Background art

[Blondbraid]

Hi!
I have spent some time working on a background which I plan to use in a sequel for my game Sniper and spotter being patriotic,
and I plan for this game too to have something of a 1940's cartoon aesthetic. This background is supposed to be the office of a soviet political officer,
and I added in a character sprite to compare against the background. I have made two versions, and I wonder, which one do you think looks the best?

[NickyNyce]

I think the bottom picture works best with the character sprite. I think another question would be, should you make the character sprite to match the top pick?

[Blondbraid]

I think the bottom picture works best with the character sprite. I think another question would be, should you make the character sprite to match the top pick?

Since I already have finished many character sprites, no, I probably won't redraw them to match the top pick, but that still leaves the question open on
which image works best, and weather the characters should stand out or blend in.

[Cassiebsg]

I agree with NickyNyce, the bottom one works best with the sprite, that said if you want the character to pop out, then the top is best.
I normally go for character to blend with the BG, but that's just because I'm a "realist", nothing wrong with making them pop-out.

[Danvzare]

I prefer the first one.
But the second one clearly matches the sprite better.
Which has put me in quite the dilemma. I have no idea which one I would use if I was in your position!

[Yitcomics]

Even though second picture fits better I'd picked the first one

[Chicky]

I'd definitely go with the first one, you've spent a lot of time painting in that soft shading and it's such a shame to lose it.

Personally I quite like the character style matched with the first background, it reminds me of the classic Disney animations:

http://www.animationsensations.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/w/sw_prince_icon.jpg

[Mandle]

Is that a gun in that dude's hands...or is he just very glad to see us?

[Blondbraid]

I'd definitely go with the first one, you've spent a lot of time painting in that soft shading and it's such a shame to lose it.

Personally I quite like the character style matched with the first background, it reminds me of the classic Disney animations:

http://www.animationsensations.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/s/w/sw_prince_icon.jpg

Yes, I'm a big fan of classic animation myself, though I have to admit I didn't spend much time painting in the soft shadows, I used the shading tool in Photoshop elements.
The second version is merely a filter I used on top of the first image, so the background can be changed back and forth pretty easy.

Is that a gun in that dude's hands...or is he just very glad to see us?

I was trying to draw a PPSh-41...
Well, in the words of Sigmund Freud, sometimes a phallic symbol is just phallic symbol.

[Mandle]

Is that a gun in that dude's hands...or is he just very glad to see us?

I was trying to draw a PPSh-41...
Well, in the words of Sigmund Freud, sometimes a phallic symbol is just phallic symbol.

Oh...I wasn't trying to be snarky...I can see the gun in question very clearly...

I thought it was your clever subtextual political satire of sexual images being used sublimally in propaganda, as they were back then and still are now...

I swear I saw a picture of Putin riding around half-naked somewhere...

[Blondbraid]

Oh...I wasn't trying to be snarky...I can see the gun in question very clearly...

I thought it was your clever subtextual political satire of sexual images being used sublimally in propaganda, as they were back then and still are now...

I swear I saw a picture of Putin riding around half-naked somewhere...

I know, I've seen that picture too, but in most versions they used Photoshop to swap the horse with a bear.

I know you were joking, I tried making a joke about a famous Dr Freud quote, that when Freud, who interpreted pretty much everything sexually, was asked about why he always had a big cigar in his mouth, he said "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar".
You are right about the poster, I wanted to do it a bit over the top and include some humor into the image. It seems no one has even noticed the umbrella-stand yet...

I'm still unsure of which version to use, but I'm currently working on another background for the game and thinking about making two similar versions of that one too in order to make the comparison easier.

[Grundislav]

I like the first background a lot more. The second one does fit the character, but it looks like it went through a Photoshop filter which makes the shading on things like the wall and the posters look strange.

I'd actually be curious to see a mix of both, that is to say, keep the coloring and shading from the first, but make all the outlines black as they are in the second one.

[Blondbraid]

I'd actually be curious to see a mix of both, that is to say, keep the coloring and shading from the first, but make all the outlines black as they are in the second one.

Interesting idea! I could experiment with some darker outlines on top of the image.

[selmiak]

I experimented with interesting shading with comical black outline in a sloth for both seasons.
[imgzoom]https://p5b4y2t6.ssl.hwcdn.net/screenshot-thumbnail/1600x2000/254993.jpg[/imgzoom]

If you did read a lot of comics as a kid and now you are painting and know how to shade things in Photoshop you can't fail much with this. I even created a custom pencil photoshop brush that is randomly thinner on the line and has some small distortion or holes in the line like a pencil stroke. You can't see it much in the game as it is too small but it is there
When you know where to use the line you can have some fun for interesting results. On the stones of the temple I even played with the opacity of the line, the rest is all black outline. Note that the reflecting puddles don't have outlines, it just looked bad there.

[Matti]

I like the first background a lot more. The second one does fit the character, but it looks like it went through a Photoshop filter which makes the shading on things like the wall and the posters look strange.

I'd actually be curious to see a mix of both, that is to say, keep the coloring and shading from the first, but make all the outlines black as they are in the second one.

Exactly my thoughts! Try to add some darker outlines to the first image which looks a lot better than the the one with the obvious photoshop filter.

Edit: Also, I wonder if the game is in 32-bit. If it is, you could have some AA on the character's outlines that would help make them blend in more.

[vertigoaddict]

I'd choose the top one, I actually think it is easier on the eyes and looks better because the character sprite pops out more without it being too garrish of a difference. They do kind of a similar thing with manga (Characters are drawn with thicker lines and BG with thin lines or vice versa to bring focus to the characters). Backgrounds ultimately should be just that- something in the background.

[xil]

I like them both to be honest but the second one seemed very in-your-face with the entire walls and floor in the same style, so, I'd go in-between the two!

Horribly rough, but, voila! Objects and chars in the second style, more backgroundy elements in the first style.

[imgzoom]http://calicoreverie.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/cric-lounge-topic53922.0.png[/imgzoom]

[dactylopus]

First style looks better.  Second style looks like a bad filter added to the first.

I'd say stick with the first.

[Mandle]

OMFG!!!

Has anyone noticed the umbrella stand yet?!

[Cassiebsg]

* Cassiebsg looks confused

what umbrella stand?

[Blondbraid]

* Cassiebsg looks confused

what umbrella stand?

Well, technically it's a wicker basket serving as an umbrella stand, tough not exclusively for umbrellas.

Anyway, after the feedback here I've decided to make the backgrounds in the style of the first one for now, but I did experiment a bit with darker lines.
Here is another background that I spent the last weeks working on, and it'd be nice to hear if you have any thoughts or opinions on it.

And here with darker lines on the walls:

(the background outside the door and window still isn't finished in case you are wondering)

[Grundislav]

First one looks better, mainly because the second one is inconsistent. It looks jarring to have the black outlines only on the edges of the wall logs and not anything else. If you're going to do that, I suggest making all the outlines black.

[Blondbraid]

First one looks better, mainly because the second one is inconsistent. It looks jarring to have the black outlines only on the edges of the wall logs and not anything else. If you're going to do that, I suggest making all the outlines black.

You are right, Here is an updated version where I also added a character for comparison, which one of these looks best?

[Chicky]

Hey BlondBraid, as I've said before I really like the way you paint these backgrounds, personally I think you should stop adding such drastic things after painting (filters or cell outlines) and work on tweaking what you already have, they look really good as they are!

Part of the problem you're having with fitting the characters in could be due to the lack of contrast, a lot of your image sits in the middle of the greyscale, which makes it feel a little more washed out and less 'contrast-y'. The characters however have 100% black for the outlines and fill colours that are very close to white, you want to try and create this contrast in your backgrounds too.

In the edit below I've tried to keep the main focus point in the vertical centre of the image as this will be where the character can walk. Your characters both have dark outlines and sharp pixels, so they feel like they are 'in focus' if looking through a camera, try to match this with the walkable areas and it will help the character blend in. Your background was mostly in focus, so it was easy for me to create depth super quick by making the foreground sacks blurry and darkening them, as if they were further away from the door/window's light source. I also tried to soften the contrast of the back wall a little and add some contrast to the tops of the middleground sacks. I dropped the focus of them slightly too (added blur) so they appear to sit behind the character better.

I might have gone overkill but it was a pleasure to play around with your awesome background

[Blondbraid]

Thanks for the tips, your tweaks look really nice and I might try something similar with the focus and contrast.
I'm happy to hear that you liked the background!

[Cassiebsg]

* Cassiebsg likes

(But to be on topic)
1st reminds me more of a cartoon stile, second a comic.
If I'd have to choose, I would go with Chicky's 1st paint over, really nice in deepth perception (and what my brain also told me it should look like), it almost make me think it's a 3D painting!