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I finally stopped using a plain white background for my digital portraits
For like two years I just put everything on a clean white canvas because I thought it looked professional. But last month I threw a dark blue gradient behind one of my character pieces and it made the skin tones pop so much more. Now I spend 10 minutes just testing different background colors before I even start shading. What do you use for backgrounds, solid colors or textures?
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diana201mo ago
Wait you were using plain white for TWO YEARS? That hurts my soul. White is the enemy of depth, it kills everything flat before you even start. I switched after like three months and even that felt too long.
Dark blue gradient sounds solid though, especially for skin tones. I went through a phase where I was obsessed with teal and peach combos because they made everyone look like they were glowing. Now I cycle between dusty mauves and olive greens, depending on what the character is wearing.
Gradients are the real MVP though, they add like 50% more dimension without trying. Solid colors just feel too safe to me now, like you're leaving money on the table. But hey, you figured it out eventually, better late than never I guess.
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sage_ramirez421mo ago
DUDE yes. The white background trap is so real its basically a rite of passage for digital artists lol. I used to be the queen of plain white until I tried a muted purple for a vampire OC and suddenly all the paleness looked intentional instead of lazy. Now I cant stop messing with dark greens and dusty pinks, it changes the whole mood of the piece. Solid colors are my go to because textures stress me out, but a good gradient can fake depth without effort.
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