Help! I'm getting sick of drawing backgrounds

[Im_moron]

Well, technically not getting sick of drawing backgrounds all together.

Several characters are in this one scene for now, and drawing the same background for a while is getting real tedious.

Is there any way I can "cheat" drawing the background without looking jarring?

I've been trying to stay consistent with my comic for a while but yeah, backgrounds are annoying.

[NDmangaka]

Just don't draw backgrounds when u dont have to. Only draw them in establishing shots. Bleach the manga doesn't usually draw backgrounds either so ur good.

[storytimebiondi]

I generally only keep them if they are required for: an establishing shot, or showing how action is taking place within a space.
Otherwise, if it's a dialogue page, skip the background and fill with an appropriate colour instead!

[Im_moron]

I can roll with that...

So just the general color of the background when doing dialogue?

[ratique]

Another shortcut is to draw a background once for your establishing shot, and then re-use it in other panels. This has to be done with care of course, but I love doing it. Saves a ton of time.

[storytimebiondi]

Basically, yes. Consider this: on dialogue pages, word bubbles take most of the space, so why bother drawing a backdrop at all if half of it is going to be covered.
I would recommend reading some comics from major publishers. They often use this technique, and can show you how it can be used effectively.

Here are some examples from Marvel:
Notice how only the elements important to the action are shown. The rest is just a coloured backdrop.

[Im_moron]

Wow, even modern comics do it.

Aye! Thanks for the advice!

Also @ratique @ndtony1
I do use establishing shots :Y
I just didn't feel right kinda leaving the background blank after, the scene usually feels empty as a result.

[punkarsenic]

~copy and paste is your friend~

you can also simplify backgrounds into a shorthand. i had a scene set in a wood, and after a few key panels of detailed scenery, it turned into brown streaks and a greengold gradient.

also, as people have said, if a background is unimportant to the setting, you can totally not include it until it is - a lot of comic artists, especially in manga and manga-influenced work, only include the background selectively, and if you choose to follow that route and break from reality a bit, suddenly backgrounds can become visual playgrounds to express mood. think of all them funky screentones you get in manga instead of background after background

[IdiotWithPencil]

solid white or mood color gradients/special effects, they are god sends for comic artist ^_^;

[XzynderVexymous]

LISTEN CLOSELY. I’ve been studying professional mangas and something they ALL do is use the same background quite a few times. It saves time and allows you to put more details in the characters.

Hope this helps!

[bakasama25]

I thought they just have an assistant to draw them or just pick out a background from a book of backgrounds.

[Vivificastudios]

Most manga have like next to zero backgrounds after the establishing shot. So it all depends on the genre and you can do really whatever you want its your comic. But do draw enough backgrounds people can get the hint of where they are.

[Luminosophy]

Just be careful about leaving out a background for too long even if the setting doesn't change. I've read too many manga where the characters just seem to exist in a white vacuum of space and it's unsettling after a while. Re-establish it again every once in a while even if it's a smaller scene. Just a hint of space/ time location is good.

I know the feeling though, I have an issue with leaving out BGs because my brain says it's not complete if there's no environment. But at the same time it's way too much of a time sink for something that isn't 100% necessary for every scene, and some are helped by a lack of bg even.

[XzynderVexymous]

No not all the time. They don’t cheat, they just use the same ones constaantly.

[heraclus]

Almost every comic artist thinks backgrounds are pain in the ass but i think i am with those that appreciate them cause it's the scenery that travels you to the world you are reading about and not the characters , i'm too sometimes get sick of them but when i see the page it feels like you are there too, anyway i just wanted to tell that i love backgrounds when they are done well , maybe i'm to influenced from my favorite mangaka Tsutomu Nihei , i love his art at BLAME!, Biomega and NOiSE.

[Im_moron]

@XzynderVexymous @Vivificastudios

Well, my comic is not really a manga, it's actually colored

[yonseo]

I made a tutorial using magical voxel for creating backgrounds used in comics.
Creating Comic Backgrounds

The advantage here is you can use any angle and get any shot. You can design whole towns and even use it
as a minimap for your comics. It renders in color and black and white lineart.
If you want to see an example checkoout the first page of my comic.