ANIMATION ANARCHY: THE ART COLLEGE CRASH COURSELESSON 26 – HOW TO MAKE BACKGROUNDS THAT DON’T SUCK (OR, WHY YOUR SCENES LOOK LIKE LAZY CLIP ART)
ANIMATION ANARCHY: THE ART COLLEGE CRASH COURSE
LESSON 26 – HOW TO MAKE BACKGROUNDS THAT DON’T SUCK (OR, WHY YOUR SCENES LOOK LIKE LAZY CLIP ART)
(Or: How to Stop Making Backgrounds That Look Like You Forgot to Finish Them Before the Deadline.)
🔥 WELCOME BACK TO ANIMATION ANARCHY – THE ONLY ART SCHOOL THAT TEACHES YOU HOW TO NOT MAKE YOUR BACKGROUNDS LOOK LIKE GARBAGE.
🚨 FACT: No matter how good your character animation is, if your backgrounds suck, your whole animation will look amateur.
✅ Great backgrounds = Depth, atmosphere, storytelling.
❌ Bad backgrounds = Flat, lifeless, and look like they were drawn in Microsoft Paint in 2002.
🎭 Today, we’re fixing the #1 thing that makes indie animations look cheap: BAD BACKGROUNDS.
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🔥 WHY YOUR BACKGROUNDS LOOK TERRIBLE (AND HOW TO FIX THEM)
🚨 1. YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS A HOT MESS.
• Bad perspective = Floating objects, weird angles, and visual chaos.
• If you ignore perspective, your backgrounds will look flat and fake.
🛠️ THE FIX:
✅ Use a perspective grid (Seriously, stop eyeballing it—USE A GRID).
✅ 1-point, 2-point, and 3-point perspective exist for a reason—LEARN THEM.
✅ Objects get smaller as they go back in space. Stop making everything the same size.
🔥 EXAMPLE:
• Good perspective: Any well-drawn city street with depth.
• Bad perspective: That time you drew a table, but it looked like it was defying gravity.
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🚨 2. YOUR COLORS HAVE ZERO DEPTH.
• Beginner mistake: Making background colors too bright or too detailed, competing with the characters.
• Result? Your characters get lost in a chaotic mess.
🛠️ THE FIX:
✅ Use atmospheric perspective—things get lighter and less detailed as they go into the distance.
✅ Make your character pop by keeping background contrast lower than foreground contrast.
✅ Stop making everything hyper-detailed—let the background SUPPORT the scene, not distract from it.
🔥 EXAMPLE:
• Good background: Blurred, muted colors behind a character in focus.
• Bad background: A neon explosion of detail that makes your character disappear.
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🚨 3. YOUR COMPOSITION IS WEAK.
• A background should frame the character, not fight them for attention.
• If your backgrounds are too busy, they distract from the action.
🛠️ THE FIX:
✅ Use leading lines to guide the viewer’s eye toward the subject.
✅ Foreground, midground, and background layers add depth.
✅ If your character is centered, your background should frame them—not compete with them.
🔥 EXAMPLE:
• Good composition: A background that subtly directs attention to the main action.
• Bad composition: A cluttered mess where the viewer has no idea what to focus on.
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🚨 4. YOU’RE IGNORING LIGHTING & SHADOWS.
• Bad lighting = Flat, boring, lifeless backgrounds.
• Shadows exist for a reason—they ground objects and add dimension.
🛠️ THE FIX:
✅ Choose a light source and STICK TO IT.
✅ Use soft shadows for depth—hard shadows for drama.
✅ Objects cast shadows. Stop making everything look like it’s floating.
🔥 EXAMPLE:
• Good lighting: A sunset scene with warm highlights and soft shadows.
• Bad lighting: A room with no shadows where everything looks like a sticker.
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🚨 5. YOUR BACKGROUNDS HAVE NO STYLE OR CONSISTENCY.
• If your backgrounds don’t match your characters, your whole animation feels off.
• Backgrounds should complement the art style—not clash with it.
🛠️ THE FIX:
✅ Decide on a style BEFORE drawing. (Painted? Cel-shaded? Stylized?)
✅ Make sure your backgrounds and characters feel like they exist in the same world.
✅ Limit the level of detail to match your animation’s frame rate and style.
🔥 EXAMPLE:
• Good consistency: A 2D cartoon with flat-shaded backgrounds that fit the art style.
• Bad consistency: Hand-painted backgrounds with simple line-art characters that look copy-pasted.
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🔥 COMMON MISTAKES (AND HOW TO FIX THEM)
🚨 FAIL #1: “MY BACKGROUND FEELS FLAT.”
🛠️ FIX: Use overlapping layers and atmospheric perspective to add depth.
🚨 FAIL #2: “MY BACKGROUND LOOKS TOO BUSY.”
🛠️ FIX: Simplify details and make sure the character stands out.
🚨 FAIL #3: “MY LIGHTING MAKES NO SENSE.”
🛠️ FIX: Choose a single light source and follow its logic across the whole scene.
🚨 FAIL #4: “MY BACKGROUND LOOKS BLAND.”
🛠️ FIX: Use color theory to create contrast and emotion in the environment.
🚨 FAIL #5: “CAN I IGNORE PERSPECTIVE IF I WANT A STYLISED LOOK?”
🛠️ FIX: Yes, but do it intentionally. Even stylized backgrounds follow perspective rules.
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🔥 FINAL THOUGHTS: BAD BACKGROUNDS CAN KILL GOOD ANIMATION.
🎬 If your background sucks, your animation will look cheap—no matter how well you animate.
🚀 Fix your backgrounds, and your whole animation will instantly level up.
💀 Or keep making flat, ugly backgrounds. Your choice.
🔥 NEXT LESSON: HOW TO MASTER ANIMATION STAGING (OR, WHY YOUR SCENES LOOK LIKE A CHAOTIC MESS INSTEAD OF A CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE).
💬 COMMENT BELOW: What’s the worst background mistake you’ve ever made? (Yes, we all have one.)
🚨 SUBSCRIBE TO THE YOUTUBE CHANNEL 👉 https://www.youtube.com/@mrbraylabs
🔥 Animation Anarchy starts NOW. 🔥
