Tutorial - Muted Backgrounds

Adding a toned or muted background, before colouring an image, can help to tone down the vibrancy of colours. This is particularly useful if you want an aged or vintage look.

Start by adding a background of light grey, warm if you want a warm tone to your project, and cool if you'd prefer cooler colours. Apply the ink in small, cross-hatched sections leaving lots of texture.

Apply some splotches of the same ink in various places around the background, trying to avoid the image if possible. You can either drop the ink from a height to create a splatter effect or apply it with a ball tool if you prefer a little more control.

Give the page a light spritz of clear alcohol for more texture.

Add some darker ink around the edges of the panel to give it an aged look.

Add a shadow beneath the image using darker shades of warm grey to help tie it in to the background and anchor the character to the environment (grounding).

Now colour the image as you would normally, disregarding all of the ink you placed in the background.

If you find a colour is too vibrant, simply add another layer or two of the greys you used in the background, which is what I did to tone down the red on the dwarf's shield.

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