I am putting together a little cartoon book for some friends getting married this summer, and plan to print off a bunch of them to give to the families at the wedding.
I have the drawings done, and am using Paint.NET to do all the digital work. But, I have no clue how to do my backgrounds. I normally just use some pastel color for 100% of it... but I don't want to do that for every page all the time.
I'll be doing lettering and dialogue stuff later. Here's the cover, which I'm happy with right now and will do the title lettering on later.
First page... here's the original scanned sketch.
>>2551326
Here's the layered digitized bit... into jpg. My friend really likes LoL so I put a Tibbers picture on his wall that I felt fit.
>>2551329
So I added some lighter colors in, and then pixelated it in Paint.NET. I actually used the "Effects - Distort - Tile Reflection" to make it into little squares, then just manually added some whiter lines across the page, before using "Effects - Distort - Pixelate".
>>2551333
And this was the final product I came up with... which I think sucks... I just did some "Effects - Noise - Median" to get the brushed effect.
But goddamn, I don't think it looks nearly good enough.
>>2551336
Another try at it.
2nd page sketch. It's supposed to be the character imagining himself in a video game (he's some Pantheon character in League of Legends... please no bully he's a good enough guy even if he likes this stupid game).
>>2551443
Clipped out from the background... no clue what to do with this. I tried some pixilated road thing and thought it looked like crap so I tossed it out.
3rd page sketch. My friend started playing Overwatch now so I put his favorite character on this screen.
His girlfriend loves Pokemon, as well as Zelda games... so I stuck her in like this.
>>2551449
Layered out the background.
I thought it looked "safe" with the typical goldenrod pastel background that I normally use... that's the one I have on the cover.
But I can't use goldenrod on every single page. Or just a simple flat pastel fill on everything.
Go to the beginner thread boi
>>2551452
Honestly Op, you would be better off just keeping it white and then looking at some references for an appropriate bg. The solid colour+floating subject thing you have going here doesn't really work. And the fact you have a random over saturated bg against some colored sketches isn't meshing well at all.
Imo it would look nicer ic you leave the sketches and sketch in a loose b&w bg, that way the sketches will stick out as the subject
>>2551741
I might stick some things in there again but figured I'd use my own thread instead. Why? Because maybe I'll post some of my old finished books here again if it gets busy enough. Some people have enjoyed my old cartoons before, and me taking over the beginner thread seemed like a bad idea.
>>2551820
>The solid colour+floating subject thing you have going here doesn't really work. And the fact you have a random over saturated bg against some colored sketches isn't meshing well at all.
The dark backgrounds on those pages are just placeholders. If someone was going to try doing some edits, the backgrounds are easy to select and wipe-out. I certainly wouldn't leave that dark gray background on page 3 there.
I'm trying to texurize the backgrounds... but not liking it. Like on my page #1. That's what I've been coming up with.
>>2551898
not any of the other anons but if you'd allow me a word of advice;
If this stencilxdigital float in space thing was a style, not a limitation of skill, it would be charming (given you had quality writing to support it's ironic quality).
That being said, it's clear it's not the former. If you're keen on this "style" please develop it more. And make sure your story writing skills are top notch (the furry vibe and weak facial expressions, lack of narrative are greatly concerning in that regard)
tldr; your writing or your arting, one of the two needs to improve for this to be acceptable
hard mode: both
>>2551898
If you're trying to detail in or add texture, then it would just be all about the little things. In >>2551333 the problem is that the textures jut look lazy and ostentatious, and they're distracting from the actual subject. If you're gonna put texture keep it light and just nudge it places (i.e. the wall). Paint.net isn't the greatest, so try gimp or something similar
>>2552004
>If this stencilxdigital float in space thing was a style, not a limitation of skill, it would be charming
Part of it is just that I've done it before... and want to develop my backgrounds better since I feel it's a limitation of mine. Pic included is the sort of things I'm coming up with (I'll make the reply the one with just a non-textured background in case anybody wants to select it out and show me some ideas I could use).
If you search my name from the cover you can take a look at some of my other books... and I just want to go beyond with my ability to do backgrounds.
>>2552009
the problem is that the textures jut look lazy and ostentatious, and they're distracting from the actual subject.
Yeah. And that's the sort of stuff I need work on. Looking at it, I know it sucks and needs to be better.
I love Paint.NET though. It's definitely less powerful than Gimp or actual Photoshop... but it does everything I need to do and simpler (mainly layering).
>>2552022
Non-textured background layer.
>>2552022
>>2552025
if you're not seeking to improve as an artist, and in this case a storyteller then I dont think anybody here wants to help you achieve the illusion of improvement on bg work.
I have notes for your background work I'd love to share, but I don't think you understand betterment nor do I think you're capable of the writing needed to justify bad furry art.
>>2552041
>if you're not seeking to improve as an artist
I'm seeking to improve my ability to do backgrounds.
>and in this case a storyteller
I haven't posted a story at all. Feel free to go read my others though.
>I have notes for your background work I'd love to share
Okay. Sounds wonderful.
>nor do I think you're capable of the writing needed
Have you read any of my writing?
Here's a cover of one of my other stories. Feel free to go read all of them. They are a bit ridiculous. I think the Talk Nerdy to Me one is the best in story and art... but again there the backgrounds are pretty much nothing but a layer of light gray-blue.
>>2552096
So I just gave Doleful Doe a read and it comes close to that ironic quality I was talking about.
Nothing amazing but it killed a minute or two.
That being said and ignoring your furry work cause honestly what the fuck do I know;
When creating digital color for closed environments, especially with floating subjects, it's wise to allow the color change create the borders between walls and floor and other surfaces, as trying to match it up to a drawn line comes across as lazy rather than ironic.
Also try to follow the color triangle, and unless for a very specific purpose, try to stay away from neon hues, it's uncomfortable to the eyes and will leave your audience straining to understand. Think of those shades as a flashbang. useful, but only effective when used sparingly.
If you want to use textures for your background, consistency is important, try to use the same textures for the same kind of environments, since they wont be accurate representations of what the environment should be, they should at least be consistent once the audience catches on to what it's supposed to be.
tldr; colors create borders, many mundane/few flare, floors are floors are floors
>>2551449
>>2552128
Thanks. I don't get furry stuff either. The animal things are all just something I was playing around with with a 6 year old, and then decided to keep re-doing the story with different characters. I have a Lion one, a Snake, a Spider, and a Deer one.
> color change create the borders between walls and floor and other surfaces,... try to follow the color triangle,
I need to get better at this sort of thing... but I think my main problem is really my ability to work with colors. I tried again to redo colors here... and use some lines as overlays before pixilating and then brushing it with Median. This way the floor and wall have a different line direction, and different color.
But bleah. I'm still not joyous about it.
It's good to see Boomhauer finally settled down.
I hope she treats him right.
>>2552237
>Boomhauer
Oh god. Oh no. I cannot unsee that now. Holy shit.
Page 5 "textured". Bleah.
>>2552269
Untextured.
>>2552237
Page 6... with some shitty textures.
>>2552311
Untextured.
>>2552285
>>2552269
And goddamn it now instead of working on the texturing I'm just adding King of the Hill heads to it.
This is blasphemy anyways though.
Page 7... I have some of those lines again on these two pages, because I felt like I needed them for adding the other people in. To get the "pixilating" and "Median" to work properly I have to separate them into different layers... then they don't overlap and spill into each other and through the lines.
>>2552399
Untextured.
8
>>2552471
8 untextured.
9. Of course I'll put their real names on the finished letter.
>>2552555
9 untextured.
Page 10.
>>2552687
Page 10 untextured.
Final page. The story will be given to them at their wedding, so it's about them meeting each other and some of the personal weirdness of each of them, and then ends with them like this on the final page.
>>2553237
Final page untextured.
>>2551329
>>2551446
>>2551452
>>2552025
>>2552271
>>2552313
>>2552401
>>2552473
>>2552557
>>2552689
>>2553239
So these are to the untextured-background images, if someone wants to try their hand at making them look nicer and then tell me how they did it. Again, I've been simply taking the background layers in Paint.NET, adding some lines over it and some noise over it, then pixelating it, and then using Noise-Median to get the brushed look.
I'll post some of the other books I've done before for you guys to read here later, but really I'm just trying to learn how I can approach backgrounds differently and better than I've done them before.
Here's my first of my "Sad Little" books (there are 4 of these total... plus a German version of the Lion one).
>>2553765
>>2553767
>>2553768
>>2553790
God I hate this background.
>>2553792
>>2553793
>>2553794
>>2553795
>>2553798
>>2553804
>>2553896
Final page for the Sad Little Lion.
Maybe this old book will give you some nightmares.
Also, it's based on a true story.
>>2554721
>>2554771
>>2551325
Look, giving people your own art is actually a really shitty present. My parents got this painting as a wedding present and they just kept that shit behind a wardrobe cus they hated it. Only gift your own art if they have expressed like or interest in it. Otherwise, it has no value, despite whatever 'meaning' you put behind it.
But if you like the idea of making a cartoon book, I suggest you get a professional illustrator to draw it for you. Get a beginner artist for cheap, who does children's illustrators or some shit. I'm sure there's tons on the internet, and that simple style only takes like 5 minutes to draw.
>>2554812
>>2554875
>>2555139
>>2555316
>>2555506
>>2555679
>>2555780
>>2555785
>>2555821
>>2555822
>>2555831
Final page of Chunks Happen.
Again, I'm hoping to get help on how to do backgrounds on the pages I have at the top of the thread.
The Sad Little Snake
God I hate these backgrounds too now that I see them again.
>>2556192
>>2556275
Dude what the fuck is going on with you? Unless everyone at the wedding already knows your retarded, it will be extremely selfish to upstage someone's WEDDING, the biggest day of their life, to try and make it into some kind of "I'm retarded" coming-out affair. Stop NOW.
Also your name isn't Dagon Akujin or what the fuck ever; forget that otherkin bullshit and grow up. Nigger.
>>2556301
>>2556302
How is making them a book "stealing" their wedding? That doesn't even make sense. They've all seen my little books before.
>>2556305
No shit Sherlock. It's a pen-name I've been using online for almost 25 years. Yes, I remember AOL on 14400 modems. Do you have any tips on how I can improve my backgrounds in the top book? I'm wanting to get better at digital bakgrounds, instead of drawing them out with my Crayolas.
>>2556365
>>2556522
>>2556669
>>2556759
>>2556889
>>2556958
>>2557199
>>2557204
End of The Sad Little Snake.
Your cartoons are terrible, too morbid for children too childish for adults.
>>2557366
They certainly aren't written for children.
Anyway, again, I'm mainly wanting help on digitizing my backgrounds so that I don't need to use Crayola to sketch scenes. And I think the "floating on a pastel" isn't good enough, so I'd like help in other things I can do to make my backgrounds look good.
Here's my next book to share though. I think this is the best one I produced.
Autism speaks and apparently never shuts the fuck up
>>2557508
>>2557525
Still just trying to get help on my backgrounds. Feel free to offer some insight.
>>2557637
>>2557721
>>2557782
>>2557834
>>2557929
>>2558162
>>2558186
>>2558318
>>2558319
>>2558322
>>2558324
This is among the most absurd threads I've ever seen in my life
>>2558325
Final page of Talk Nerdy to Me.
>>2558333
Just hoping someone here knows how I can improve my backgrounds.
I was hoping /ic/ was a place where... you know... where people knew how to do things.
You're retarded aren't you? Literally fucking retarded. I cringed to the depths of hell and back. I cringed so hard I had a fucking out of body experience. The only saving grace to this shit is that it's keeping you inside and away from the boys locker room at the local highschool, you overgrown, prepubescent shrub.
>>2558325
Is that a tentacle in the background? Like are you seriously insinuating tentacle rape or am I reading too much into these retarded pictures? God. And you've been drawing for how long? You're an adult? Are you in one of those retarded group homes where they stick a bunch of invalids in the same house to be taken care of by healthcare people?
>>2558346
>tentacle
I do that in a number of pages in the "Dainty" books. Why? No reason. It's just some little repeater that comes up. It certainly has nothing to do with tentacle pr0n. Yes, you are reading way too much into things.
I used to pencil way back in the days. But now I've just been doing simple cartoons. I'll post another one tomorrow. Why did I start doing shitty cartoons? Because they are easier, for once, and faster. And because I used to teach middle school and had to teach my kids how to draw sometimes. And finally, because it's simpler for people to read a story that way. Simpler than a bunch of grayed pencils.
Anyway, I'm just wanting to get better at my backgrounds.
just get someone else to draw it for you. there's no hope here.
Anyway, I'm still hoping for help with my backgrounds. I keep doing these overly simplistic pastels and I'd like to learn how to do some other digital work on them.
In the "Talk Nerdy to Me" book I left the scanned paper background, and overlayed slight grays and blues ontop. But I don't think that is really good enough either.
>>2558711
>>2558711
You keep asking for help drawing backgrounds but do you really not know how to improve?
You are not even drawing backgrounds you're just using blank coloured pages. Try drawing a background with stuff, not too detailed but try to fill up the background.
When drawing animals, draw a nature background, when drawing people, draw a room of some sort. It's not that fucking hard
>>2558759
>>2558776
I've drawn backgrounds before and haven't liked them. I need to learn more ideas and techniques. I'm not quite sure why it is anathema to inquire about them.
>>2558904
>>2559095
>>2558904
Then continue drawing them, never stop drawing something because you don't feel comfortable doing it.
I drew a super quick background for your picture. It's very important that your drawings don't just fly in space. Put your Boomhower on a floor or on the ground and start drawing something around him.
Just look at a picture or at your room and try to draw it. Add some stuff that fits in and that's it.
>>2559221
Also, your technique is super weird.
Either draw the entire drawing on paper background and all or draw the entire thing on computer.
If you're serious about these shitty cartoons invest in a drawing tablet and a better drawing program. I use Leonardo, it's very simple to use and has a very simple UI so even a retard like you can learn to use it quickly.
>>2559105
>>2559221
Holy kek.
>>2559224
I've done backgrounding with penciling and just want to figure out better ways to do digital. Yeah, mixing the two is often disastrous... but I figure the plain backgrounds are disastrous as well.
I have a touchscreen laptop... but I never use the touchscreen part. But then, you're just talking about simpler ways to do brushstrokes for backgrounds. Which... meh... I'd be 100% brand new too.
>>2559234
What is "Magic Wand" tool.
>>2559274
>>2559330
>>2558346
This
>>2559274
The question is why do you want to put backgrounds on these. Do you think the backgrounds will improve the stories and make the cartoons more effective?
These may not even need a background. I actually think you are at a point where you should be focusing on stuff other than the background, like solid characters and designs, first. THEN if a background truly has a purpose in the narrative and scene, then you can put it in. If you put a background just for the sake of putting a background and no other purpose, it will not improve the image.
Whatever you decide to do, each element has to play an essential role, whether it is the character, or a background. A background will not make the existing flaws go away.
I would recommend you not to worry about the background for now and try to redraw one of the existing images digitally since that's where you said you are heading.
>>2559370
>>2559400
>backgrounds... will make the cartoons more effective.
Yes. Or, at least I'd be learning how to develop a new skill.
I like penciling characters though. I just don't think I'm able to do much with backgrounds for it. And I'd rather not pencil the backgrounds because I haven't thought they were "interesting" or "good enough" most of the time. But no, I don't want to cartoon digitally yet. I enjoy doing it on scrap paper and think it's fun to skeleton things with a pencil first.
But please, if you know about it, tell me what I can train myself to do on the backgrounds for the book at the top of the thread.
>>2559431
>>2559432
>>2559431
Are you being fucking serious?
I told you how to draw backgrounds in the simplest way i could because i assumed you were retarded and you tell me "what is magic wand tool"?
You clearly don't want to improve.
>>2559437
Final page for "The Sad Little Spider".
You know, I shared some of these books about a year ago and everybody liked them. It makes me wonder if there's just 2 people in this thread playing off their anger for some reason.
Not that it matters. I'm just wanting help on how to do my backgrounds. Even this one, with some penciling over it, still sucks I think.
>>2559488
Eh... the background in the picture you used was one single color. And you still brushed over all of the inking. Yes, a single magic wand click would have made that a hundred times better. And easier.
I'm not sure why you are angry about that though.
>>2559506
This is why no one wants to help you.
Do you even know how to wipe yourself. The other anon tried to show a quick example. who the hell cares about your ugly inking.
you don't want to improve, gtfo.
>>2559503
You got help from this guy already. What more do you want?
>>2559221
>>2559234
He's not gonna use the magic wand tool and do all your work for you. If you can't see the point he was making, that's on you now.
You're doing this backwards-- you don't ask for ideas from others and grab whatever suits you. You try and try again and see what works best for your purposes and artistic goals, failing a lot along the way.
>>Eh... the background in the picture you used was one single color. And you still brushed over all of the inking. Yes, a single magic wand click would have made that a hundred times better. And easier.
If you know this, why don't you just do it yourself then? Why don't you make a background of your own, then others might tell you what is wrong with it and what you can do better.
>>2559735
>Why don't you make a background of your own, then others might tell you what is wrong with it and what you can do better.
Have you seen my backgrounds? I think it's pretty obvious what is wrong with them.
This book has a little more backgrounding done. Some of it was inked on the the same page as the characters. Some was done on separate paper and then layered in digitally.
>>2559787
>>2559787
>Have you seen my backgrounds? I think it's pretty obvious what is wrong with them.
Do I have to spell it out dude?
If you think it's obvious what's wrong with your backgrounds, then why don't you try fixing them? If you already know what is wrong, what is stopping you?
And I'm talking about the wedding book in OP, not this animal book stuff you shared 1 year ago. Make backgrounds for the wedding book. Are you seriously telling me that what you did 1 year ago reflects your current skill? Stop posting that, it's irrelevant.
It really might be the case that you have had zero improvement in a year, seeing as how talking to you is like talking to a brick wall.
>>2559832
>>2559843
>Do I have to spell it out dude?
Eh, yeah probably. What tools should I use? Brush? Do I just... brush over stuff over and over and then stick some noise on it, and then use a guasian blur and then brush it again? Do I avoid blacks and stick to pastels anyway, since blacks in the background might get in the way of the inks?
Do I need to mute everything? I figure with being new to it, muting it will at least help to minimize mistakes. Should I mute it by using transparencies or through blurs or through simply reducing contrast?
Yeah, spelling it out would be good.
>>2559985
Just use the magic wand you goddamn faggot
>>2559985
>>2560082
On this one I tried to do both, and put digital behind the scan. But I still didn't like it, so I tried to smear it some, blur it, add noise to it, etc etc.
>>2559985
These questions suggest that you think there is one magic way to do your backgrounds and you think someone out there has the answers. Guess what, YOU have to go do the work, try out all those techniques and see what works.
>muting it will at least help to minimize mistakes
NO, at this stage you need to maximize your mistakes so that you fail, again and again, and know what to avoid. Actually learn instead of being lazy and expecting others to spoonfeed the perfect solution to you. And guess what, as you work, you will be confronted with a whole new set of questions that will arise and no one can predict what they will be.
So suck it up and actually work. Do those backgrounds, If you don't like it, change it and change it again. That is how you find your "new skill" and "new technique". If you think that is too daunting, learn to study. Look up tutorials and references and examples of childrens book art. So many things you can do in order to seek what you need and you are sitting here showing us work you did more than one year ago for god knows what reason. We didn't enjoy it the last time you posted it and we are not enjoying it now.
>>2560153
>>2560219
>at this stage you need to maximize your mistakes so that you fail,
When making something to give to someone else? Do you... have any friends?
>If you don't like it, change it
That's the entire reason I came here in the first place.
>If you think that is too daunting, learn to study. Look up tutorials and references and examples
That'd be awesome. Got any for me?
>sitting here showing us work you did more than one year ago
I just figured I'd bump the thread to keep it up so someone might actually come in and give me some of the advice I've been asking for.
>We didn't enjoy it the last time
Sure you did. People kept asking for more. It's quite odd: my girlfriend thinks I'm bitter, and I think she has no clue about some of the rest of the world out there.
What have you been diagonosed with OP? Autism?
>>2560414
You are not capable of piecing together what people are telling you, instead nitpicking little bits that don't even matter. Do you ever use your brain? I'm saying that you should fail so you get better faster and get to the level of creating something acceptable for your gift, not fail and give the failures to your friend. You really are a special kind of idiot.
And there is this thing called the internet, you can google tutorials and many other things. No I'm not telling you what to search for.
I don't even know why I bothered. I actually wanted to help, but you clearly have some mental issues.
>>2560502
whatever you say
>>2560502
Just go back to /pol/, chink. Nobody wants you here anyway.
>>2560502
Just sad. Your autistic cartoons get a dose of reality and you rationalize it as all one big bad bully. Jesus christ kill yourself already.
i feel as though they won't want to be friends with you anymore after you give this to them
these drawings are not amazing
>>2559985
ok, for now I'm going to ignore what an idiot you are and try to help you out one more time.
>Do I just... brush over stuff over and over and then stick some noise on it, and then use a guasian blur and then brush it again? Do I avoid blacks and stick to pastels anyway, since blacks in the background might get in the way of the inks?
>Do I need to mute everything? I figure with being new to it, muting it will at least help to minimize mistakes. Should I mute it by using transparencies or through blurs or through simply reducing contrast?
All these questions can be answered very easily if you go into paint.net and experiment. It's digital, just play and don't be afraid to mess around. Do you like how guassian blur looks? Then use it. It looks bad? Then try something else. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? Please spell it out for us so we can understand.
I'll repeat that this guy actually gave you the best responses possible in this thread. >>2559221 >>2559234
They look deceptively simple, but you can learn a lot from them.
Let's look at why.
-He used a simple brush with solid, harmonious colors.
-He avoided using wacky colors or gradients that distract the eyes.
-He paid attention to the shapes he was creating, being careful to place them so that important actions are shown clearly and there are no distracting elements.
-He used lights and darks in a good balance over the whole image.
-The settings are convincing and natural.
And now do you understand when all you can say to him is "holy kek" and "what is magic wand tool", how ridiculous your response was?
Don't bother with blur/noise/gradients/patterns, they are too beyond you. And the way you are using them now makes them even more awful than the originals. Just use solid colors.
