Let's Practice Backgrounds Together

[VibrantFox]

So If there's any one thing I've always grappled with it's drawing backgrounds. Like sure I could totally flesh out this room, build a mini landscape, form some setting of some kind but nah I'll just slap on good ol' solid color bg and move on about my day. BUT I'm trying to get better about it.

One thing I've noticed about myself is it's easy to say "yeah I'm gonna practice drawing backgrounds" but it's super hard for me to pinpoint where to start and I imagine it could be the same for other folks as well. SO that's what this thread is about.

Personally I think drawing a room is a good place to start. Four walls, square or rectangular cube shape, and then add some furniture and decor. So for (I guess you could call it) "background study number one" why don't we start by drawing a room. It can be a room of any kind or place, just go with what strikes your fancy, look up some refs and feel free to interact with other folks here in the thread to get feedback on stuff like perspective, lines or what have you.

To give an idea: I'll be work with this old inktober wip that I never got around to finishing:

I also wanna add you don't have to place characters in the room if you don't want to but if you like your more than welcome. If so that's fine because this'll serve as a start to (hopefully what would be) part two which is how to place your characters in a 3D space staring with the room you drew.

I'll also add I'm no pro, I'm no expert and I sure as heck ain't a teacher just someone who'd like to find a way to help our artistic community grow together. And a reminder that no one ought to feel obligated to get involved or participate if they don't want to, just spectating is fine. Let's have fun

[WOSTR]

Your work is lovely!

I found a little shortcut that works for me, which is backgrounds on a small scale such as out a window.
I posted essentially this picture in another thread, yet I changed the background slightly, making the sea less violent (it's part of the story).

[VibrantFox]

Something I realize I kind of neglected is the progress that led up to at least what's in the image above, so the following are those steps in the order I kind of remember.

First was the original rough sketch (which happened to be traditionally done)

afterwards the second sketch i did above it to figure out more details of the character and the space (it's supposed to be a treasure room in a dungeon)

I also did this other sketch to try and get a better idea of the room itself. nothing super clean but enough to have an idea of the placement of items and the characters (even the lighting i think)

after working out the angles i figured i'd do the base of the room itself first (the walls, floor and the pile of rubble from the broken down wall in the corner)

also I want to point out the wall specifically where rather than attempt to draw the detail of every little brick i made a repeating pattern, transformed it to the angle i needed so it's look believable enough, then added the colors. Same for the floor which is just a warped grid. The rocks were a handmade brush which all it took was drawing out maybe two or three rocks, making it into a "scatter" brush then piling it on till it looked allright.

So by this point (which is the same image as above)

all that's left is adding the remaining characters, the lamps on the wall, vines, and some more shading to finish it off

It's definitely possible to go for even more simplified background or just framing it so long as it suits whatever the specific need for a scene is

[VibrantFox]

Simplified backgrounds or cutout backgrounds like the one you used here can definitely work well plus it adds a nice bit of depth to the image