Choosing a Background

white horse in pastel pencilsIt can be a difficult task choosing a background for your artwork, especially if you've done a fantastic job of the subject. You don't want to ruin the hard work you've put in."Do you decide before hand what you are going to do for the background?"There are two kinds of backgrounds:Subject of Head and ShouldersFor animal subjects or portrait subjects where it's mainly the head and shoulders, Colin recommends using a "diffused" background. One that is out of focus, makes the subject come forward and stand out. We'll move onto colours to choose in a moment.rhino in pastel pencilsComplete Animals or PeopleFor complete animal subjects or people you'll need a more detailed background like the one here on the right.Tip: The background always goes on last.Choosing ColoursA tip here is to look at the pencils you have used in the picture and use those colours in the background.

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Correcting Animal Eyes

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How do you define who is an amateur and who is a professional artist?