how to draw backgrounds for characters

Additional Artwork and Tips

Tip 1: Drawing doors/doorframes in a scene

You've drawn different figures and a working environment, yet you want to create a scene where you can have the environment interact with the figures directly in basic, natural ways (such as opening a door between rooms, for example.) However, opening said door can become a problem if we don't understand the space allotted for the doorframe to work, and how best to represent it. Here's a couple of things to remember when approaching this problem:

1. Ratio

Doors are on average seven to eight feet tall, so depending on how you are setting the action in your piece, the door frame should still be measured out to work along with the audience member. For example let's use the following image:

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

Here we have a regular door, set against a wall frame. Notice the door handle, around the middle of the door if not a bit lower). The handle is there so a character of regular size (anywhere between 5 to 6 feet tall) can open the door readily and comfortably:

(Figure 2: Same image, but with a character now standing in front of the door, about to open it.)

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

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

Notice the relation to the size of the character, 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 do stay the same (functionality):

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

2. Radius

Now that we understand 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's establish out space using the following grid:

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

Next, let's square off our space for our door by drawing, well a square on our plane:

(Figure 6: Same grid, but now with a square drawn within the two lines.)

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

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

Now, draw a circle at its base that connects to both corners of the square. The circle should extend outwards to the length of half the squared space:

(Figure 8: Same drawing, but with the circle drawn out for the square)

Using this circle, you can extend lines upward to measure an equal size circle on the top of the measurement (basically making a cylinder) this will represent your radius space.)

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

By having this space set up, we now know how much a door could open within this space:

(Figure 10: Same image, now with different lines around the front half of the cylinder, representing the different spaces the door could open, finishing up at the half ways point of the door.)

You can now see the general radius by which to open the door when in use (I chose to stop at the halfway point of the boxed area to take into account the doorframe and the hinge on the door; However other doors might open wider, so the full space should always be measured.) This gives you the freedom and confidence to use the door appropriately within your scene.

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

3. Reason

I know I said we were only going over a couple of concepts here, but this third 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 just quite a door, is it? Let's take these images as examples:

(Figure 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 offer the same function: They open and close. Yet each represents different concepts and add a certain sense of knowledge to what the environment should embody. The first is inviting, much like the door you'd find at your house, or a friend's house for that matter; The second is a much stronger door, made to perhaps not only let someone in but rather to keep someone (or something!) out; Finally, the last door is there to let you already know that you are about to enter a dangerous, spooky place (accentuating a foreboding mood). All three serve to complement the story, and they are by no means your only options when drawing something as simple (though not at all simplistic) as a door!

Tip 2: Constructing a grid from one object

As presented in the book Set The Action!, you can effectively create strong perspective grids to make a strong background design piece. But what if you're starting from the other way around? For example, say you have reference for a couple of environment but want to adapt them to the perspective of the one? Or, for that matter, what if you only have the one building and need to create a whole city in the same layout without having reference that puts them in the same layout plane?

Let's start out with our reference:

(Figure 13 and 14: two different photographs of buildings at different angles)

Here we have two different shots of city environments serving as our illustration reference. Now, say we want to use the front most building in the first image, but we want to use the buildings in the second image, even though they are facing in different directions and angles. How do we go about doing this? Well, let's block off the building from our first image on paper as our key prop (you can do so by light boxing the image itself, or by measuring out its angles separately before committing it onto our image):

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

Next, let's draw out some lines from some of the corners of the first square, extending out into our perceived horizon (this is meant to represent where our piece is standing in our layout in terms of the vanishing point and the point of view of the audience, even if we do not have all of the layout itself to verify said points):

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

Using these lines as well as the center point at which the image stands, we can begin to decipher exactly where the lines from vanishing points would connect to make this image work next to other blocks in this layout (basically creating a perspective grid from these two lines):

(Figure 17: Same image, but now with multiple lines concurrent to the two drawn earlier, creating a visual grid)

With this bit of information, we can now begin placing blocked out placeholders for your buildings to get a sense of how those buildings would work and stand within our newly created grid:

(Figure 18: Same image, now with three other blocks connected to it to show other buildings.)

The more details the first image has the better to use for our grid system. If you place windows and lines on the first building, for example, you can use these features the same way you used the corners of the building to better set up other points at which we can connect our concurrent images:

(Figure 19: Same image, but now the first building has some details which are being connected to the horizon through individual lines.)

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

(Figure 20: Final image of the building, now surrounded by the other three buildings, fully realized.)

Things to consider:

This is NOT a replacement for good perspective work; this is helpful when dealing with multiple images or adding buildings to preexisting backgrounds, but it cannot replace strong environment study and a proper layout.
There are perhaps other methods to attain these results, and if you find a method that better suits you, by all means go for it; I only try to teach and pass on tips and methods that I use regularly or semi-regularly. Don't feel pigeonholed by any type of methodology; By all means explore your options as an artist.
This particular tip works if you have a solid starting point, so RESEARCH is vital; even when you are making up 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 flying by)

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

When doing environments for illustrations, all you 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!, as an example:

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

Here we have three key environments placed in progression against one figure, running in the foreground. These are three separate pieces, but really its just one illustration, demonstrating that this character (and by proxy this book) will be headed in multiple directions and will explore different types of environments.

If we were to break the previous image down, however, you'll see that there's a little bit more going on here: The environments themselves are leading your eye towards the focus of the piece, which is the character. Let's take the previous image and just look at it at its thumbnail level, with the idea at its simplest:

(Figure 23: Thumbnail of the previous image)

The shape of the environments and the space they occupy could almost serve as an arrow towards the character! To make my point, let's show the same thumbnail with lines and arrows to illustrate my point:

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

Now, 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 take a page of narrative from CHAMP, the concurrent storyline found within the pages of Set The Action!:

(Figure 25: Line art for page 12 of Champ)

Here we have five 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 page itself has to be appealing to the eye, and inviting enough to make you want to read it. Enhancing the visual flow of the storytelling through angles and blocking achieve this feat.

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

(Figure 26: Thumbnails for the previous page)

Now let's take the same thumbnails, but, similar to what we did with the cover art, lets add arrows and lines to see just how the environment layout affects the storytelling:

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

The angles at which the backgrounds are presented help both lead you to the following panel (along with word balloons and character placement, of course) as well as help enhance the drama/mood presented with each panel. They focus the storytelling and don't get in the way, working in the same way as a theater stage is set up so that the actors can interact with their environment, but the viewer is not hindered by the stage in terms of understanding the action.

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 Set The Action! as well as ample opportunity to practice them!

Tip 4: Dramatic Background Design/Arcs

Within the pages of Set The Action!, you'll find many progressions of illustrated pieces from starting point to finished piece, and points in between. Here, I wanted to go through one such piece to demonstrate just how the placement of your eye level concerning the background and the character can truly create a striking and dramatic piece of illustration.

The following illustration is for the card game, Dark Legacy, from Kaiser studio Productions (used with permission). The line art here is for a card entitled "Warrior of the Abyss":

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

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

Now, let's step backwards and go through the process of developing this image, 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:

(Figure 29: Different thumbnails representing different takes on the concept.)

One thing I found with these sketches is that the eye level shot of the character (which gives the illusion that we're standing either at the same plane as the character ) doesn't quite work, and neither does the high angle shot version (presenting the image as if we're looking from above downwards ). Both don't carry quite the sense of drama we're looking for, since the first puts us on equal footing with the character, and the second removes us from the action. The third thumbnail, however, presents the figure in a low angle shot (shot from below upwards), making the character look ominous and threatening, which makes for a better image.

So the third one it is!

But what about the background, you ask?

Well, this represents a bit of a challenge: We have a figure standing in essentially three point perspective, yet 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 start off by blocking our image, starting with the character:

(Figure 30: Better thumbnail with blocked out figure)

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

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

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

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

With this information, you can block out the sides of the cave, and then draw lines to represent arcs meeting from one side to the next, representing the basic corners of the environment itself:

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

Using this blocking, you can start adding distressing and shape to the background cave before starting to define the piece using texture and detail:

(Figure 34: More detail and distressing on the cave.)

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