Some difficulty with the background...

[kyphur]

Hey, I'm having some difficulty with the background at this moment. It's looking really flat and I'm not sure to go with it. I've tried three different color patterns but I can't seem to get it down and I'm not sure exactly what to do with it.

Any suggestions would be great.

I'm trying to keep a very limited color pallete and for some reason I just can't come up with a background that I feel is fitting.

version 1
http://www.kyphurland.com/img/full/art/02_05_04/zuriel_color02.jpg

version 2
http://www.kyphurland.com/img/full/art/02_05_04/zuriel_color03.jpg

Thanks,

[SeraphSword]

My personal feeling would be a moonlit desert, given the colors you seem to be leaning towards. Plus, he has a bit of a Native American look to him. Or, are you just going for a background color?:confused:

[Tenelaus]

The hair looks kinda wet, so maybe rain could feature in it somewhere? Perhaps a wet jungle or rainforest.

[Steph Laberis]

My vote is with the moonlit desert, and I prefer the first b/g color you've chosen.

[kyphur]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for the late response.

I was trying to keep the background minimal to keep the character the focus. I only have a limited amount of time that I can complete the sketches and coloring in so spending a lot of time on the background is the last of my worries. What I'm trying to keep is something to pop him out (the color) without it being so flat. Each time I try to texturize it or add another color it looks like @$$ or is too crowded or looks like something you'd put in a paint pattern on your bathroom wall.

Anyways, I haven't had the chance to go back to it and hopefully with either today or tomorrow due to time constraints.

I will post an update when I have one and thanks for all your comments.

[Chris Beatrice]

My two cents: back up a minute. If you're having trouble identifying the appropriate background, that's probably because there is still some fundamental question about this piece / guy buried here that you haven't answered yet. I won't offer a specific background solution, but my advice is this:
a) If this is primarily a concept piece, identify who this guy is, where he's from, what you're trying to say about him, and use the content of the background to reinforce and/or state that.
b) If this is not so much a concept piece (i.e. "guy with background") as it is a full blown picture intended to stand in its own right, then you need to (re)visit the entire composition. It's unlikely you'll come up with a good composition by simply sliding in different backgrounds at this stage. So I'd say go back to the thumbnail stage, crank out a bunch of them, look at them for composition, then decide where to go for the completion of the piece.
Hope that helps. Nice work. Lots of potential.

[kyphur]

Thanks for your advice, this peice is just basically a character design sheet, not a full illustration.

I think I have an idea for it but I won't be able to get to it till later on in the day if not tomorrow. I'll post the update as soon as I get finished or a rough product.

What I'm trying to search for here is more of a technique than an "insert object/background" here. I'm sorry if I confused anyone with my pathetic descriptions. I'm posting fast and whatever comes to mind.

Again, thanks for the comments.