Need Feedback - Background issues

[nwaller]

Hey guys, I drew this image for #folktaleweek and I liked it so much, that I wanted to develop it a bit further and add more to the background.

I am not certain if or how I should draw a background. I wanted it to have some trees, but maybe its not even necessary.

On the other hand maybe the white is too bright? Hope you have some ideas cause I miss a good one right now.

Cheers Niels

[A Former User]

Hi there, lovely work and I think you're right, it does need a background of some sort.
Like you say, the white is too bright and the two animal characters get lost in it, they are such nice colours so they need to pop out. So maybe some silhouettes of trees would be a good idea and you can add some detail here and there to show that they're in a forest, or maybe the two men are around a campfire and the background of the animals could be the night sky? You could play around with some awesome lighting from the fire that way
I love the guy on the right with his hat and beard!
Look forward to seeing where you take it next!

[burvantill]

I agree about the white but you may be able to fix what is troubling you by just adding some value. Keep it light behind the animals but darker behind the men’s legs. The contrast there is too great and my eyes keep going to that instead of the animals. Maybe a soft circle vignette. I hope I’m making sense. It’s four in the morning and I couldn’t sleep so I’m doing this instead.
Like this but maybe with a colored vignette.

And maybe up the contrast in the animals.

[nwaller]

Thanks you two. I will try to do a mixture of both, adding some trees but also a vignette.

[Jason Bowen]

Here is another option for you, you can make your characters pop more by making it darker behind him. I did a rough bit of dark on one side so you can see. might help.

[nwaller]

Oh that one looks pretty good too. Thats worth trying. Thanks.