How detailed do you draw backgrounds for your panels?

[BikerCatBoi]

I am currently working on an unreleased post apocalyptic webcomic that focuses more on it's dialogue and character interactions over it's art. As such, the entire comic is done in black and white to save time drawing it as i take too long to draw things.

Currently, the first panel of my comic looks like this. Very simplistic and amateur as i'm not the best at drawing backgrounds but i believe it gets the point across that it's supposed to be a city in the background, while keeping focus on the more detailed characters. (Would like feedback on this btw)

Was just curious to see how everyone else draws their backgrounds on whatever project they are currently doing!

[BoomerZ]

Just enough detail to tell the story, but easy enough to be quick.

[IndigoShirtProd]

Depends on the panel. Sometimes the characters are the focus, so the backgrounds can be simple gradients. Other times I'm drawing an establishing shot, so the background/location is of more importance.

[ThunderChicken]

Sometimes sparsely:

Sometimes a lot:

Sometimes way too much:

Truth be told I often enjoy drawing the backgrounds more than I do the foregrounds

[jwabeasley]

Here's mine, I prefer detailed backgrounds when I can. It helps lend a sense of place.

For post-apocalyptic, I'd probably make the backgrounds at least as realistic as the characters. It's part of the fun of that genre. Then again, I kinda do that anyway.

[Ayumi]

I usually try to clear where are the character/characters on the first panel of the scene. The rest of the panels I mix with gradients, or something easy which indicates that we are still at that place. I think how you did it is good enough.

[wolflu66]

I used to create highly detailed, fully colored comic backgrounds, but it was incredibly time-consuming—sometimes taking over 10 days just to complete a single page.

Maybe you could try what I do now: keep the characters in color while using simple black line art for the backgrounds, without even adding grayscale—except for special scenes where it's really needed.

Read Roars and Whispers | Tapas Web Community

[justincarbunkle]

I like the idea of overly sketchy/simplistic backgrounds as a representation of a post apocalyptic world. Think there’s plenty of fun ideas to do with that, while also being very easy to draw. If the backgrounds still convey the information you need, conveys a purposeful sense of art direction, and the character art looks solid, I think you can get away with bg’s like that.

My bg’s I also keep fairly simple so I can speed up my production process + fit my cartoony art style. Usually I’ll have one wide/exterior shot that has a decent amount of detail, then the remaining shots are mostly close ups of the characters, and the backgrounds are usually just a few lines/props to convey they’re still in that location. I just look up reference images for what I’m trying to draw, then try portraying that with memorable shapes/props.

[Aeneas1]

I do as much as I need to do. The problem is, it's difficult for someone of my level of capability to draw, for example, naturalistic scenery. I can draw a cliff-face or a rock wall of a cave as squiggly lines, but it never comes across as believable, and it would take far too long to draw things in sufficient detail, so I have to find workarounds. The detriment comes in worrying whether readers will be able to understand what's going on - I've been told that my art style is postmodern, but I don't think it is.

[Leyelle]

basically not at all ATM, it's mentioned in the story. The FL is allegedly drawing the comic, and she has to learn to draw bgs

[kyupol]

Depends what it is.

Usually detailed...

Sometimes use Google maps street view or photos and edit a bit...

But sometimes don't need to be detailed. Just a simple gradient is fine...

[Oriflamme]

Depending on your artstyle and sensibilities, you could use 3d backgrounds. Depending on what you are going for, it could save you some time. Unless you are me, and decide that you’re going to create your own 3d background in blender and then paint over each one of them.

(The last one is a joke, I have great respect for artist who know how to manage their efforts. I'm the one who has problem)

[ilesarki]

To me it largely depends on a scene and the perspective of each panel, and how much there's focus on character action. Especially when characters are in a new area which needs to be shown to the reader. On action scenes the backgrounds are usually simple.

Read Karamador | Tapas Web Community

[Rai_Muffin]

I think looking at professional comics can be informative here.
These are professional printed and produced by entire teams, and yet they take more shortcuts than you may think.

An initial panel thats more detailed is great to set the scene,
but after that you can get away with drawing less and less detail.
Manga especially; this page from Bleach has even less detailed in the black and white original.

I say pick your battles and know when to go more detailed and when to pull back.
Save your energy for the bigger splash pages.
When a background can be a colour gradient or a series of straight lines that look more detailed than they actually are.

[thepenmonster]

I feel like a shit loser when I slack on backgrounds.

A single bed in an empty room? C'mon. No wardrobe? Dresser? Chair? Desk? Nothing says, "I lack the skills to do this," like not doing something.

Given that the current concept of a weekly update of a full comic is a lingering stink from a Webcomic era that no longer exists (the big companies are IP mills for Netflix now), I can't look at the above and give myself the excuse of, "It stinks but at least it got done." That's me following a stupid norm. I shouldn't do that.

In the end no one will give a flying fuck that you shat out 60 panels in a week. They'll only care that you used your craft to the best of your ability and making backgrounds is part of the craft.

[BoomerZ]

another thing that need to be hit on is the background has to match the characters. If you draw cartoony characters like I do, having super realistic 3D model backgrounds give your pictures a sticker look. Like the characters are stuck onto a picture they don't belong. The tone of the artwork should be consistent throughout the comics, other wise you get a disconnect.

[Red_Dog]

I enjoy drawing backgrounds, but if I drew a super crazy detailed background for every panel I think I'd go crazy. So I draw enough to set the stage or let the reader know where the scene is taking place. At least that's what I try to do. I've been told that if something is close up to the "camera" then you don't have to go into crazy detail and giving the simple image is enough.

[drewdoniger]

Well usually I try to have a simple background to have a good focus on the subject, sometimes I put a pattern in there to signify something, usually emotion,

or in this case I was trying to signify that this particular panel is a quick flashback to the 70s, so I gave it a sort of 70s hippie style

I usually add it when I want to convey either something to do with the story, or to display something to reveal about Emerald (seeing as so much is set inside her house) i.E.how much she loves birds. After all, you can see how much random bird stuff is in and around her house.

Or when I am doing a Family Guy establishing shot

Or feel like drawing some weird shit

Or a background gag

Or the times I do this cross-sectional isometric view that I like to do

And then, of course there are the times where the background details change up mainly because I am doing a panel or two in a different art style for emphasis




(yes, I have an actual painting I did on canvas with cheap acrylic paint for a panel)

And then, lastly, I would like to point out that ever since chapter 12 (and as a trial on chapters 6 and 7), a thing I have been doing is, in the white space, I have been adding patterns and gradients as a sort of second background for entire chapters/scenes
They can range from relatively simple

To kind of complex

[jwabeasley]

A real mixed media artist, I see! Interesting! I always have a hard time making mixed media.

[jwabeasley]

@Ayumi That makes it a good establishing shot! Following the scene changes makes sense to me!