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Girl in the Mirror
Collaborative Shot Study

Character Lighting & Compositing

This was a collaborative project with animator Kirsty Harris, who created a sequence of a character getting ready in front of a vanity mirror. I was responsible for the lighting and compositing, working with the animation, environment and character assets provided by the other artists.

The scene had a warm, cabaret-inspired atmosphere, and I wanted the lighting to work with the character’s expressions and movements.

Process

1. Lighting

The main lighting came from the vanity mirror bulbs, which helped establish the warm and theatrical look of the scene. I added softer fill and bounce lights to shape the character’s back, hands and face, particularly around the cheeks and hair.

Since this was an animated sequence, I also had to check how the lighting behaved as the character moved. I rendered tests at different points in the animation, adjusting the lights when the shadows or reflections became too intense.

2. Rendering and Compositing

The scene was rendered in Arnold, using separate AOVs for diffuse, specular, reflections and lightgroups.

In NukeX, I adjusted the exposure, colour balance and individual lighting contributions. I also added glow to the vanity bulbs and a subtle amount across the rest of the image to give the scene that soft and dreamy dressing-room atmosphere.

    Final Thoughts

    This was my first collaboration with other artists, and I really enjoyed the experience of working together on the same project. It was great to see how we could bring our different skills together and help each other achieve a better final result.

    I also learned a lot about lighting a character in motion, especially how important it is to make sure the lighting works consistently throughout the entire animation, taking into account the character’s movements and expressions.

    Software

    Maya · Arnold · NukeX

    Credits

    • Lighting & Compositing: Laura Blázquez Rodes
    • Animation: Kirsty Harris
    • Rig: Amanda — Animation Methods
    • Environment Modeling: Ksenija Popovic
    • Texturing & LookDev: Marc Castells Ballester
    • Supervision & Feedback: Sancho Albano
    • Audio: Mean Girls

    Looking for broader 3D production experience?

    My background in lighting and compositing helps me understand how assets, materials and visual decisions carry through to the final shot.

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