Painting in the background in landscapes is pretty simple. However, when drawing a still life or portraits, the background area is often a cause for concern. Painting in the backgrounds is a common problem. This article focuses on the use of gauze to give slightly textured background.
These background techniques are usually painted in front of the main part of the image.
How to draw a textured background using gauze
I like the background with the image to have a texture or subtle color. This has two advantages.
First, by breaking a flat background, the picture is more interesting.
Secondly, if you smear the main area of the picture, it is much easier to repair the background area. When the background has a flat color, the entire background should be painted. With a textured background, you can (often!) Touch some areas without redrawing the entire background.
Using Cheesecloth is easy
For an interesting background texture, you can use muslin or muslin. This method can also be effective with veil and lace fabrics. Try experimenting with any loose woven fabrics that you have.
Use fabric as a stencil
Start by spraying the surface with water and then put it on the fabric.
Then apply a brush or use a sponge to apply a thinned paint to the fabric. Try not to use too watery paint or it will work under it, and you will not get textures. If this happens, simply wipe off the entire paper towel and try again.
Let the paint dry for about 10-15 minutes (depending on conditions), and then remove the fabric before the paint is completely dry. The impression of the fabric will be left on a painted background.
Alternatively use fabric to impress.
Another way to use the fabric is to paint the background, and then press the fabric onto the painted surface for another look.
In this case, the fabric will absorb some of the dye, giving it thicker and thinner areas that provide some texture.
When I draw in the background
When I draw portraits of pets, I found the easiest thing to draw an animal figure, and then draw in the background. When using stretched canvas, I draw around at this stage too.
So, I can leave most portrait area unpainted. really textured the background will need a thick-painted portrait to cover it differently.
Then, by the end of the picture, I remove any background areas that need it, and finally draw a piece of fur over the background paint. They mixed both areas a bit and added the texture of pet hair.
This will work equally well with colors or other objects that are the main focus of your picture.
Abstract themes
These coloring techniques will work well for abstract paintings. However, in abstract images these methods can be used at any stage. They would be convenient to use after the whole picture was drawn to add additional interest. Then you can simply define several areas to move forward.
That is, draw a large part of the image, apply a texture, and then select several areas after the texture has dried. These highlighted areas would be a good place to use some acrylics to get either a glossy finish or sometimes metallic highlights.
Hope you find this useful. There is no right way to draw, just different ideas to achieve the desired look.
