|
I never liked painting backgrounds as an abstract colour, because it places the subject in nowhere land. I seldom do it, instead I prefer to place even just a piece of cloth behind the model, so that there is a cast shadow that actually makes the painted person feel more real.
In choosing how to paint a background, not only the light should be taken in account, but also the colours and tone of the face and body.
If there is a strong lateral lighting, for example, a light against dark/ dark against light can be very pleasant to the eye. (background lighter then the shadowed part of the face, darker then the lit one).
Also the use of complementary can enhance the colour of the subject: shadows can feel warmer if propped against a cool background and viceversa.
A tonal or chromatic jump can make the subject pop forward without loosing connection with the background. The chromatic vibration between two colours pitched at the same chroma and tone is very beautiful!
I think solid colour backgrounds have great risk of cutout effect. Plain black for me doesn't do as much as a grey would for your painting.
A background needs to be alive to the edge of the canvas, even with subtle differences, and each bit of it must be important and thought about. Dismissing the background, thinking that whatever colour will do, is a typical beginner's mistake.
Dianne, the answer to your question : you apply it in the same way you apply paint in the figure. There is often, in paintings, a unity of measure, like for example the size of your brushes, or the size of a particular area of flat colour.
This unity of measure should come up again and again around the painting (see Cezanne's brushwork). So if you work- as you should- with brushes as big as possible, you can use the same big brushes to lay the background like a patchwork, comparing each area to the next one.
Easier said then done
Ilaria
|