Ive been trying out this background style for my game. How does it look?
(http://joelphilippage.googlepages.com/Backgorund.png%3Cbr%20/%3E)
It's a nice start for a simple, clean background style, but I think it could benefit from taking a little more time and care; for example:
-erasing smudges picked up by the scanner (if you scanned it, it looks like it to me)
-filling in all the shapes with colour, and conversely, not colouring out of the lines
-making the shading a little more even (I would suggest shadding within your paint program rather than using pencil shading so it's easier to play around with, and will make a more clean look)
-try using more colours to liven things up; it doesn't have to be much, but a lighter yellow for the open sand, a darker brown for the rock face, etc. will add a lot of dimension
-and in general, the sun should not appear in front of clouds ^_^
Keep at it! ^_^
dont forget also the possition of the sun and the possition of the foreground cactus's shadow
Heres my second attempt.
(http://joelphilippage.googlepages.com/Backgorund.png)
That second attempt appears to be exactly the same as the first.
Coloring oout of the lines is obviously the style you're going for and that looks fine. The only thing I can suggest to change about this background is the color scheme. Look up some pictures of actual deserts. Look at different pictures of skies. Not every sky is baby blue and not every desert is canary yellow. Try and mix it up a bit and add more grays to the image. Try and make all the colors compliment each other.
Just change the palette and you could have a really interesting background.
ok
the first image got replaced thats why there the same. ill try to get a different color sheme.
Heres the desert with a different color sheme.
(http://joelphilippage.googlepages.com/Backgo.png)
That looks like a better scheme. Here's a couple suggestions.
The mountains in the background shouldn't match the sky. Don't make them the same color as the sand but make it more similar to it.
Also, Try desaturating your colors and adding more gray to your mix.
For some reason when I look at the (apperently a large rock formation) thing to the right with the door on it, it looks like a cliff drop off instead of a rock(?). It doesn't have the proper prospective, not that I can say what is because I often have this same problem.
Well its supposed to have a cliff drop since its a mesa.