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I don't draw backgrounds as often as I should, and I'm having a lot of trouble figuring out what looks good. I know it needs a lot of work yet.
It's my first attempt at making a print to sell online, so I want to make sure everything is right before making such a huge first step (well, for me anyway. @_@ ).

Please critique the background only (minus the sky, I'm happy with how it is), and don't mind the people in the foreground.

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Tipsy Lunatic

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You probably could have used a reference for those electric poles.
They're positioned well, but I think they look a little off... Maybe they just need more detail.

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The Drunken Jester
You probably could have used a reference for those electric poles.
They're positioned well, but I think they look a little off... Maybe they just need more detail.

They do look very basic.. and I did use references! but there were so many different kinds I kinda just made up my own. Will look into more references for details, thanks.

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Maybe you should add some crows on the electrical power lines. I'm not sure if you noticed but those electric poles are super straight and it's not helping that they're going up and down the page. When I first saw it, my eyes just drifted off the page at the top. The crows would help balance the picture out and if you drew some flying around and sitting on top of the power lines.

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I think you could add just a little hint of the sky's orange into the shadow areas... I know they're a lil' closer to the characters, but maybe some atmospheric perspective like you have with the trees in the distance, onto those poles would make 'em a bit less distracting upon your characters.
And yeah, I'd reference some wooden power lines too. =3

High-functioning Dabbler

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I agree with everyone else, the poles just stick out far too much. Though perhaps that's what you want?

I think the best part of the image is the three people in the foreground, but with such bold dark lines in the background sticking out behind their bodies, I just can't focus on the detail done there or really stop looking at the power lines and noticing how bare they are.

From a photographic aspect, it might help focus on the foreground if you added texture/shadow to the poles so they fade a little bit more into the background and move them to the left or right of where they are now, so they are not sticking out of the head of the rightmost character. This will again, help create a sense of separation between the fore and backgrounds.

More again from a photographic aspect, it would help create a sense of scale if the left pole was placed further into the distance. The fact that you can see where the further pole (left) is placed in the ground makes the poles appear as if they are in the foreground and draws attention away from the people. If you placed the left pole further back, you would create a feeling of space and distance the left, thus making the laughing person stand out, while also drawing attention to the straightness in posture of the rightmost figure. Instead of right now, I mostly notice that the electric lines are really bare, the poles are really dark and block, and the left pole ends in between the shorts of the laughing person.

I like the clouds, I really wish there was more in the upper third of the background. Would also help make the bare electric lines stand out less.

Sparkly Star

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definitely choose a style of electric pole and stick with it. As a viewer who is familar with them, it bugs me that the wire is just attached right to some sort of beam

So are these wood or metal, telephone or utility/power?

Are they walking an old back road? Probably would want an old wood telephone pole. Notice that the wires dont just tack onto posts, they are carefully held it place and have insulators

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/telephone-poles-along-rural-route-pete-ryan.jpg

http://www.colinmulvany.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/telephone-polessaf.jpg

notice that in pictures they are completely silhouetted during a sunset

for how close they appear to be to the foreground characters, they are much too close to each other, with too much sagging wire

I used to date a lineman, so i am way too aware of all sorts of poles LOL

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Rishnea
definitely choose a style of electric pole and stick with it. As a viewer who is familar with them, it bugs me that the wire is just attached right to some sort of beam

So are these wood or metal, telephone or utility/power?

Are they walking an old back road? Probably would want an old wood telephone pole. Notice that the wires dont just tack onto posts, they are carefully held it place and have insulators

http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/telephone-poles-along-rural-route-pete-ryan.jpg

http://www.colinmulvany.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/telephone-polessaf.jpg

notice that in pictures they are completely silhouetted during a sunset

for how close they appear to be to the foreground characters, they are much too close to each other, with too much sagging wire

I used to date a lineman, so i am way too aware of all sorts of poles LOL

Wow, thank you. Part of my problem is that I don't know the first thing about telephone poles so I wasn't even sure where to start when I realized how many different kinds there are.

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ara_dragocaeles
I agree with everyone else, the poles just stick out far too much. Though perhaps that's what you want?

I think the best part of the image is the three people in the foreground, but with such bold dark lines in the background sticking out behind their bodies, I just can't focus on the detail done there or really stop looking at the power lines and noticing how bare they are.

From a photographic aspect, it might help focus on the foreground if you added texture/shadow to the poles so they fade a little bit more into the background and move them to the left or right of where they are now, so they are not sticking out of the head of the rightmost character. This will again, help create a sense of separation between the fore and backgrounds.

More again from a photographic aspect, it would help create a sense of scale if the left pole was placed further into the distance. The fact that you can see where the further pole (left) is placed in the ground makes the poles appear as if they are in the foreground and draws attention away from the people. If you placed the left pole further back, you would create a feeling of space and distance the left, thus making the laughing person stand out, while also drawing attention to the straightness in posture of the rightmost figure. Instead of right now, I mostly notice that the electric lines are really bare, the poles are really dark and block, and the left pole ends in between the shorts of the laughing person.

I like the clouds, I really wish there was more in the upper third of the background. Would also help make the bare electric lines stand out less.

Maybe I should just remove the poles? I thought it looked bare when I took them away, but if I extend the clouds like you suggested, and then perhaps shave some pixels from the top it could work.
Hmm, I have a few suggestions here I can try. looks like I have a lot of work to do yet.

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In my opinion, it would look fine with the poles omitted. They look kind of off, as in I know they are telephone poles but they don't REALLY look like telephone poles...

Also realistically, the poles look really close together which also makes the background a bit jarring to look at.
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