Would love some help with the background

[britgirl]

This is still a WIP, but I'm having a difficult time with deciding on a background. I was going to paint a type of light, gauzy fabric, but perhaps that will be too much. I'm tempted to leave it blank and crop the right side just a little so the figure takes up about 2/3 of the canvas, but I'm not sure.

This piece is 12 x 18 on Strathmore charcoal paper using Rembrants, some harder pastels and one Schmincke (a gift)

[allydoodle]

Welcome to the Pastel Forum!

Nice job with this. I love the painterly look, and the curve of the subject. I don't think this needs much in the way of a background, simple works for me on this I think. Cropping a bit off the right might just be all you need, I like the vertical format. Beautiful work!

[lumiere33]

Nice painting,
I'd crop half of the backgroun and I'd add some dark blue

[britgirl]

Thanks for the kind comments Allydoodle. So you don't think it will be a cop-out to leave it unpainted? I do like the thought of cropping to have a tall format, plus I'm nervous that I'll ruin it if do anything in the background

Lumiere, thank you. Did you mean make all the background (or what would be left after cropping) dark blue?

[allydoodle]

It's not a cop-out if it works, and I think it works. This has a sketchy fell to it, and I always select a color of paper that will work well with my subject. Often times the paper shows through, even to the point of not doing a background, or not much of a background. Nothing wrong with that, like I said if it works then it works (which it does ). A crop off the right will make the composition even better I think. Look at the shape of the negative space that you end up with, I think it makes the painting even more interesting.

[britgirl]

Thanks so much Allydoodle, I do like that crop, it really works. So that's it decided for me. I'll crop it, mat and frame it with the background as is.

Sharon

[DAK723]

Hi Sharon and welcome to the forum! This is nicely done and I, too, like the freshness of this!

A couple things to consider about backgrounds - at least in my opinion: Painting is about color relationships, so if you paint your subject against the paper color, those colors work together. Changing the background color might change the relationships, so it is always a good idea to work the background color in while doing the rest of the painting rather than waiting until the end. I say this because I have been guilty of waiting until the end for 30 years! So, leaving the paper color is usually OK, because in a way, you have already chosen it for your background color.

The other thing to think about when choosing the background color is that it usually is incorporated into the subject matter - either due to some of it actually being reflected into the subject - or just because it harmonizes well.

The last thing I want to mention - and you probably are aware of all these things - but I tend to go on and on in my "teaching" mode...is that if you paint the background last, you will have trouble putting it in without creating a halo around the figure. To prevent that halo, you might need to actually overlap the background color slightly into the figure and then rework the edges of the figure. Certainly something that is done frequently, but it just adds another complication!

One good thing about computers is that they allow you to put a photo of your painting into a program like Photoshop and actually trying out some things.

I do like the crop by Chris.

Again, welcome! Nice painting!

Don

[jackiesimmonds]

Leaving the paper colour can be a problem............for example, if it had been Canson Mi Teinte paper, it will fade. Not sure about Strathmore.

I would not take the chance.

If you want the background shape to be a grey, then you could use grey pastel on it. Then you have no problem.

If you do not mind the paper colour fading, then also no problem.

[Ruthie57]

I love the look of this, especially with the crop Chris suggested. Great negative shape too. Will you do more to the figure? Don't do too much more as it's got a real charm how it is. As for the BG, I always cover my BG with pastel (mainly as it gets marked and grubby, unlike yours) and I usually use a complementary colour plus some hints of colours I have in the skin to try and tie it together. I agree that the colour you have works well though.

[britgirl]

DAK, Thank you, and thanks for the reminder about painting the background at the same time. I tend to get carried away with painting the subject, and forget the background until much later. I'll have to leave myself a reminder on my easel in future.

Jackie, I hadn't thought about the paper fading, I'll have to start taking that into consideration. I certainly don't want the color to go away and leave me with a dull and faded background. thanks for the tip.

Ruthie, Thank you.That crop works really well

Lol, I don't know how I managed to keep the paper so clean, that is not the normal course of things I can tell you .

I wasn't sure how much more I was going to do, but the more I look at it, the more I call it's finished.

Sharon

[sketchZ1ol]

hello
for me Chris' crop is good because
the hip/shoulder are pushing right
and the body is more across the vertical centerline .

as a stray thought ,
what if there was twice as much open background ...
what to emphasize then ?!?

Ed :}