Art - Painting vs Background

The Scene
When painting a scene, the question should be asked -

      Is it to be an illustration of the scene ?  ,  or
      Is it to be a backdrop to some sort of action ?

For an illustration / painting -
      The aim is to produce a picture which is a snapshot of a moment in time,
      containing everything that you can see in the "frame" that surrounds it.
      This can become a painting to hang on a wall,
      or an illustration for a book, etc.

For a backdrop / background -
      The aim is to produce a setting in which action can take place.
      This can be artwork used as background for animation,
      or sets for stage productions, etc.

The Approach
These two areas, require 2 slightly different approaches.

For the illustration / painting -
      Everything that you see within your chosen "frame", is painted.
      The picture is static, there is no motion.

For the backdrop / background -
      Only paint those things which will not be involved in any action.
      (At this point, I'm not seperating background, middle ground or foreground)

      Leave out the things that will be involved in movement.
      These are incorporated later,
      either as animated figures, or actors in a play, etc.

Examples

This is a photo that I took of a ship,
moored off Mindil Beach, Darwin
(Northern Territory, Australia).
It may be one of the ex-pearl luggers
used for tourist sunset cruises around
the Bay.

This artwork is intended
to be a painting.
This is copied from the photo,
showing all the items
that are in the photo.

This artwork is intended
to be a background.
This is copied from the photo,
only showing the items
in the background,
leaving out the ship,
which I intend to animate
at a later date.







(c) Katherine Stuart 2013