Foreground, Midground,
Background By Neil Blevins Created On: Mar 15th 2021 When making 2d or 3d environments, or a figure in an
environment, having a solid
foreground, midground and background is key to leading the eye through
the frame, and to the focal point of the piece. This tutorial discusses
a
little bit about the different ways to go about lighting these
environments from a high level compositional perspective. Most lighting
schemes can be broken down into a few different types, and choosing the
right type can really change the feel of the image.
You have two choices with this lesson, watch me discuss the issue in
the video below, or read the full text.
The Basics
First off, if you haven't seen it yet, check out my Layers
Of Light And Dark tutorial, which discusses how to use light and
dark to create depth, to lead the eye, and to keep different layers
separate from each other.
This tutorial is going to focus on the different types of lighting scenarios most
commonly used. For the purpose of this tutorial, let's assume that the
focal point (subject) of your image is always in the midground. Here's
the three most common types I've noticed...
Dark Foreground, Light Mid, Lightest Background (Due To Fog)
Dark Foreground, Light Mid, Dark Background (Theater Spotlight
Lighting)
Dark Foreground, Dark Midground, Light Background (Great For
silhouetting)
Dark Foreground, Light Midground,
Lightest Background
This is the most common scenario in concept art. Stuff
closest to camera is dark, possibly just silhouettes. Stuff in the
Midground is light, and contains your subject. And stuff in the
background is the lightest.
A few notes about this lighting scheme...
One reason this scheme is the most common
is because it mimics most outdoor lighting situations, where
things get lighter due to Atmospheric
Haze.
The dark foreground elements and are used as a sort
of Platform For The Viewer.
The viewer will imagine themselves as part
of the black foreground area, looking out to the lit landscape, almost
like they're in a dark movie theater looking to the screen.
Another way to interpret these dark object close to camera is
like they're a picture frame to your painting. In fact, placing these
dark objects close to camera, especially if there's a figure in the
midground, is sometimes referred to as "Framing
The Character."
Another technique when
placing dark things really close to the camera is to Blur them a bit,
as though they're so close they're slightly out of focus, which will
help lead the eye to the subject in the midground.
Try and have Many Levels
of distant
objects. So don't just have a single mountain in the background that's
light, have 4 or five, each getting lighter and lighter.
If you don't want to place actual dark objects close to camera,
you can use the technique of a Vignette,
which involves softly
darkening to edge of the canvas to create that frame. Or you can use a
subtle vignette and foreground elements together. In the images below
the left one has no vignette (and no dark foreground), the right one
has a vignette.
Here's an example of using this scheme in concept art. Notice the same
dark close, light mid, lightest back from the photo of yosemite above.
Here's another one, notice the dark silhouetted foreground elements,
then the midground is the tower on the left, which is reasonably clear,
and then the furthest tower to the right, which is almost completely
obscured by fog. The foreground and background elements add depth
without taking focus away from the objects in the midground, since the
close stuff is dark and the far stuff is foggy.
Works on the inside as well, if you have a big cavernous space like
inside a giant factory...
Dark Foreground, Light Midground,
Dark Background
So for this type, imagine a spotlight illuminating the middle ground.
A few notes about this lighting scheme...
It will feel very Dramatic and
Theatric, because this is very similar to what you'd
get in a stage play, the audience (foreground) is dark, the rear of the
stage is dark, and the actors are in the midground illuminated with a
single spotlight.
Good for situations like Jungles
or Forests, since light creates these patches of illumination between
the canopy.
Good for inside broken
down Post Apocalyptic Buildings
where holes reveal shafts of light.
Also great for Stormy Skies.
Here's a shot from the Incredibles by Pixar. Note the plants close to
camera are dark, the tree behind the characters is dark, and there's a
spotlight through the tree canopy illuminating our two sleeping
figures. This is also a good example of how the background doesn't have
to be as dark as the foreground, just darker than the midground.
The Incredibles copyright Disney / Pixar
Dark Foreground, Dark Midground,
Light Backgrounds
This is almost like the first type, except the midground is also dark.
A few notes about this lighting scheme...
High Contrast, because
the subject matter in the midground is far darker than the background.
Silhouettes the focal
point
Sometimes referred to a Backlit
environment.
Great for creating Mystery,
since you can't quite make out the
detail in your focal point.
Top And Bottom
As a final note, as well as depth, you can also base
bright and dark on top and bottom of your frame. In fact, you can
combine then two.
So this image for example of yosemite is both dark foreground / light
mid / lightest background, AND its also Dark on the bottom and light on
the top.
This is a very normal way to place your light and dark, since for most
landscapes, the sky is usually the brightest thing, the land is the
darkest thing, and the land is always below the sky.
But you can also invert it, and have a dark top with a light bottom.
This will give you a more uneasy feeling, like you're in a cave, with
things being under lit, and there's this big oppressive thing hovering
over you, ready to fall and crush you...
ID4, Independence Day, copyright 20th Century Fox
Variations
Of course these 3 types are just the beginning. There are example of
different types like bright foreground, medium midground and dark
background. You can also do more than 3 distances, and have dark
against light against dark, against light against dark. Nothing wrong
with any of these, but the three types I mentioned are generally the
ones I tend to see the most. It's also possible to have an image that's
just midground and background with no foreground, you'd be limiting the
potential depth in the image, but it certainly can be done.
If you want to get really good at analyzing these sorts of images,
here's your final exam. Check out the website of Dylan Cole, he's a
concept artist and matte painter and the current co-production designer
of the Avatar sequels. And he's
amazing at creating these sorts of environmental images. Visit his
Avatar portfolio here: https://dylan-cole-j5dx.squarespace.com/avatar-1
and try and categorize all of the images on the page based on type 1,
type 2 or type 3. Some are hybrids,
and may fall into a couple of different categories, but many follow the
basic rules of one of these types.
Conclusion
So next time you need to light a scene, or paint an environmental
painting, start by choosing one of these 3 types, decide why that
particular type is best for the type of image you're trying to make,
and use it. I bet it will improve the final composition immensely.
