Seeking Help for Background Drawing
3yr
The guy from BluishDot
Hey everyone! Complete newbie here.
I've been working on a background for a small amination series I'm making and I came across a problem.
The drawing is supposed to be a snowy mountain peak with some tracks in the foreground and behind it should be a deep valley followed by some faraway mountains. I've added the reference image for clarification.
My problem is that the valley and mountains in the background don't really come across as intended - really far away.
The background is not 100% finished. I still have to add some clouds and a flag on top of the snowy mountain in the foreground, but I don't think that will improve anything.
Any suggestions on how I might be able to emphasize the idea of "deep valley" and "faraway mountains" while keeping the cartoony/simplistic style?
Thank you!
3yr
Hi. I'm still learning perspective myself. I agree less detail in the distance and more detail in the foreground will help. I also think that flattening the mountains in the distance could serve to "push" them back further. By drawing a curved surface around the base of mountains to the right you've place them at a discernible distance from the viewer. Having them on the horizon (or even past it) would mean they are far enough away that they are becoming difficult for the human eye to judge exactly how far they may be.
The guy from BluishDot
3yr
Thanks! Very insightful, I'll keep it in mind. :D
3yr
Hi there :)
I think you've correctly identified one of the tools you can use to make us feel how far the mountains are: atmospheric perspective, aka why you colored your mountains with low contrast: Indeed, with distance, things get blurry and bluish and less contrast is apparent. However the fact that you kept the line work around the mountains sort of cancels that effect. Maybe it would be worth removing all your black contour lines, and not to add any texture to the mountains (keep em somewhat blurry). You can also add contrast in the foreground, for example by making the closest part of the valley darker, and gradually losing contrast in the distance.
Good luck!
Thanks for the feedback! You are right! I can see now how by adding the outline and texture of the mountains, I ended up doing more harm than good. I will definitely put your suggestions to use. Thanks a lot! :D
