How to Draw and Color Backgrounds plus Composition

Develop composition skills by arranging objects in a scene to establish depth, foreground and background, using overlapping and a dominant figure, with hands-on thumbnail exercises.

Arrange three provided images: a tree, a man, and another gunfighter, into various compositions to create a pleasing layout while you learn to draw and color backgrounds.

Learn how to set mood in art by choosing panel orientation and subject placement to emphasize facial expression and body language, and to balance background, framing, and narrative focus.

Explore how to evoke romance by adjusting spacing and camera proximity to set mood. Learn to arrange characters, emphasize close ups or distant views, and convey a man proposing.

Analyze David tenures' work to spot how the nine rules of composition are used, often all together in a master painting, as you complete this exercise.

Explore area in composition by choosing how much of the frame or panel your subject occupies, using proximity to reveal emotion, and size variation for storytelling.

Explore using space in panels and canvases to convey mood, from close-ups of faces to distant shots, and vary subject size and panel shapes.

Explore framing your subject with thumbnail sketches in vertical and horizontal compositions, using arches, bridges, trees, or tunnels to place subjects and avoid blank canvas edges.

Learn to use value and color to make the center of interest pop by contrasting foreground subjects with brighter hues and duller backgrounds, guided by the rule of thirds.

Use value, color, and contrast to guide attention to the center of interest. Sketch in traditional or digital media, exploring 30% lighter vs 70% darker values.

Explore rule seven leading lines to guide the viewer's eye to the center of interest, using shapes, patterns, symmetry, overlapping, and background design to improve composition.

Sketch the background to establish mood, world, and genre, using perspective and the rule of thirds with negative and positive space to frame characters amid holographic displays and flying vehicles.

Trace a Google Sketchup layout to build a three-point perspective city background with archways, buildings, and streets, while integrating cars, a flying vehicle, and glowing lights.

Learn to add city lights to background buildings with neon accents, glow effects, and layered techniques, using airbrush, blur, and lasso tools to create dynamic, futuristic scenery.

Apply finishing touches by using a highlight layer above the ink to backlight elements, add background lighting, subtle textures, and color overlays to unify the painting with a bluish night-tone.