Tips for Drawing Backgrounds!

Backgrounds are Important for storytelling! But no one seems to want to draw them! In this Episode, Brent and Max draw backgrounds for characters that YOU summited, we talk about perspective, composition, and staging and all other tips related to animation background design #animation #backgroundart #perspective

00:00 Intro
1:25 Thinking about Backgrounds
2:51 Simple Background exercise
4:09 Animation Background Size
4:46 Donut Shop Background
7:14 Playing with Shapes
8:25 Fantasy village Background
10:08 Alien Planet Background
10:24 Disney Manual for drawing Comics
11:50 Tangents
12:36 Outro
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[ArtofMaximus]

Why U doing a background episode!? U guys can just trace 3D models!

[grimsonforce]

Finally backgrounds are getting the attention they deserve. Its such an underrated topic unfortunately. Backgrounds are just as important as the character(s) drawn on them.

[RNorthex]

I actually kept finding myself in the dilemma that drawing characters without backgrounds just doesn't ever feel interesting enough, but by wanting to draw backgrounds for everything not many projects get done. They just do so much for storytelling, it feels like wasted potential not to have them nearly every time.

[fictions_in_motion_]

Omg thank you so much for this.

I may find backgrounds a lot of work too, but it definitely a great, especially when it comes to storytelling. Not to just replace the blank canvas behind the characters we draw, but to show a story within a story. Give the audience some snippets like clues that could help them put together a story that creators are telling.

Backgrounds rock just like character designs and everything else within the making of animations.

[Grim_Grim.]

its rare you find a channel that gets straight to the point clearly and concussively. I have watched so many videos on this and learned nothing and suddenly in 14 minuets I feel as if I can draw any background.
that's earned a life long subscriber my dude

[ReviveGuyv]

I've drawn my share of backgrounds, but it's always more complicated than I think. I could literally spend one day drawing frames, one day on a background.

Biggest takeaways for me: Express more, tone down distant details, and mind the horizon more.

[moonrat]

“An environment is a character.” This is exactly what my professors taught us in school! And also it’s good to remember, just as you pointed out, the environment is a character who compliments the main character (if the environment isn’t the main character itself)

[RAVEVelvet]

Oh my God how convenient that I'm currently trying to learn backgrounds and bam just uploaded a video that's super usefull!!

These guys sure have helped me alot

[Thejollyjujube]

I’m a comic artist but I love your content and find it super useful even in my field! Great video as always, I missed u ☀️

[MANGLORIOUS]

The little details at 13:57 are really fun. I see a Moana poster, a Miraculous ladybug poster, and a paisley purse.
It’s really fun and lively looking.

[animalfort]

Real quick: I am currently tracing some of my old photos for references of buildings that don't exist anymore. These structures can't be found even online. For this, I thank you for reminding me of the importance of changing the final outcome of these scene's through understanding it's perspectives and avoiding tangents. Cheers!

[cristianlavado]

This is the best channel for animators, illustrators and comic book artists, not only because they are true professionals in this area, but also because each video has great content, they are very very funny with an intelligent narrative. Thank you guys for share your talent.📝🤓

[Nadiaxel]

I've enjoyed and learned so much from your videos for such a long time now. Your channel is, in my opinion, one of the best for artists on Youtube! Keep it up, guys! You are killing it!...(in the best way XD)

[Fatih_M]

This is honestly helpful, my art is honestly great on its own, and i am still learning and improving, but without backgrounds, it can sometimes look bland, i am happy with this video

[fareschouihi]

Welcome back, we missed your content guys

[MANGLORIOUS]

Dude, i’m so damn inspired to draw backgrounds now. Love the tips! I stay far away from backgrounds because I have a distaste for perspective, but this video’s encouraging me to give it a try

[marcypotato]

this made me respect backgrounds even more, i kinda always knew that theyre not just something rushed for characters to run around in, but rather an environment that tells a story within it.
so i like that you treat it as a character, it gives me a whole other *perspective* to it (and maybe can help me draw interesting backgrounds idk)

*TL;DR: perspective is hard* :')

but what i think why artists tend to avoid backgrounds (like me) is because it can feel intimidating, i can imagine a cool background with a mood and story for a character to live in, but i immediately get frustrated and overwhelmed because there are so many elements that makes a background good with so many objects that has to be in perspective or they will feel out of place (which we obviously dont want).. which is what this video stated at a point, instead of thinking about it as complex buildings or whatever you can think of simple shapes, just like characters.


characters and figures seem to be the thing to start with for any beginner and eventually they stick to it and it becomes a comfort zone, maybe cuz drawing characters feel more impressive like "omg it just looks like mickey mouse", or maybe because characters are the focus in most media and artists wanna draw their favorite people, i rarely see someone being like "i started drawing because i liked the backgrounds of looney toons" or something.

while anatomy can be an analogy for the elements and objects working together in a background... but.. is anatomy really what you think about when you see spongebob

the question "why most artists only draw/start with drawing characters" interests me and i doubt i even scratched the surface

uh maybe cuz characters feel simpler to draw, more appealing? cooler?

..or maybe theyre just hot idk

[RavenStarMedia]

I actually just started adding backgrounds to my art, and now here I get this as a notification! Might help inspire me to add more backgrounds now!

[HiVisl]

I love drawing backgrounds. It actually fuels character drawing because it forces you to think about how to place the character in the overall composition, how to make room for the acting, and how to draw the character(s) in perspective and to one another.

Great episode!

[orenjidesu]

I always fascinated by how Studio Ghibli Artist render their Background Art that fit perfectly with their characters and storytelling. So their Movies was my main inspiration and motivation to become background artist/painter/illustrator