Backgrounds

Why a Background?

One of the ways to set your adult coloring pictures apart is to add a background to the picture. Not all pictures will lend themselves to a background but quite a number do. Backgrounds can add depth, interest and make the colors in the picture really pop. But backgrounds can be scary. Especially if like me, you are someone who colors the main picture first. Once you’ve finished the picture, you can be concerned that adding a background might “ruin” the picture or change the look of the picture which has taken you so much time and effort to complete.

What do you need to add a background?

Backgrounds can be done using a range of different media. You can use colored pencils, soft pastels, chalk pastels, school chalk, eye shadow, markers. Some of these media can be combined with blending tools eg colored pencils and colorless blender pencils or markers, Vaseline, baby oil, etc. using a variety of Blending Techniques. Others can be applied by themselves eg colored pencils, markers, eye shadow, pastel chalks, etc. Eye shadow and pastel chalks usually need to be applied with a cotton wool ball, sponge or cotton pad. Refer to Video Tutorials and Demonstrations (below) to see some helpful video tutorials on how to color backgrounds.

What are the Benefits of doing a background?

Backgrounds can add a number of things to your pictures:

• They can make the colors of the picture really stand out or “pop”
• They can add interest to the picture
• They can add depth and context to a picture eg a dark background may indicate the picture is a night time picture.
• They can provide another opportunity for you to use your creativity and add something of your own to a picture

Learning How to Add a Background

There are lots of videos on You Tube demonstrating the various techniques for adding backgrounds. I found the Video Tutorials and Demonstrations (below) most helpful. These videos clearly show and explain what each of the techniques is and how each can be applied. They give both before and after demonstrations. These are the ones that helped me to gain courage to add backgrounds to some of my adult coloring pictures.

After following the tips in these videos my background coloring skills improved.

In this picture, the first background I attempted, I used just colored pencil.

In this extract you can clearly see the streaks of the colored pencil in the background.

After watching the videos and practicing some of the tips I learned some other techniques and how to apply them. Some of these techniques helped me to achieve a much smoother background in my pictures.

In this picture of an Owl I have used soft pastels to create a background. This background gives the impression of the owl lit up in a night time forest.

In this next picture I have used eye shadow as a background to the seahorse to give the impression of it floating in water.

Links to:

• Other Pictures I have colored showing Background Techniques

Video Tutorials and Demonstrations