2D Background - Painting the Scene
The next step for my 2D background was to digitally paint it. We had to pick an artist to base our style off, so I picked Edgar Payne. I really liked his choice of colours, especially the blues for his shadows and the mix of bright oranges and cool blues to create depth and to separate the foreground, midground, and background. I loved this painting titled 'South Rim, Grand Canyon' by Payne because the vibrancy and use of tones. Additionally, I have some rocks in my scene, so I wanted to use this colour scheme for them.
'South Rim, Grand Canyon'
It was quite difficult to achieve Payne's style as he heavily depends on the textures created by his brushes. It is also clear that he doesn't clean his brushes, so there are many colours in one each brushstroke. I searched for different brush packs online to help recreate his style. The ones I found useful are listed below. Some of these brushes had gritty textures, which resembled Payne's brushstrokes.
(Yuumei's Cloud Brushes)
(Sylar113's Brushes)
(Darekzabrocki Brushpack by Daroz)
Background
I started off with the background. I wanted it to be very light, like in Edgar Payne's paintings. Additionally, I gave my scene pastel/pink/purple undertones to tie in with Payne's blue/pastel backgrounds. To make the background I used a gradient as a base for the pastel colours. I then drew on a separate layer to make it blend. I didn't manage to achieve the brushstroke style, so I might work more into my background. However, I'm worried the brushstrokes might make the background too busy so I will see if I need to edit it after I've finished the other layers.
Full Background
Gradient for Background
Painted Section for Background
After making the sky, I drew the rocks in the background. At first my rocks turned out very brown, and not quite the colours I wanted, so I created another layer and coloured it in the blue tone I had used for my shadows in the rocks. I then applied the lighten blending mode to make the tones purple and pink, which helped blend the rocks into the background. Also, the tones are more like Payne's.
Background Rocks
Background Rocks with Filter
Midground
I then moved onto the midground, where I had to focus on more rocks, and adding them into a landscape. The midground was the hardest to tackle because it fills up most of the scene and it's the part where the action is taking place. I looked at some more paintings by Edgar Payne, and particularly loved 'Shadowed Peaks' and 'Mt.Ritter and Lake Ediza' because of the blue tones combined with the warm pinks. I found these as reference for the water in my scene, as I needed to do it in Payne's style. The colours of the water varied a lot in each of his paintings, so I decided to choose one which suited the colours I had already used for my scene. Like with the rocks, Payne uses a rough, block brushstroke approach to the water, so I used the same brush as I did with the rocks.
'Shadowed Peaks'
'The Rendezvous (Santa Cruz Island, CA)'
'Mt. Ritter and Lake Ediza'
I also found some photo references for the rocks, so I could get the shadows and forms right. I used these images as reference when I drew my layout, so I re-used them for the painting. I found a few other photos that had orange tones as they resemble the same tones I've used in my painting. All these photos are of Brimham Rocks, which is in Yorkshire. I used to visit the rocks all the time, so I am very familiar with how the rocks are formed and how to draw them. I also chose these rocks to draw because they are very unique, and equally fun and unique to draw. Payne draws a lot of stones that have flat edges, whilst these rocks are very smooth and curvy. I saw this as a challenge of how to relay Payne's style into an environment he hadn't drawn.
Additionally, I found this image when creating my layout and it became the reference for my stone fountain. I also used this image for my stepping stones. Unlike the Brimham Rocks' stones, these rocks are flat and I chose these because I wanted the fountain to stand out, and it was hard to find a fountain with curvy rocks. Additionally, the flat rocks allow me to have characters use them as a floor to perform their movement.
These reference photos helped a lot when I painted the midground rocks, as I could apply the same technique I used for the rocks in background to these rocks. I wanted to make sure I kept the style consistent, but also showed texture and correct shading to separate the layers. For the background I kept it quite faded and light, so I used brighter tones in the midground to make it stand out from the background. Additionally, the midground is the stage where all my animations are taking place, so I wanted it to be the brightest and most colourful layer. I still wanted some depth in the midground, so I coloured the rock in the back with less orange tones and more lilacs and light blues. As I did in the background, I used blue for the shadows as it is a key element in Payne's style. I also think the orange and blue tones work really well together, especially as they are contrasting colours.
After painting the rocks, I started looking at the flowers. In my layout I had drawn flowers which are wild flowers, which would go with my theme. I used references photos, but then forgot to save the photos. I spent ages re-finding these flowers - lesson learned! I had drawn alliums, and I chose them because their shape is quit simple so they are good background elements, and I also thought the circular shape goes well with the round rocks. They are also purple, which goes with my colour scheme/palette.
Along with the flowers, I added the midground landscape. I was unsure on how to paint this at first, as there was a lot of empty space. I didn't want to fill it with lots of flowers or trees as that would've made the scene way too busy, so I stuck with an empty space. I already had a path running each side of the pond, and fences, which I think is enough detail. For the colours, I once again looked at Payne's paintings. 'Shadowed Peaks' and 'Mt. Ritter and Lake Ediza' really helped me understand which colours to use. I started with pink bases, as Payne seemed to use this as a wash underneath the painting. I then brought in the tones from the background and midground rocks, but softened them and changed them a little for the lighting. I lightened the landscape towards the back of the painting as the sun would have effect there, and it also draws the viewer into the piece. I struggled a little with the water as I didn't want it to be too dark or too bright, but Payne's paintings helped me find balance and the right mix of tones. I used blues and turquoises to show it is a pond, but also added some purples to soften it and blend it into the rest of the scene. Like the rest of the landscape, I used a pink base to blend the pond, and to keep in some warm colours.
After painting the landscape, I added the midground rocks in to see if it blended together. I found it worked well, as I had managed to keep a pastel palette consistent, yet also make the rocks stand out as the main feature. I am really pleased with how the midground turned out.
Foreground
The only layer left was the foreground, which I was the most nervous about. The foreground includes a lot of trees with darker colours and I was worried how I would draw them in Payne's style and tones. I first did some research by looking at Payne's paintings 'Landscape' and 'Eucalyptus' as they included trees. 'Landscape' uses the same pink tones that I have been using in my piece, and is has some blues which I also use. However, the tones are quite light, so I also looked at 'Eucalyptus' which uses much darker tones, but doesn't have much pink. It was hard to find a painting that included all the tones I used, so I chose a few different ones and combined all the elements. The lighting in 'Eucalyptus' is very interesting, and is very similar to the tones in willow trees (the trees I am painting).
'Landscape'
'Eucalyptus'
For the leaves, I didn't have specific reference photos. However, I found a few images to understand how the trees sit, move, and react to lighting. I chose willow trees as they are seen as 'romantic trees', and my scene already has that atmosphere with the pastel tones and layout. The most prominent thing about willow trees is how they hang and how the light reflects on the leaves. They turn golden or very light green when the sun hits on them, and it makes them stand out. I want to keep my tones very dark for the foreground so there is more focus on the midground, and the depth becomes obvious.
My first attempt at drawing the willow trees didn't go so well. I tried to use a lot of blue to show the shadows, as I had done in the midground, and I kept with the orange tones and added in some green. The leaves look swampy and too dark, and they have become the main focus instead of the midground. I added lots of detail in the leaves, as it is the foreground, and I think it worked. However, the colours are just too dark and harsh to work in the scene.
To resolve the problem, I added 2 layers with purple and pink fills over the foreground and then changed the opacity and blending modes to make the tones match the ones in the rest of the scene. I am worried the purple to too unnatural, however I think the foreground now works a lot better with the rest of the scene, and the midground is again the centre of focus.
I might edit the foreground a little more when I get feedback on what I've done, and if it doesn't work so well in the parallax.
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