Topic: Critique on Background

[TGames]

I just made a background and would like to hear your thoughts on it.
Here is two versions

x1 x2 x4 x8

x1 x2 x4 x8

The second is the original
The first is a lower resolution that makes the shading look better

Thoughts? I personally am questioning the black outline, I think it fits in the larger version, but not as much in the smaller version.

[CaptainD]

It really depends on what type of look you're going for.   You could perhaps still have the outlines but with darker versions of the colours of what they're outlining instead of block.  The sense of depth with the layers of trees works well, though perhaps for that the fill colour would be better being even darker.

Anyway I think if that's the style you're aiming for it looks absolutely fine, the most important thing would be for the character sprites to be the same style so that they fit nicely.  As far as proper artistic critique goes I'd have to leave that to other people as I'm not much of an artist myself!

[selmiak]

x1 x2 x4 x8

I made the trees in the bg even darker. also try not only shading the bark of the tree but also the form, the roundness of the tree over the bark.
Are you painting with a mouse? Have you ever considered getting a drawing tablet? You'll be having tons more fun! 

[cat]

To explain a bit more what selmiak did: trees are three-dimensional. While you used shadows to indicate a rough surface, you didn't shade the general shape of the tree. You need to decide where the light is coming from and then make the areas where it doesn't hit the tree darker. Just google for some tutorials using keywords like "shading cylinder" or "shading basics".

[TGames]

Oh I understand. And  I am using a tablet, I'm just not sure how to use paint.net to the best of its abilities.

[TGames]

I just got a smudge plugin and darkened up the first two trees. I tried to show the curve of the tree more in the shading.

x1 x2 x4 x8

[TGames]

x1 x2 x4 x8

I went in and blended together the rest of the image. I like the painted look it has.

[selmiak]

Looking a lot better. Don't be shy to experiment with different brushes, get some info on how to get more brushes for paint.net and how to install them and then play around. play with the opacity of the brush. Use a round and small green brush and sketch in some leaves of grass over the roof to partially cover them and so on.

[Gurok]

I have a question that hasn't been mentioned so far.

Why are the trees so big?
Is it a top-down view or something close? Are the characters particularly small?

Actually, if you include a character, people might be able to help you more. There might be something you can do to improve the perspective.

[cat]

Great improvements!

[abstauber]

You might consider including some perspective guidelines. Currently the scenery is all about avoiding perspective

To make the background really interesting, you need some elements that guide the viewer into the scene. Or you could add some darker forground elements like branches, tree stumps, mushrooms etc.

[InCreator]

Given the size of the trunks, one would imagine trees span 25 screenfuls upward and canopies take two screens horizontally. Such trees couldn't grow that close to each other.
* Make trees narrower
* Make trunk less cone-shaped and more like cylinders. Roots are rarely that big, except for some tropical species
* Make road about half narrower (vertically)
* Lose outlines on road
* Add grass, like visible green growing things, instead of just green blur
* Use grass to soften road shape and where trees enter ground

[Mandle]

Great improvements!

+1