How important are backgrounds to you? Readers and Creators! :sunrise_over_mountains:

[NutshellComics]

you're literally describing me right now!
i'm not looking forward to draw the first town in the second volume of my manga tbh. but i will learn it!
And your backgrounds are gorgeous!!

[NutshellComics]

it's a nice shot, there're different layers, nice reflections and the backdrop mountains get more bluish in the distance. everything there!
and the outline of the tree in the foreground is thicker, very important to convey proximity!
you know all the basics, now it's just a matter of time until you rock backgrounds even more!

[NutshellComics]

it's nice to get a feel for composition in a scene, if you use premade stuff, but don't be afraid to only use it as reference!
it's your unique art that should shine imo!
and your characters look cool and like you could have a great time with them, btw!

[NutshellComics]

for practice or reference it's great. but at the end with drawn characters in this 3d environment (if so) it feels a bit disturbing tbh. but i see your point in having too much fun with it.
and to be fair it's more important to do what you enjoy!!

[ButterflyEmpress]

I find it a bit confusing on whether or not a BG is necessary for every panel. I've heard advice just to draw it for an establishing shots and to occasionally remind readers of the location then do color gradients for simple talking head panels. It sounds lazy, but I realize I've read comics that do that and it completely flew over my head, not affecting my enjoyment. Like, if 2 characters are chatting outside Taj Mahal, would I be wasting my time drawing it from different angles for every panel?

I had a comic that took place at a school, which tend to have beige/white walls and floors. I think the constant white and grey may have been off putting, but I'm still not sure about what I should've done about it.

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[jwabeasley]

Absolutley agreed! Backgrounds schould be made the same way as everything else, 3d or filtered photographs are cheating when done with traditional drawn comics. as much as i ADORE avatar: the last airbender i never liked the 3d models they used for machinery. I love your castle, btw, nice angle!!

Thanks!

I think the constant white and grey may have been off putting, but I'm still not sure about what I should've done about it.

If having the background adds nothing and just clutters the frame, it makes sense to leave it out. Sometimes more abstract, gradient backgrounds can be used to evoke the mood or give other information to the characters. I have a key for Etherwood that associates certain characters/concepts with overall colors, and use that guide when choosing my gradient backgrounds for talking scenes. Maybe you could try the same

[Lensing]

I subscribed, you are doing a really great job, I love the drawings and you put so much effort into
in. I´m really happy to see artwork which is not rushed. I also think that this story should be printed

[susutaru]

I don't know. My mind is splittet in this point.

My art actually is at a point, where I surely can draw a good background, but I want to work smarter, not harder.

If the outside lining and all of an Clip Studio Asset fits into my art style, why shouldn't I took the techniqe that is there, to fulfill the work a little faster? (Tbh, I don't know if you ever tried these options. xD But also adjusting the angle and setting it right sometimes takes a lot of time. I also watched a tutorial a while ago, where some artists build a complete own City with these assets.)
Sure, it's not like drawing them all by yourself, but these things were made to make the life of an hobby artist easier. (And a lot of Pros use these too! )

We don't have a full team in the back, to complete our work, like artists of Japan or China have. So I think it's fine, if you use some assets, if they fit.

But like I said. I want to learn to compose them by myself, so at least it's all done by me

[NutshellComics]

the most important thing part besides all of it is your enjoyment first. if you don't enjoy drawing backgrounds and you are comfortable with your story not needing so much of it, then by all means don't do too much backgrounds. or else you'll never stay motivated. For me i LOVE it and part of my motivation is indeed creating a world, where i can go ham with my love for backgrounds

And to clear up your confusion:
When i started making comics i always wondered how the artists decide where to put hatching or pure black. where's the rule i'm missing, i thought. but turns out... ther's none. it's part experience and part experimentation. everyone does it different. so where do find the rule where to put backgrounds? nowhere. find your style!
and it's never a bad idea to study the work of other artist you really like and be inspired.

[NutshellComics]

YAY!! Thank you!
And actually there'll be a print version. that's the main thing i wanted to do tbh. the webcomic was just an option to spread my story earlier and to more people.
But i have to ask, why do you think this "story" should be printed? is it because you see a certain quality in my story that would benefit from being printed or do you just prefer printed in general? I'm very curious.

[NutshellComics]

Yeah, drawing backgrounds is very time consuming. and i absolutely respect your opinion and reason behind using some assets. but for me personally it's no option at all, despite doing it as a hobby for now (my goal is to be professional and make a living out of it).
and besides that, i'm sketching and inking traditionally, sooooo no assets for me anyways

[Lensing]

It´s the quality of the artwork + I enjoy looking at printed comics more than
looking at webcomics. I sometimes spend a lot of time looking at printed
pages and I usually read webcomics way faster

[NutshellComics]

Thanks for the compliments!!
the print version will be available next year! and i'm considering making a cheap patreon, where subscribers can look at my print version pages at 600dpi original resolution and earlier than the webcomic episodes drop, but i don't know, if people will be interested

[Shanny8]

Tools that would help making traditional work easier: a LIGHTBOX...definitely helped me in final pencils stage

Also- if you have access to a copier/printer; I would hammer out a lot of the perspective & background stuff on separate sheet of paper, blow it up(increase the size) on a copier to fit my 11" x 17"(or whatever size you're drawing at) and then lightbox the final pencils...that way once I'm going to inks, I'm not chasing errant or mistaken pencil lines.

[Caya_Yama]

Oh? Well glad you disagree, haha. Thank you for your compliment

I looked up your webcomic. You have many nice sceneries in your comic! I like how you draw the rocks and trees
It's detailed, yes, but not cluttered. It reads clearly and I think you handle the screentones very well! I've tried digital screentones with clip studio a few times, but I always get strange moiré patterns
Creating an absence of details is a good idea too! I'll see how I can incorporate that for my own works. Thank you for your kind words!

[NutshellComics]

thanks for your tips and i use a lightbox for inking, but honestly i like drawing each background individually way too much.
and i use photoshop for lettering, screentones and some final touches. in rare cases i reuse a background from an earlier panel, for example if a charcter remebers a scene.

[KevinReijnders]

Oh absolutely, here's some before-after examples.

[adamjtitus1]

Not very, at least I hope they aren't, I don't like drawing them.

[NutshellComics]

funny that you mention moire patterns, because i just learned, what they even are like 2 weeks ago, but i'm producing my pages for much longer and never ran into that issue. someone left a comment on one of my episodes how i solved the moire effect and i asked what it even is
so my solution is this:
i only use three shades of screentones. and all of them share the exact centers of their dots, that means they are overlapping perfectly, but are just different sizes. it's quite easy to do that in photoshop with just one filter over a solid gray shade. then i mask the whole page and put the screentones where i need them with the mask. i just did it because of my perfectionism i think

And thank you, too! im also very glad to hear that the readability doesn't suffer from my obsession with detail!

[NutshellComics]

i think they aren't so important for some stories and readers indeed!