More new tablet BGs

[ThreeOhFour]

I've been painting a little bit with my new tablet, and this is where out adventures have taken us this time around:


Hooray, it is a big castle! (Made for the BG blitz)

It is a tree on a hilltop with an ancient runey stone.

Just as a note, I drew the rock roughly based on the rocks in Helm's game Caverns - hopefully I did a good enough job here.

I think the compositions might be terrible, and also some of the objects strike me as being out of place with regards to colouring. The castle seems to be pasted on top of the mountain, stuff like that.

I feel these still look very "beginner", any advice on how to get my backgrounds looking nicer?

[JuuJuu]

The castle seems very flat. Doesn't seem to have any depth. I can see where you drew the two back towers, trying to give it some depth, but maybe draw the castle from a higher point of view, looking more into it, to from another angle, showing a side of the castle.

(or draw the two towers smaller and closer together..making them seem farther away, giving the appearence that the castle is wider. )


The second one with the tree,I LOVE! I love the stone also. The only thing I MIGHT be concerned with is the trail. Maybe blend the dots alittle more, making them...well..less dotty. Otherwise..Great Work!

[None]

Check this out Ben? I loved your castle, it's so fun to draw over, there's a thousand variations on things... I kinda experimented, it turned out so so. But I fixed the windows.

[JuuJuu]

The shading of the bricks look great on ShonenAiGuy's castle. Maybe take that shading.

But he still used the flatness. >.<

[Jens]

Hey

Hooray, it is a big castle!
Are you sure? Have a look at the relations (green person). In fact it's a real tiny castle!


Decreasing the size of the bricks, the windows and the door will help a lot. Also, turn the door into a big castle gate where horse and carriage can fit through.


And you might think about changing the architecture. 4 towers, connected by walls and a gate in the front, that's archetypical but boring. Try to bring in some other elements, to play with those basics... add a tower in the middle or between two others, stretch one or two sides of the castle so that it isn't a perfect square/cube anymore. That will make it look more natural.
You can make it even more interesting by changing the perspective. The current one is very straight (unclear even) and convenient, but also boring. Try to work with different vanishing points / perspectives (in a way that the picture can still be used as a game-background).

A fast sketch based on your picture. It lacks good colors, contrast, details and so on but may give you an idea of what a change of architectural concept and perspective could result in.

greetings

ps - I absolutely agree with zyndikate's thoughts about composition

[Daniel Thomas]

I think its hard to really put my finger on what you could work on - but I would say composition.
As I see it now I think you have ignored the negative space, which needs to be activated - work with the composition.. I dont there is any unimportant part of a picture, not even the single color background.
Look at the old masters what they did with thier backgrounds(just an example since I like those paintings), it contributes to the whole.
http://altreligion.about.com/library/graphics/memento6.jpg
Here its clear for me that even though the background isnt containing any objects or interesting - still there is a diagonal going in the background, its contrasting with the opposite diagonals on the table and for that bringing balance to it and also variation. A diagonal is the most dynamic line in a square format, since its the most contrasting to the format. Just to mention one thing, you can more then like find more since its a piece of the whole.

Here is a quick suggestion:


A really rough edit - Its not to show how to blend good colors or how to illustrate a great looking tree, but somehow to show what can be introduced to the composition. I made sure that the background was playing with the other forms on the picture, its divided to two triangels which relates to other forms like the rocks(other triangle'ish shapes) and negative spaces, and the diagonal is contrasting and balancing the other diagonals from the tree and long rock. Also tried to bring in a horizontal to balanse the verticals, but since the format is very horizontal you can have that in mind. Also just a little repetition with more rocks, repetition usualy makes it a little more interesting and makes he eye go around the canvas.
Just some pointers, and you can push them asfar or little as you want to.

There are ofcourse problems with my paintover like: It can still be a bit heavy to the left side, and still a more straightup diagonal(like the tree but flipped) would probably feel nice on the right side somewhere to balance it up(the rightside rock could for an example be reshaped for this). The point of interest (the right rock?) is a bit too close to the border and easily leads out the eye, not to mention that its very heavy and easily unbalance the whole composition if not countered.
EDIT: also try to devide the spaces uneven, make sure one form is more dominant then the other. Like the clouds was going in the middle dividing it in the middle, more intersting since it brings variation. This can be concidered on all forms.(even though I managed to devide the clouds in the middle of the sky) 

All this is ofcourse not knowing what you actually want to communicate, but I think the composition in general is the thing that sticks out.

You can also try to applie this to the castle, where I think the same thing can be improved on. Like drawing it from another perspective to bring in some diagonals to make it more interesting and not so symetrical, symetrical is too obvious and in that way makes it, for me, less interesting.
I hope this helps, and not confuses - its kinda easy, and you dont even need to know this, you will probably start doing this without knowing it after a while anyway, I know I did and its fun to look back and actually see "what" I was doing without knowing it.  

[Snarky]

Hey

Hooray, it is a big castle!
Are you sure? Have a look at the relations (green). In fact it's a real tiny castle!

Actually, I've seen gates that look exactly like that "door" that are two or three times the height of a person (Google "Trinity College gate", for example). And the windows could also be much larger than you suggest. Those dimensions would indeed make the bricks huge, although probably within the range of possibility.

[Daniel Thomas]

Anything can look anyhow Im guessing, doenst mean it looks like it since this isnt more then a flat surface we're trying to communicate with - we then need to make new solutions to express thing, like a big castle.
Indicating size is for me easiest done with some reference, something that we reconize - and that door is one of those(I say door and not gate since it got that door"knob").

[markbilly]

Actually, I've seen gates that look exactly like that "door" that are two or three times the height of a person (Google "Trinity College gate", for example). And the windows could also be much larger than you suggest. Those dimensions would indeed make the bricks huge, although probably within the range of possibility.

You are right about the gate, I think it is the bricks more than anything that suggest it's size... And Jens has got the size in relation to the bricks/stone just right.

[Dualnames]

the castle is a little stiff i must say, the other lodish background is cool and i can't find about anything that you need to improve.

[Cluey]

I agree with the general consensus, I know you're still practicing with the Wacom, and your backgrounds are nice, but they don't seem as tight or coherent as you're amazing Pixel art ones.

Also, I hate you Jens, you must teach me how to do quick sketches that look that good lol.

Probably involves an art degree or something.

[Questionable]

A fast sketch based on your picture. It lacks good colors, contrast, details and so on but may give you an idea of what a change of architectural concept and perspective could result in.

That was a fast sketch? Jesus Ben... we're surrounded by artistic heavyweights!

[ThreeOhFour]

Indeed we are, Questionable.

Just letting you guys know I really appreciate all the comments and such - just because I tried a redo doesn't mean I've forgotten your advice or this thread.

Much thanks for your excellent advice, especially Zyndicate and Jens .

I will return.

[James--]

I like your drawing style, especially the way you did the rocks on that castle.  I find it really hard to draw natural shapes like that.  Only thing I would suggest is that when you first draw a background like that, try to stay away from one point perspective (where the lines on the x axis are horizontal) and try to use two point perspective (like if you look at it from the corner).  It adds a lot more style/interest if you draw scenes from different angles.