#also. i eyeballed all of that perspective so if it looks a bit wonky that would be why! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

focsle · 2 years

Note

Hi! I really enjoy your coming Going to Weather and your art style. You always do such a great job drawing scenes and backgrounds. Do you have any advice on how you do it? Especially rooms. Sincerely, someone who struggles with drawing backgrounds.

Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Long post ahead.

For technical advice I’m not a good resource because perspective is the bane of my existence and I eyeball it poorly or half-ass trace the base shape of a room because I hate straight lines and rulers so much lol. Some people draw floorplans from a birds eye view and then do crazy things with transform tools. Some people make 3d models of rooms to use. I don't have the energy to learn how to do that effectively but if I did...THAT'D HELP. Maybe someday. I remember I once had a professor who was like 'your perspective is wonky but you put so much detail into it that I don't think people will really notice or care that much' so I have RUN WITH THAT haha!

But I do have advice for how to get excited about backgrounds. Because I also struggle with backgrounds. I've found the two most helpful things to keep in mind are:

The background is a character too.

Reference reference reference! References will surprise you and make the world richer.

Backgrounds can tell a lot about the world your scene is set in, and thinking about them having personalities and also being part of the narrative can help you design them. For instance, I really wanted to show the difference of means between Ezra and Barzillai, that they're both career whalemen but that they're operating under quite different circumstances.

I used the backgrounds to tell that story without words. They have a purpose just as much as the characters do.

When building out my focsle, I liked thinking of what a space that was continually inhabited by a bunch of late-teens/early 20s lads for years at a time looked like, the mindsets people were in on those ships, and how their presence would be left behind. Also inspired by graffiti seen in the past and present.

I also always try to push my backgrounds just a LITTLE more each time, which is easier said than done. To make my streets a little more crowded, to make the focsle just a little more chaotic, to make the waters just a little rougher. You gotta find what makes it fun for you, and what makes it fun for me is thinking about what story the background tells. I like thinking of practical elements too like...where do they put their stuff, what's their daily routine and how does that show in the space, what sort of art do they like to have, etc.

But to build those backgrounds, reference is so important. I've got about 1500 reference pictures for GTW and counting. And it's important to gather all kinds of reference! Photos, objects, other illustrations, written descriptions, videos, physically going to a place, all of that can help build one's visual library to craft places that feel like characters. Think of yourself as a set designer and you’re going shopping for all the little things you want to tell that story.

For instance, here are reference photos I took in various mid 19th century houses, that I cobbled together to make the Captain's house:

I remember really liking this bed I saw in a historic house and wanting it for my own room. So I did the next best thing and put it in a fake room.

I love this reference of a focsle, too! I can't wait to draw the inside of a bunk where someone's hanging their hats or storing their pans. Little authenticating details like these that I wouldn't necessarily think of can be discovered in reference. It makes everything feel more real.

I remember when I made my pilgrimage to the Charles W. Morgan one of the many things that struck me was how much light deck prisms brought into the living spaces below. So that was something fun to keep in mind any time I was drawing a scene below deck during the day, how I could play with that lighting.

Which brings me to my last bit. I think if you can go to a place that embodies the settings you want to work in, that's so important too. Just spending time there. Taking in the vibe. Thinking about what it sounds like and feels like and smells like. Thinking about how the light falls. And to hold on to all those little things, and to keep them in mind as you draw those backgrounds. You can't exactly draw a smell or a sound, but when you think about those things, you can think about where they're coming from and draw that. A clock ticking, pipe smoke, water sloshing, fire crackling. It's all there. I personally don't strive to create the most technically-sound looking rooms, but I really do try to make rooms that get across a Vibe and that feel lived-in.

Hope that was helpful! And thank you for reading the comic!

#asks #tytofurcata #going to weather #my art #long post //#gtw kindnesses

140 notes · View notes