Archive for the tag 'Michelle Lamoreaux'

Ask Ninja 11: Backgrounds

Ninja July 28th, 2008

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these.

Q: Hi… I can’t think of a background at all. I’m pretty good at drawing people, but I suck so hard at backgrounds, and it turns out that backgrounds are what my teacher wants to see. So I guess I’m asking you how to actually go about and do a background for a self portrait.

A: Hi Stormie! Ah, backgrounds. Backgrounds can be quite challenging, but they are very important as they set the stage for your narrative and give your image a sense of place. Backgrounds can be either architecture, natural environment, or abstract. In the interest of not having this post run too long, I will provide tutorial links.

A few things to keep in mind as you form your background:

How does your subject interact with this space? What objects does your subject come in contact with that makes this space believable?

Do your research! Make sure location, fashion, vegetation, and architecture are accurate for the time and place of your image.

I was originally going to upload work from working illustrators, but instead, I’ve dug through my collection of student art work to give you some inspiration.

Interiors

I’ve provided three examples from different artists who have all chosen bedrooms for their settings. Even though they all have the bedroom setting in common, the lighting, tones, textures, and perspective set a different mood in each image.