Select "Filter" > "Blur" > "Gaussian Blur" and blur the copy of the light bulb layer as desired.

We'll change the color of this blurred light to create a warmer light.

First, lock the transparency of the blurred layer.

Next, choose an orange color and fill it with "Fill." Because the transparency is locked, only the area you have drawn on will be filled with orange.

This gives the light a warm bulb glow.

Finally, select "Spray" from the "Airbrush" menu and add small scattered lights around the bulb using a pale yellow color.

Now the light bulb is finished!

3) Blur processing

Finally, blur the background so that the character is in focus.

First, select the folder containing all of the background layers we've created so far (the "Background" folder in this example), then go to "Layer" and choose "Merge selected layers."

(*You can put the "Paper" layer into a folder by right-clicking on the layer and selecting "Rasterize.")

This will merge the background into a single layer.

We'll apply a blur to the background.

First, lock the transparency of the background layer. Next, select "Gaussian Blur" from "Filter" > "Blur" and apply the blur as desired.

The background is now complete! Next, we'll move on to processing the characters.

2. Character editing

①Make the character blend into the background

Combine all the layers containing the character into one file, create a new layer on top of the file, and clip it.

Next, choose a color close to the orange of the light bulb and fill the clipped layer. Only the character's part will be filled, as shown below.

Next, change the mode to "Subtract" and adjust the transparency to make it blend in with the background. I set it to 30% this time.

② Add highlights to the character

Create a new layer on top of the subtraction layer and clip it, setting the mode to "Overlay".

Let's add highlights with a light yellow color to the character's hair and surfaces facing upwards.

This created a sparkling effect.

3) Draw a white breath

By adding the effect of your breath turning white during cold seasons, we will create an illustration with even more atmosphere.

Add a layer on top and use the “Soft” Airbrush to draw a blurry shape like the one below in a color close to white.

Next, change the mode to "Screen" and adjust the transparency to your liking. I set it to 40% in this example.

③ Add a filter

Finally, add a filter to the whole thing.

Create a new layer at the top and use the "Soft" Airbrush to paint the character's face and streetlights with orange colors.

Next, change the mode to "Color Dodge" and adjust the transparency, in this case to 40%.

That's it!

bonus

You can also create colorful illumination by applying colorful colors to the light bulb and setting the mode to "Overlay."

Please have fun trying out different types of processing!