• 80 backgrounds
  • Checked October 2026

Comic Background Ideas

Three backgrounds per press for your comic panels, each with the moment it suits and how to draw it.

Comic Background Ideas

Show all 80
  1. A plank fence with one gapFor a garden or a back lane. Even uprights, one missing, and whatever lies beyond seen through the gap.
  2. A window frame with a cross barSays indoors and gives the light a direction. A curtain line on one side tells day from night.
  3. A sign or nameplate that fills the whole panelThe fastest establishing shot. 'Library', a ship's name or a door plaque sets the place in one panel.

Next step Practice the perspective for itRooms and streets drawn in full

All 80 backgrounds

Establishing shots 20

  • A castle on a rock with the road winding up to it Opens a quest. The road leads the eye, and a speck on it is your cast, so the reader feels the walk ahead.
  • A corner shop at dawn with the shutter half up Opens a morning scene. A long shadow, a stack of crates and one figure give the hour with no caption.
  • A desert road with one signpost Opens a scene far from anywhere. A flat horizon, wobbly heat lines, and the sign as the only upright.
  • A farm gate with striped fields behind it Opens a country scene. The gate sits large in front and the furrows run to one point on the horizon.
  • A forest edge with a path going in Opens a scene of leaving safety. Pale trunks in front, dark ones behind, and the path lost between them.
  • A front door with shoes left outside it A close establishing shot. The number of pairs and their sizes tell the reader who is home.
  • A harbor at low tide with boats leaning on the mud Opens a slow, waiting scene. Slack ropes and tilted masts say that nothing is leaving today.
  • A house on a hill with one lit window Opens a night scene at home. Small house, big dark sky, and the lit window is where the next panel goes.
  • A market square at noon, all awnings and heads Opens a busy scene. Draw the crowd as ovals and hats, then one full figure so the reader finds the lead.
  • A mountain hut under snow with smoke from the chimney Opens a winter scene. Smoke means someone is in. Draw the snow by leaving the paper white.
  • A school front with a clock over the door Opens a school scene and gives the hour for free. Tiny figures on the steps show how big the building is.
  • A ship drawn very small under a very large sky Opens a voyage and shows how alone the crew is. Put the horizon low and leave two thirds of the panel empty.
  • A sign or nameplate that fills the whole panel The fastest establishing shot. 'Library', a ship's name or a door plaque sets the place in one panel.
  • A skyline of gray blocks with one rooftop drawn in full Opens a city scene. Keep the blocks flat, then give one roof its water tank and railings: the action is there.
  • A spaceship beside the curve of a planet Opens a space scene. One arc for the planet, a small ship for scale, a black fill and pinprick stars.
  • A stage seen from the back row of an empty hall Opens a scene of nerves before a show. Rows of seat backs shrink toward one small lit rectangle.
  • A train on a bridge, seen from the river below Opens a journey. The low angle makes the bridge huge, and a trail of steam shows which way the train goes.
  • A village from above, roofs like scattered tiles Opens a small-town scene. A bird's-eye view shows who lives near whom before anyone speaks.
  • An apartment block at night with a scatter of lit windows Opens a city night. Rule the grid, fill most squares black, and keep one lit window for your character.
  • The same building twice, by day and then by night Two small panels that say time has passed. Keep every line and change only the sky and the windows.

Speed and impact lines 20

  • A crown of spray from a splash For a dive or a puddle jump. Droplets fan upward, large near the surface and small at the top.
  • A dashed trail behind a thrown object For a ball or a paper plane. The dashes show the whole route, loops included, back to the thrower.
  • A jagged burst around the point of a hit For a ball on a bat or a slammed door. Spikes of uneven length, with the point of contact left white.
  • A loose coil behind a spin For a twirl, a tumble or a dizzy turn. One spiral behind the figure, tightening toward its middle.
  • A narrow panel of nothing but streaks A beat between two actions. No figure at all, only speed, so the panel after it lands harder.
  • A sharp room with a smear running through it For something too fast to see. Draw the room properly and the runner as a streak with one clear shoe.
  • Curved arcs that trace a swing For a bat, a tail or a thrown arm. Two or three arcs follow the path, thickest where the move ends.
  • Doubled outlines on something that just stopped For a slammed brake or a struck gong. Short echo lines on both sides show it is still shaking.
  • Dust puffs at the heels For a fast start or a skid. Small clouds on the ground line, biggest at the foot, with a few specks of grit.
  • Ghost outlines of a moving hand For waving, shaking or fast work. Repeat the outline three times along the path, each one lighter.
  • Level streaks behind a runner Rule them along the direction of travel, never across it. Long strokes near the figure, shorter as they trail.
  • Lines closing in on a startled face For a sudden realization. Rule from the panel edges toward the face and stop short, leaving it in a clear oval.
  • One fat zigzag splitting the panel For a clap of thunder or a sudden shout. The zigzag divides the background into a light half and a dark half.
  • Rings spreading from a heavy landing For a jump down or a giant's step. Flattened circles on the ground, with dust at the outer edge.
  • Scenery smeared into bands behind a sharp rider For a bike or a train ride. Pull the background into level bands and keep the rider crisp.
  • Shards flying out from a break For a dropped plate or a burst balloon. Every piece points away from the middle with a short streak behind it.
  • Streaks that replace the whole background For a sprint or a chase. Drop the room, rule the panel edge to edge and leave a white halo around the figure.
  • Streaks that tilt the whole panel For a swerve or a stumble. Slant every line and the horizon the same way, and the reader leans with it.
  • Upright streaks beside a jump or a fall Lines run the way the figure travels: straight up beside a leap, straight down beside a drop.
  • Wind streaks with leaves caught in them For a gust or a door flung open. Long gentle curves with three or four leaves or papers riding them.

Mood fills 20

  • A scribbled storm cloud over the head For a sulk. A dark knot of loops above the hair, with the rest of the panel left plain.
  • Black spikes pointing in from every edge For feeling cornered. Sharp triangles aim at the figure and stop just short of touching.
  • Cracks spreading out from behind the figure For a heart sinking or a plan failing. Jagged lines branch outward on black, like broken glass.
  • Crosshatching that darkens toward one corner For worry. Build three layers of hatching in the corner behind the head and fade to white in front.
  • Dots that fade upward behind a quiet smile For a gentle moment. Large dots at the bottom shrink to none at the top, as a sheet of screentone would.
  • Flat flames licking up behind the shoulders For temper or fierce resolve. Tongue shapes with no shading rise from the bottom edge, tallest in the middle.
  • Flowers blooming in the corners For a kind or proud moment. Three or four simple blooms and a few loose petals, kept to the panel's edges.
  • Gray tone with one clean circle around the figure For feeling singled out. Shade the whole panel evenly and leave a white ring where the figure stands.
  • Heavy lines hanging from the top edge For gloom or dread. Rule them close together above the head and let them thin out by the shoulders.
  • Music notes on a wavy ribbon of lines For a good mood or a song in the head. Five loose lines cross the panel with notes riding them.
  • Nothing at all behind the figure For a pause or a blank mind. Leaving the background out is a choice, so leave the panel border off too.
  • Petals or leaves falling across a wide panel For a goodbye or time passing. Scatter them along one diagonal and let one overlap the border.
  • Question marks at three sizes For puzzlement. A few large and more small, tilted different ways, and none touching the face.
  • Rays opening out behind a triumphant pose For a win or a big entrance. Thin lines start behind the head and widen to the border, left unfilled.
  • Small drops sliding down the panel For embarrassment or nerves. Teardrop shapes in loose columns, with one large drop beside the head.
  • Soap bubbles drifting upward For a daydream. Circles of mixed sizes, each with a small window highlight, rising out of the panel.
  • Solid black behind a shocked face For bad news. Fill the whole panel and let the face and one hand float in it with no floor.
  • Sparkles around a delighted face For joy or admiration. Four-point stars at three sizes, thickest near the eyes and none across the face.
  • White specks on a dark fill For loneliness or a cold silence. Even specks like snow, with a small figure low in the panel.
  • Wobbly spirals at different sizes For confusion. Loose coils fill the space, and the figure tilts a little off upright.

Simple rooms and streets 20

  • A blackboard edge and two desk tops For a classroom. A dark band across the top, two tilted rectangles at the bottom, figures between.
  • A brick wall in a few staggered dashes For an alley or a yard. Draw six or seven bricks, not all of them, and let the eye finish the wall.
  • A bus stop pole and a bench For a wait. The pole frames one side, the bench sets the ground, and the road is a single line.
  • A counter with a cash register and a jar For any shop or cafe. A band across the lower third, the seller behind it and the buyer in front.
  • A curb line and a lamp post The least a street needs. One level line, one upright with a hook, and a drain cover as an oval.
  • A door and a light switch Enough for a talk in a hallway. The door's height also keeps your characters the same size in every panel.
  • A doorway seen from inside, the street left white For an arrival. Dark walls on both sides, a blank opening, and the newcomer as a silhouette.
  • A headboard and a slanted patch of window light For a bedroom at night. A rectangle on the wall, a pale shape on the floor, and the rest dark.
  • A park path with one tree and a trash can For a walk and a talk. Two curving lines for the path, a trunk at the panel's edge and a trash can for scale.
  • A plank fence with one gap For a garden or a back lane. Even uprights, one missing, and whatever lies beyond seen through the gap.
  • A shop door with a bell and a hanging sign For coming and going. A rectangle, a small arc for the bell and a sign: redraw it open or shut.
  • A table edge and a hanging lamp For a kitchen or a dinner. One line for the table, a cone on a cord above it, and plates as ovals.
  • A window frame with a cross bar Says indoors and gives the light a direction. A curtain line on one side tells day from night.
  • The back of a sofa as a horizon For a living room. One long rounded rectangle across the panel, with heads and shoulders above it.
  • The corner where two walls meet the floor Three lines from one point make a whole room. Set the corner off-center so the figures have space.
  • One floor line and a baseboard The least a room needs. A level line a third of the way up and a second just above it, in every panel.
  • One rounded window and the top of a seat For a ride. Streaks behind the glass and a seat back are all the bus, car or train a panel needs.
  • One shelf line with book spines For a library, a shop or a study. A long shelf of uneven uprights behind the heads says the rest.
  • Roof peaks along the bottom edge For a rooftop scene or a view over town. Triangles and chimneys sit low, with all the sky above.
  • Stairs as a zigzag up one side For a talk on the stairs. A sawtooth line and a rail put one character higher with no perspective.

How it works

These comic background ideas are things to draw behind the figures, sorted by the job a background does in a panel.

Read the full guide

Open the scene with an establishing shot

An establishing shot is a wide view that opens a scene and shows the reader the place, and sometimes the time. Keep the figures small in it, or leave them out: the place is the subject.

When to leave the room out

A mood fill replaces the room for one panel: black behind a shock, flowers behind a proud moment. The reader already knows where the scene is, so the space behind a face is free to show a feeling. Bring the room back in the next panel.

  • Ink the background with a thinner line than the figures, so the figures read first.
  • Reuse one simple room down a whole page. The same floor line and door make six panels one place.

Questions and answers

What do you draw in the background of a comic?

What the panel needs and no more. A new scene needs a place, a fast action needs speed lines, a strong feeling needs a mood fill, and a conversation needs a floor line and one piece of furniture.

Does every comic panel need a background?

No. Show the place when a scene starts and again when it changes. The panels between can carry a few lines of the room, a flat tone or plain white, as long as the reader never loses track of where everyone is.

What are easy comic backgrounds to draw?

Choose Simple rooms and streets. Each is a few lines: a curb and a lamp post make a street, a floor line and a baseboard make a room, and three lines meeting at one point make a corner.

What are speed lines in a comic?

Lines drawn behind a moving person or object, parallel to the direction it travels, so that it looks fast. They are also called motion lines or action lines. The Speed and impact lines group puts them behind a runner, a swing and a jump.

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