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Background Drawing Ideas for Characters, Portraits and Objects

Deal one setting, a colour block, a hallway or a rainy street, with the steps to build it and where the figure goes.

Background Drawing Ideas for Characters, Portraits and Objects

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  1. A classroom seen from the back rowDesk tops are flattened boxes shrinking towards the board. The board and the clock sit square on the far wall.

Next step Deal a person to put in that room

All 100 ideas

Simple and graphic 20

  • A chequerboard floor running to a back wall Rule the tile edges to one vanishing point, then space the cross lines closer and closer as they go back.
  • A circle of flat colour behind the head Set the circle off-centre so the head overlaps its edge. One colour, no outline, and the figure breaks out at one side.
  • A colour block split on the diagonal One ruled diagonal, two flat colours. Put the darker colour behind the lighter side of the figure for contrast.
  • A comic panel the figure steps out of Rule a box behind the figure and let one arm and one foot cross its border. Fill the box with a flat tone.
  • A dark vignette closing in from the corners Shade the four corners darkest and fade towards the middle, leaving a soft pale oval behind the subject.
  • A drop shadow that lifts a cut-out off the page Trace the outline again, shifted down and right by a few millimetres, and fill only the sliver that shows.
  • A glow spreading behind a black silhouette Leave a white centre behind the figure and darken outward in rings. Fill the figure itself solid black.
  • A horizon line and nothing else One ruled line a third of the way up. Feet below it and head above it, and the figure is standing in a space.
  • A plain wall with one long cast shadow One level line for the floor. Throw the figure's shadow up the wall, stretched and leaning away from the light.
  • A spotlight pool on a dark stage floor An ellipse of light under the feet, a soft cone rising from it, and everything outside the cone filled dark.
  • A starburst label shape behind an object Draw two circles, one inside the other, mark sixteen points round each, and zigzag between the outer and inner marks.
  • A sunburst of alternating rays From a point low behind the subject, rule an even fan of wedges out to the edges. Fill every second wedge.
  • A torn strip of paper across a plain ground Draw two ragged, roughly parallel edges and a thin shadow under the lower one. The figure stands in front of the strip.
  • A two-colour gradient fading top to bottom Dark at the top, light behind the feet. Blend in overlapping bands and keep the change smoothest behind the face.
  • Ben-Day dots behind a shouting figure Unlike halftone, Ben-Day dots stay one size and one spacing. Grid them in one colour and leave a jagged burst clear.
  • Blurred discs of out-of-focus light Photographers call it bokeh, from a Japanese word for blur. Overlap soft discs in three sizes, palest where they cross.
  • Falling confetti at three sizes Scatter small rectangles, some edge-on as lines. Draw the near ones larger and let two overlap the figure.
  • Halftone dots that shrink across the page Halftone fakes a gradient with dots that change size. Dot a diagonal grid, fat at one corner, pinpricks at the other.
  • Speed lines bursting from one point Mark a point behind the figure and rule lines from the page edge towards it, stopping short. Vary lengths and gaps.
  • Window light falling on a wall as a slanted grid Draw a leaning parallelogram on the wall, divide it with bars to match the frame, and leave it paler than the wall.

Rooms 20

  • A bathroom wall of square tiles Rule the grid lightly and leave some lines broken. One mirror rectangle with a slanted highlight does the rest.
  • A bedroom corner with a poster and a shelf Three lines meeting at a point make the corner. Add one rectangle on each wall and keep the floor line behind the knees.
  • A cafe table by a steamed-up window The round table is an ellipse. Behind it, drips run down the glass and the street beyond stays a few blurred shapes.
  • A classroom seen from the back row Desk tops are flattened boxes shrinking towards the board. The board and the clock sit square on the far wall.
  • A curtain pulled half across a window Draw the folds as long S-curves, gathered tighter at the tie. Leave the glass white so a figure reads against it.
  • A fridge door covered in magnets and drawings A tall rectangle with rounded corners and a handle. Tilt every note and drawing at a slightly different angle.
  • A greenhouse with glazing bars overhead Rule the roof bars to a vanishing point, then let leaves overlap them. Plants go dark against glass left pale.
  • A hallway of doors with one ajar One-point perspective. Doors narrow with distance, and the open one throws a wedge of light across the floor.
  • A kitchen counter under a window Counter line at hip height, window above it, cupboards either side. Draw tiles only in a patch behind the taps.
  • A laundrette's row of round machine doors Repeat a square with a circle inside along a counter line. Squash the circles into ellipses as the row moves away.
  • A library aisle narrowing to a far window One vanishing point at eye level. Rule shelf tops and bottoms to it, then hatch the spines in blocks, never one by one.
  • A museum wall with frames hung edge to edge Pack frames of different sizes round one large one. Hint at each picture with a single tone and no detail.
  • A sofa end and a floor lamp Crop the sofa at the page edge so only one arm shows. The lamp's cone of light gives the figure somewhere to stand.
  • A spiral stairwell, looking straight down the middle Wedge-shaped treads fan round a centre post. Make each turn of the spiral smaller and darker than the one above it.
  • A staircase climbing out of frame Draw the sloping side first, then cut equal steps into it. Each tread is a thin box, and the rail follows the slope.
  • A theatre stage with curtains and footlights Heavy swags in the top corners, floorboards running to the back, and a row of half-circles along the front edge.
  • A train carriage with seats either side of the aisle Seat backs repeat down both sides to one vanishing point. Windows are rounded rectangles with a smeared view.
  • A window seat with rain on the glass Frame, sill and cushion in straight lines. Rain is short slanted strokes on the glass plus a few long drips.
  • A workshop pegboard hung with tools Dot a grid first, then hang tool silhouettes from it. Paint an outline on the board where each tool belongs.
  • An attic with sloping beams and one skylight The ceiling is two tilted planes meeting at a ridge. Repeat the beams at gaps that close up towards the far gable.

Streets and city 20

  • A brick wall with a poster peeling at one corner Rule the courses, then stagger the upright joints by half a brick. Draw bricks in patches and let the rest fade out.
  • A bridge's girders framing the far bank Repeat X-braced panels in perspective down both sides. The far bank is a pale strip seen through the gaps.
  • A bus shelter with a timetable A thin-framed box with a glass back, a bench and a pole sign. Reflect a passing bus in the glass as one streak.
  • A chain-link fence in front of a car park Cross two sets of diagonals into diamonds and thicken the posts. Whatever lies behind stays pale and simple.
  • A city street seen from a rooftop, straight down Roofs are rectangles with their walls flaring outward. Cars are rounded bars, and people are dots with long shadows.
  • A fire escape zigzagging up a wall Stack a platform at each floor and join them with ladders that alternate direction. Repeat it as a shadow on the brick.
  • A garage door with one big sprayed scribble Wide level panels with a handle low down, and one looping line running across three of the panels.
  • A market stall under a canvas roof A sagging canvas on four poles, crates tilted forward to show what is in them, and a string of bulbs overhead.
  • A narrow alley strung with washing Two tall walls close together and the sky a thin strip. Hang lines across at different heights, the shirts shrinking.
  • A petrol station canopy at night A flat slab roof on two columns, lit from underneath. Everything outside the pool of light is nearly black.
  • A railway platform with a yellow line Platform edge, yellow line and rails all run to one point. The canopy posts repeat, closing up with distance.
  • A rainy pavement reflecting neon signs Draw the signs, then repeat each one below the kerb as a stretched, broken streak. Ripples cut across the streaks.
  • A row of shopfronts with striped awnings A long base line, then boxes of different widths. Each gets a window, a door, a sign band and a sloping awning.
  • A shuttered shop with a hand-painted sign Close level lines for the roller shutter, a box above it for the lettering, and a padlock at the bottom edge.
  • A skyline of flat silhouettes at dusk Three layers of rooftops, the nearest darkest. Dot a few lit windows and keep the sky a smooth gradient.
  • A street running to one vanishing point Parallel edges appear to meet at a vanishing point. Run kerbs, rooflines and window rows to it. Uprights stay upright.
  • A zebra crossing seen from kerb height The stripes are wedges narrowing towards the far kerb. Add a drain cover in the gutter for scale.
  • An empty bench in a street lamp's cone of light The bench is three slats and two ends, the lamp a pole with a cone of light. The cone is the only pale area.
  • An underpass with a tiled wall and one strip light A low arch, a tile grid running to a vanishing point, and one pool of light on the floor beneath the lamp.
  • Telephone wires crossing an empty sky Two poles with wires sagging between them in shallow curves, and a few birds as blobs. Leave the rest as sky.

Nature and sky 20

  • A beach reduced to three bands Sky, sea, sand. Make the sea darkest along the horizon and drop a broken reflection of the figure onto the wet sand.
  • A cave mouth seen from inside The cave is a dark ragged frame round a bright view. Keep the figure in silhouette on the threshold.
  • A cliff edge with the sea far below A dark overhanging wedge for the cliff, a high horizon, and wave lines that shrink to dashes as they near it.
  • A cloud bank with flat bottoms Give each cloud a level base and a heaped top. Make them smaller and closer together towards the horizon.
  • A field of sunflowers all facing one way Draw five big heads in front, then shrink them fast. By the back rows they are dots in lines running to the horizon.
  • A forest of trunks with no tops Crop the trunks at the top edge. Thick and dark in front, thin and pale behind, and a few tufts for the ground.
  • A garden wall topped with ivy A few courses of stone, then ivy as clustered heart shapes spilling over the top and hanging down in trails.
  • A night sky with a crescent moon and thin cloud Fill dark round the moon and stars, leaving them as bare paper. Drag a rubber across the dark for the cloud.
  • A pond surface with lily pads and ripple rings Pads are ellipses with a notch, flatter the further back they float. Add two sets of rings, also as ellipses.
  • A starry sky with one shooting star Dot the stars unevenly, a few bigger than the rest. The meteor is one ruled stroke that fades along its tail.
  • A sunset of stacked level bands Widest band at the top, narrowest at the horizon, and a half-disc sun sitting on the line. The figure is a silhouette.
  • A waterfall dropping behind the subject Leave the water as white paper with a few upright strokes. Rocks either side go dark, and mist blurs the base.
  • A wood floor deep in autumn leaves Draw a dozen clear leaves at the front, then let them turn into zigzag texture further back.
  • Desert dunes with wind ripples Each dune is an S-curve crest with one side shaded. Draw ripple lines on the lit side only, following the slope.
  • Falling snow against a dark fir wood Tone the whole background first. Then lift the flakes out with a rubber or dot them in white, largest in front.
  • Rain in slanted lines with splashes below Rule every streak at one angle, broken and uneven. Add little crowns on the ground where the drops land.
  • Sunbeams slanting through a canopy Rule pale shafts at one angle from gaps in the leaves. Everything inside a shaft is lighter, even the trunks.
  • Tall grass across the bottom third Flick each blade from the root upward, leaning two ways. Let a few blades cross in front of the figure's ankles.
  • Three ranges of hills, each paler than the last Distant things lose contrast and drift towards the sky's colour. Overlap three wavy bands, the nearest darkest.
  • Underwater light rays and rising bubbles Pale shafts fan down from the surface. Bubbles rise in wobbling columns and grow larger near the top.

Patterns 20

  • A chevron zigzag in two colours Rule guidelines, mark peaks and valleys at even steps and join them. Repeat the zigzag below and fill alternate bands.
  • A map's contour lines in nested loops On a map, close contours mean a steep slope. Nest wobbly loops and bunch them together on one side of each hill.
  • A plaid of crossing bands Wide bands both ways in one tone, thin lines between them, and a darker square wherever two wide bands cross.
  • A tessellation cut from a square Cut a shape from one side of a square and add it to the opposite side. The new tile repeats with no gaps at all.
  • Eight-point stars with crosses between Lay one square over another at 45 degrees to make each star. Set the stars in a grid and the gaps become crosses.
  • Graph paper with a few squares filled Rule a fine square grid and fill a handful of squares as a pixel motif. Let the grid fade out towards one edge.
  • Herringbone blocks climbing the wall Named after a herring's bones. Columns of short slanted blocks, each column leaning the opposite way to its neighbour.
  • Hexagon tiles packed like honeycomb Start with rows of offset circles, then straighten each one into six sides. Every tile shares all of its edges.
  • Houndstooth checks in black and white A two-colour broken check. Start from a chequerboard, then add slanted teeth that link each dark square to the next.
  • Overlapping wave arcs stacked like fish scales Draw a row of nested half-circles, then offset the next row by half so each arc sits over the join below it.
  • Polka dots on a half-drop grid Dot every crossing of a light grid, then shift each second row along by half a space so the dots nest.
  • Quarter-circle fans stacked in rows Each fan is a quarter circle with ribs radiating from its corner. Thick outline, thin ribs, rows offset by half.
  • Rounded rectangles laid like bricks Rows of soft-cornered blocks, each row shifted along by half a block. Leave an even gap all the way round.
  • Seven overlapping circles, repeated outward With a compass, draw one circle, then six more centred on its edge at the same radius. Petals appear where they cross.
  • Squiggles, triangles and dots scattered evenly Draw the big shapes first at even spacing, each turned a different way, then fill the gaps with dots and dashes.
  • Stars scattered at three sizes Draw the few biggest first, fill the gaps with middling ones, and finish with dots. Turn each star a little.
  • Terrazzo chips on a pale ground Real terrazzo is chips of marble, quartz or glass set in a binder. Scatter angular chips in three sizes, none touching.
  • Tropical leaves overlapping with no gaps Draw the biggest leaves first, then tuck smaller ones behind them. Leave the splits in the big leaves open.
  • Wide awning stripes, slightly rippled Rule uprights at even gaps and fill every second one. Bend all the stripes together where the cloth would fold.
  • Wood grain with two knots Long lines running one way that swerve round each knot like water round a stone, then settle back to straight.

How it works

These background drawing ideas are for the moment a finished figure is left floating on white paper. Each of the 100 names one setting, and its hint gives the steps in order and says where the figure goes. Easy means fast and hard means detailed, and a group combines with a level.

Read the full guide

Decide how much the background should say

A background has one job, which is to make the figure read. If the drawing is about the character, deal from Simple and graphic. A circle of flat colour behind the head takes two minutes and still anchors the figure. If it is about where the character is, Rooms and Streets and city double as scene drawing ideas, with a floor line and a light source. Keep the setting paler and softer than the figure.

Five groups of 20, from fast to detailed

Simple and graphic, Rooms, Streets and city, Nature and sky, and Patterns hold 20 ideas each. The 40 easy ones are fast, a few ruled lines and a fill, such as A sunset of stacked level bands. The 14 hard ones lean on one-point perspective, such as A library aisle narrowing to a far window. Press until one suits your figure, then press Copy to keep it.

  • Draw the floor line first. Set it behind the knees or the waist, never level with the head or the feet.
  • Let the figure overlap the setting in at least two places. Overlap pushes one thing behind another.
  • Squint at the page. If the figure vanishes, lighten the background behind its dark side and darken it behind its light side.

Questions and answers

Should I draw the background or the figure first?

Plan both together, then finish the figure first. Sketch the figure lightly, mark the horizon at the eye level you want, and rough in the big background shapes. Once the figure is done, work the setting up to its outline and stop the detail a little short, leaving a thin quiet gap round it.

Do these work as background painting ideas?

Most do. The gradient, the sunset bands, the three ranges of hills and the vignette are easier in paint than in pencil, because a wet wash blends itself. Paint the background first and let it dry before the figure goes on top.

How do I make a background sit further back?

Three things push a setting back: paler tone, softer edges and less detail. Keep your darkest pencil for the figure, and let each step into the distance get lighter, as the three ranges of hills do. Anything that only touches the figure's outline, without passing behind it, flattens the space.

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