How To Draw Backgrounds For Comics

Additional Artwork and Tips

Tip 1: Drawing doors/doorframes in a scene

Yous've drawn dissimilar figures and a working environs, still you want to create a scene where you lot can accept the environment interact with the figures directly in bones, natural ways (such as opening a door between rooms, for instance.) However, opening said door can get a problem if we don't understand the space allotted for the doorframe to work, and how best to stand for it. Here's a couple of things to remember when approaching this problem:

one. Ratio

Doors are on average 7 to eight anxiety tall, so depending on how you lot are setting the action in your piece, the door frame should still be measured out to work along with the audience fellow member. For example permit'southward use the following epitome:

(Figure 1. View of an illustration of a door against a wall in a small room)

Here we have a regular door, ready against a wall frame. Notice the door handle, around the middle of the door if non a bit lower). The handle is there so a graphic symbol of regular size (anywhere between 5 to half dozen feet tall) can open up the door readily and comfortably:

(Effigy 2: Aforementioned epitome, but with a character now continuing in front of the door, about to open up it.)

The size ratio to the door so can be indicated by squaring off the door and measuring out the infinite a graphic symbol should embody depending on his/her relation to the area squared off previously:

(Figure 3: Side view of the doorframe with a foursquare extending from it, measuring off the point at which the character should stand versus the door itself. A dotted line extends from the indicate at which the handle should rest and the arm of the character)

Notice the relation to the size of the graphic symbol, the door handle, and the door itself. No matter how big or small the door is, it still needs to be functional to the needs of the expected user, so the handle remains serviceable to our character. There is no 100% standard door size, but certain elements exercise stay the same (functionality):

(Figure 4: Drawing of the character dealing with iii differently sized doors, each increasing in size, but all the same having functional handles.)

2. Radius

At present that nosotros sympathise the size ratio of our door, how do we get it to open? We must first understand the inherent radius by which the door works. Let'south establish out space using the post-obit grid:

(Figure 5: Draw a ane point perspective grid with lines representing the side of a wall.)

Adjacent, let'south square off our infinite for our door by cartoon, well a square on our airplane:

(Figure 6: Same grid, only at present with a foursquare drawn inside the ii lines.)

This infinite will represent both the door frame and the infinite in which it can function (divide square in half):

(Figure 7: Same drawing, but with the foursquare divided in half)

At present, draw a circumvolve at its base of operations that connects to both corners of the square. The circle should extend outwards to the length of half the squared infinite:

(Effigy 8: Same cartoon, but with the circle drawn out for the foursquare)

Using this circumvolve, you tin extend lines up to measure an equal size circle on the elevation of the measurement (basically making a cylinder) this volition represent your radius infinite.)

(Figure 9: Aforementioned drawing, but now with the second circumvolve placed, creating a cylinder.)

Past having this infinite ready up, we now know how much a door could open inside this infinite:

(Figure 10: Same epitome, at present with unlike lines around the front half of the cylinder, representing the different spaces the door could open, finishing upwards at the one-half means point of the door.)

You can now see the full general radius by which to open the door when in utilise (I chose to cease at the halfway betoken of the boxed surface area to take into account the doorframe and the hinge on the door; However other doors might open up wider, so the full space should ever exist measured.) This gives you the freedom and conviction to utilise the door appropriately inside your scene.

(Figure 11: Shot of our illustrated door, with our grapheme opening it within the radius presented in the previous images.)

iii. Reason

I know I said we were only going over a couple of concepts hither, but this 3rd one is always worth mentioning: The purpose of your door. If everything is about storytelling, then all of the elements of story should be clearly defined when preparing a scene. This means that a door is never merely quite a door, is it? Let's take these images as examples:

(Effigy 12: Drawing of three doors; One is just a regular house door, one is bolted and fortified, and one is bent and uneven.)

These three doors offering the same function: They open and close. Withal each represents unlike concepts and add a certain sense of knowledge to what the environment should embody. The offset is inviting, much like the door you'd detect at your house, or a friend'due south house for that matter; The 2d is a much stronger door, made to perchance non only allow someone in but rather to proceed someone (or something!) out; Finally, the final door is there to let you already know that y'all are nigh to enter a dangerous, spooky place (accentuating a foreboding mood). All three serve to complement the story, and they are past no means your only options when drawing something equally simple (though non at all simplistic) as a door!

Tip two: Constructing a grid from 1 object

Every bit presented in the book Set The Action!, you can effectively create strong perspective grids to make a potent background design piece. But what if you're starting from the other way effectually? For example, say you have reference for a couple of environment but desire to adjust them to the perspective of the one? Or, for that thing, what if you simply take the 1 building and need to create a whole city in the same layout without having reference that puts them in the same layout airplane?

Let's start out with our reference:

(Figure thirteen and 14: 2 dissimilar photographs of buildings at different angles)

Here we take two different shots of city environments serving as our illustration reference. At present, say we want to utilize the front about building in the first image, just we want to use the buildings in the 2nd paradigm, even though they are facing in different directions and angles. How do we go about doing this? Well, allow's block off the building from our offset image on paper equally our key prop (you can do and so past calorie-free boxing the image itself, or past measuring out its angles separately earlier committing it onto our prototype):

(Figure 15: Blocked off drawing of cubes representing the offset building on our start image.)

Adjacent, allow's depict out some lines from some of the corners of the first square, extending out into our perceived horizon (this is meant to correspond where our piece is standing in our layout in terms of the vanishing indicate and the point of view of the audience, fifty-fifty if we do not have all of the layout itself to verify said points):

(Effigy 16: Same image, but now with points extending from the areas on which it would connect to the horizon.)

Using these lines as well every bit the center bespeak at which the epitome stands, nosotros can brainstorm to decipher exactly where the lines from vanishing points would connect to make this prototype work side by side to other blocks in this layout (basically creating a perspective grid from these two lines):

(Effigy 17: Same image, only now with multiple lines concurrent to the ii drawn earlier, creating a visual filigree)

With this bit of information, nosotros tin at present begin placing blocked out placeholders for your buildings to become a sense of how those buildings would work and stand up inside our newly created grid:

(Effigy xviii: Same image, now with three other blocks connected to information technology to show other buildings.)

The more details the start image has the ameliorate to employ for our filigree organisation. If yous identify windows and lines on the first building, for instance, you can utilize these features the same style you used the corners of the building to ameliorate set up other points at which nosotros tin connect our concurrent images:

(Figure 19: Aforementioned image, only now the first edifice has some details which are being connected to the horizon through private lines.)

The goal, of class, is to be able to produce a scene that combines both reference pieces into ane basic layout, placing them on the same plane throughout:

(Figure 20: Last image of the building, at present surrounded past the other three buildings, fully realized.)

Things to consider:

This is Non a replacement for skillful perspective work; this is helpful when dealing with multiple images or adding buildings to preexisting backgrounds, merely it cannot replace potent environment report and a proper layout.
At that place are perhaps other methods to attain these results, and if you find a method that amend suits y'all, by all means go for information technology; I but try to teach and pass on tips and methods that I utilize regularly or semi-regularly. Don't experience pigeonholed by whatsoever blazon of methodology; By all ways explore your options as an artist.
This detail tip works if you have a solid starting indicate, so RESEARCH is vital; even when you are making upwards worlds. We need something to connect to, and research grounds the fantasy!

(Figure 21: Last panel of page 5 from Champ showing buildings in progression with a car flight by)

Tip 3: Using backgrounds/environments to enhance the rhythm of a page

When doing environments for illustrations, all you lot really have to worry about is how that specific environment affects the general story presented with that specific image. Take the line art for the book, Set The Action!, every bit an instance:

(Figure 22: Black and white artwork for Set The Activeness! Cover)

Here we have 3 primal environments placed in progression against one figure, running in the foreground. These are 3 carve up pieces, but actually its but 1 illustration, demonstrating that this grapheme (and by proxy this volume) will be headed in multiple directions and volition explore dissimilar types of environments.

If we were to break the previous image downward, however, yous'll run into that there's a little fleck more going on hither: The environments themselves are leading your heart towards the focus of the piece, which is the graphic symbol. Permit's take the previous image and simply await at it at its thumbnail level, with the idea at its simplest:

(Figure 23: Thumbnail of the previous paradigm)

The shape of the environments and the infinite they occupy could most serve as an arrow towards the grapheme! To make my betoken, permit'due south show the same thumbnail with lines and arrows to illustrate my point:

(Figure 24: Thumbnail, now with different lines exposing the layout.)

At present, this is only concerning one illustration using one focus point and one general story; what happens when we deal with sequential art, where the storytelling is continuous, and there are multiple images to concern ourselves with?

Let's have a page of narrative from CHAMP, the concurrent storyline found within the pages of Set up The Action!:

(Effigy 25: Line art for page 12 of Gnaw)

Here we have v panels in progression, each an illustration on its own, yet working together to create a piece of narrative that progresses through the page. Yet the folio itself has to exist appealing to the heart, and inviting enough to make you desire to read it. Enhancing the visual flow of the storytelling through angles and blocking achieve this feat.

Let's expect at the thumbnail of this page for reference:

(Figure 26: Thumbnails for the previous folio)

Now let's have the same thumbnails, but, similar to what nosotros did with the embrace fine art, lets add arrows and lines to see just how the surround layout affects the storytelling:

(Effigy 27: Same thumbnails, but now with lines and arrows showing how the backgrounds lead the middle within the page)

The angles at which the backgrounds are presented help both pb you lot to the post-obit console (along with discussion balloons and grapheme placement, of course) also as help enhance the drama/mood presented with each panel. They focus the storytelling and don't get in the mode, working in the aforementioned style as a theater stage is set up and so that the actors can interact with their surround, but the viewer is not hindered by the stage in terms of understanding the activity.

There are many ways to do this (angles, line weight, blocking, etc.) and you'll find some (I dare not say all) within the pages of Gear up The Activeness! also equally ample opportunity to practice them!

Tip 4: Dramatic Groundwork Design/Arcs

Within the pages of Set The Activity!, y'all'll observe many progressions of illustrated pieces from starting bespeak to finished piece, and points in between. Hither, I wanted to go through ane such piece to demonstrate only how the placement of your eye level concerning the background and the character tin truly create a hit and dramatic piece of illustration.

The post-obit analogy is for the menu game, Dark Legacy, from Kaiser studio Productions (used with permission). The line art hither is for a menu entitled "Warrior of the Completeness":

(Figure 28: Image of "The Warrior of the Abyss")

The idea behind this prototype: "Don't mess with this guy!"

Now, allow's step backwards and go through the process of developing this epitome, starting with the key question the title of the piece poses: how to best convey threat and danger in this one image? I started with the following thumbnails:

(Effigy 29: Different thumbnails representing unlike takes on the concept.)

One thing I found with these sketches is that the eye level shot of the graphic symbol (which gives the illusion that we're standing either at the aforementioned plane as the character ) doesn't quite work, and neither does the high bending shot version (presenting the image as if we're looking from above downwards ). Both don't behave quite the sense of drama we're looking for, since the showtime puts us on equal footing with the character, and the second removes united states of america from the activeness. The third thumbnail, all the same, presents the figure in a low angle shot (shot from below upward), making the character look ominous and threatening, which makes for a meliorate image.

And so the third i information technology is!

Simply what about the background, you lot ask?

Well, this represents a bit of a challenge: Nosotros have a figure standing in essentially 3 point perspective, notwithstanding above him stands a curved environment (the interior of a cave!) how do we keep to the mood and feel of the piece while keeping to the intended perspective? Let's beginning off past blocking our prototype, starting with the character:

(Figure 30: Better thumbnail with blocked out effigy)

Next, let'south discover our perspective lines using the edges of the character to discern vanishing points:

(Figure 31: Same images, but with lines connecting upward and to the sides)

Now, let's depict a basic grid for our background:

(Figure 32: Same paradigm, but with a gridded background)

With this information, you tin block out the sides of the cave, and so describe lines to correspond arcs meeting from ane side to the next, representing the basic corners of the environment itself:

(Figure 33: Same epitome, but with blocked out space for a cavern in the background.)

Using this blocking, you can commencement adding distressing and shape to the background cave earlier starting to define the piece using texture and item:

(Effigy 34: More than particular and distressing on the cave.)

If we were to go from this point onward, nosotros'd bargain with references, create textures, and work on line weight in order to reach the final production, a process covered, again, within the pages of Prepare The Action! With this piece, however, I wanted to show you an constructive mode to use perspective and angles to create dread. Hopefully, you'll begin to apply some of these techniques to your pieces, and get stronger artists for it!