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Landscape/Architecture Artists?

I was wondering if any of my watchers know anyone with experience in drawing backgrounds, like landscapes, architecture, various forms of scenery. I realize this is a skill I'm sorely lacking, and I want to develop it.

The style I'm going for will be a mixture of Victorian and Gothic. There will hopefully be a lot of old furniture, and old room styles, and dramatic/sinister lighting. So if you have experience with that I could really use some help.

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Added:	12 years ago 27 Apr 2012 21:14 CEST

19 Comments on this Journal

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supremekitten

12 years ago

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Edited 12 years ago by Owner

Get a bunch of references, possibly photos (of the places but also closeups of objects), possibly sketch some of them from various angles to get a feel of them. As long as you have a decent understanding of perspective, this is all you need. Pay attention to dimensions and proportions (of the architecture).

The rest is a matter of how much practice/experience you have.

I'm not saying I'm particularly great at it, but that's how I would approach it.

Infinityplus1

12 years ago

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@ supremekitten

I'm already doing that. Got a folder of references and everything. What I'm mostly looking for is a way to make the scenery believable even if it's not entirely accurate. Also, I'm looking for ways of re-imagining the buildings I observe, to incorporate elements of them that make them interesting, without making them too difficult to draw. I'm basically searching for guidelines, so I don't have to reinvent the subject every time I draw it.

If scenery were a language, I would be looking for it's phonetics, so to speak. I'm searching for a language of architecture so that I can communicate specific feelings and intentions without too many details, so I can lay down a room in draft and have my audience know what to feel just from that.

supremekitten

12 years ago

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Edited 12 years ago by Owner

@ Infinityplus1

One thing I like to do with backgrounds which i don't do with characters is, to disregard drawing a lineart/sketch and go straight to coloring. I find it easier to paint backgrounds when I work with volume rather than line. I sometimes do a very rough sketch but that's all. In the final drawing I usually don't keep any lineart on the backgrounds.

To simplify making details I like to layer them like - a layer of the most general shapes, then a layer of details, the final layer is the smallest details, it's a bit like making a 3d object and then the details are just textures put on top to simplify the process.

To have it all look believable I think the most crucial element is probably the dimensions/proportions, and functionality. It has to look like it is functional and has proper dimensions (like a room is related to a person, or a bed's size is related to the room's dimensions, etc.

phyrexfirestorm

12 years ago

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I can make some backgrounds for you, but only in 3D. For me, doing it any other way makes it look like hell, lol.

Infinityplus1

12 years ago

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@ phyrexfirestorm

I don't really have much of a problem with adapting a 3D object to 2D, it's getting the right looking object to begin with that bugs me. I have a very haphazard architectural creation process. If you want I could send you a folder of images I was going to draw inspiration from, and you could fiddle around with some designs. I don't need them to be hyper detailed on anything. I mostly just need accurate large scale shapes, maybe roof/window shapes and positions, and a few substructures. I also have a kind of concept at sketch that I could show you, too.

The little details aren't that important since they'll probably be covered by various things, foliage, cobwebs, debris.

How are you with interiors?

phyrexfirestorm

12 years ago

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@ Infinityplus1

it's all the same to me, whether interior or not. As far as making the furniture and such go, it can take up to 5 days to make a house, but furniture can be done in less than 2 (usually a day max per item). With regard to detail level, I always go into super-detail with 3D, so that's a norm for me. If you wanna send me files, I will gladly take a look at them, and send you back what I can do with them. They are best sent over IM or email, depending on which you are most comfortable with. My IM details are on my profile, as is my Email. If you would like some idea of what i can do, please look at my profile.

Infinityplus1

12 years ago

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@ phyrexfirestorm

I'll send you the file through email. It should include a sketch and a folder of exterior and interior shots of buildings in the style I'm going for. The sketch is a 1st draft design of the kind of building I'm going for, but it's only a partial shot, and might include more details later. It has a lot of ivy and stuff on it, because I was trying to get a feel for the scene.

phyrexfirestorm

12 years ago

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@ Infinityplus1

Sounds awesome. Like my kind of place, to be honest. I will start on them a soon as I get them.

Infinityplus1

12 years ago

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@ phyrexfirestorm

Sending the files now.

phyrexfirestorm

12 years ago

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@ Infinityplus1

Aight. I will get started on them later today, after the gosling in my care is picked up by his new owner.

BulletSoup

12 years ago

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I don't have too much experience with drawing that sort of stuff, but contact Hardiman on FA if you want. He does artwork like that for a living, but I don't know if it's like "gothic" or anything. Meh, worth a shot if you want. His username there is Skunkworks.

DaddyDuckyBE

11 years, 12 months ago

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I've uploaded unofficial translations of the Belgian graphic novel series The Obscure Cities for you that is known for its constant obsession with grand architecture, backgrounds, scenery, all that stuff, and that thus can serve for refs and inspirations: http://www.share-online.biz/dl/LDGZM73MH9C

As the series is steampunk fantasy, most of the architecture is influenced by Victorian and art noveau architecture. Only the third volume, The Tower takes place in the ancient history of the Obscure World, and thus the design, architecture, and clothing of this volume show strong Medieval influences of time periods between the 10th and the 15th centuries, particularly Pre-Romanesque, Romanesque, Gothic, and early Renaissance art.

For more informations see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Cit%C3%A9s_obscures

Infinityplus1

11 years, 12 months ago

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@ DaddyDuckyBE

The site won't let me download it. Something about it being too large.

DaddyDuckyBE

11 years, 12 months ago

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@ Infinityplus1

That's strange. The ZIP file is 343MB, and the file size limit on share-online is 500MB. :/

DaddyDuckyBE

11 years, 12 months ago