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Hot take: I used to think every piece needed a crazy detailed background.
For about three years, I'd spend hours painting in city streets or forests behind my character art, which honestly just made the main subject get lost. I changed my whole process after a mentor in Chicago flat out told me my work was 'visually noisy' and to try a simple gradient or solid color instead. Has anyone else made a big shift like that and found it actually improved their focus?
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olivery266mo ago
My first year at art school I probably spent 60% of my time just on background textures. It was a total waste. That Chicago mentor gave you gold. I forced myself to do ten pieces in a row with only flat color behind the figure. It felt wrong at first, but suddenly the character's expression and pose were ALL you saw. The work got way stronger because the story was clear. Now I only add detail if it directly adds to that story.
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haydenp956mo ago
Wait but like...isn't some art about the background though? I get the focus thing but flat color for everything sounds boring. What if the texture is part of the story, like a character in a crumbling building?
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danielwhite5mo ago
That Chicago mentor advice works for emails too, @olivery26.
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