Showing 3-Dimensionality with Vector Illustrations

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Where do you see the shadows and highlights in this Mario ghost illustration?

Take a look at the black box below. Although the entire box is black, each side is a different shade of black. This is because the light is hitting each plane (or side) differently. Without light, we would not be able to differentiate between the sides of the box -- the entire thing would look black.

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Background
Rendering 3-dimensionality is a skill that separates skilled artists from novices. The tip is to think about LIGHT. Light exists all around us, and it changes the ways that objects and colors look. When artists draw, they look at how light interacts with objects. 

How to add 3-dimensionality

1. Draw your illustration using the pen tool. Fill in the shapes.
2. Define the location of the light source.
3. Draw the highlights and shadows.
4. Fill the highlights with a color lighter than the fill color. Fill the shadows with a fill color darker than the fill color.
5. ***Utilize gradients and opacity to bring them to the next level

​Project
Your assignment is to draw a fun 3-dimensional illustration of an animal. You will use highlights and shadows to bring your illustration to the next level.

Digital Illustrator Tyson Murphy recreated this scene from the Sword in the Stone. Notice how the second image from the movie looks flat, but the first image has 3-dimensionality because of the HIGHLIGHTS & SHADOWS. Where is the source of light coming from?