Background Art Tips?

[Allergic to Katta]

I've noticed a lot of really sierra-esque art done by people in this community.  I guess doing adventure background art is a skill I'd like to learn.  Do any background artists have some advice?

Do you create from scratch, pixel-by-pixel?  Do you use a tablet?  Do you sketch, scan and then edit?  How do you make the game art look like game art, and not drawn art?  I have some experience with sprites, but I'm really intrigued by doing worlds that look like classic sierra worlds.  

Please give me some tips if any of you have some time.

Thanks,
A2K

[Alliance]

Although I wouldn't call myself a "Sierra-styled' background artist, I do have a small bit of advice: Draw it on paper.

I like to be able to see all the tangible parts of my background. After drawing it, I scan it in, color it, texture it, and save it. Then I import it into AGS, and promptly run out of ideas.

Still, it's a very simple way to get things done, for me.

[Blackthorne519]

I usually start with a blank canvas in my art program, 320x200 - and I rough out the details. I'll often draw a "wire frame" version of what I'm going for. Then I add rough color to get an idea, and then I edit - section by section.

Then I send the art to a real artists, heh, who makes it look nice.

Here's an example from our upcoming SQ2.



Then colored by me.



And then, cleaned and finished by Fizzii, our lead background artist.



Of course, not everyone has a Fizzii in the wings to clean everything up. But you can see how she pixel edited, and worked from the original to create the final product.

One thing I can say about "Sierra" art is that putting objects in the extreme foreground really does wonders.

Bt

[oughtobe]

there was a pretty cool tutorial on of these sites in the adventure game making community, I can't remember where... does anybody know? it was called like, "Background Art (Tutorial)" and it was done with Sierra style backgrounds in mind and talked about how they do it too, anybody know of it or one like it?

[Corby]

I have a couple, though I should really do some new ones. Looking back, I think some of my methods are strange compared to the way I do it now. I would really suggest starting a canvas at 320 x 240 (or 200).
I have no idea why I used to start with 640x480....

Need any tips, just ask!

http://www.corbydesigns.com/forest
http://www.corbydesigns.com/lesson/tut.htm

[oughtobe]

I have a couple, though I should really do some new ones. Looking back, I think some of my methods are strange compared to the way I do it now. I would really suggest starting a canvas at 320 x 240 (or 200).
I have no idea why I used to start with 640x480....

Need any tips, just ask!

http://www.corbydesigns.com/forest
http://www.corbydesigns.com/lesson/tut.htm

thanks your tutorials are great, a big help... =)