Outlines and wihout outlines comparison

[isobellesophia]

Hello everyone, i was very very wondering about the background or the CG itself, i find it very confusing about what is better, and what is not.

I compared my background with outlines and without one, but when i choose to use outline, it makes kinda bit messy to look (just because of my messy drawing.), plus the thick of the brush i used to everytime i draw, but not backgrounds with the exception of my project.

Here are my example, sorry for the mess coloring, this is how i really color, it gets through outside the outline.

And after, i get to use without outlines, which is very clean, and no mess, i was kinda proud that i really make it through with no mistakes and it has a difference between my old background wih outlines, but the angles or the shape doesn't really matched up sometimes with real objects.

Like this for example.

And yes, i choose without outline, just like i said, its clean. So what do you guys think? Is it better to use outline bg or without one? You could share all of your opinions.

Thank you, and sorry for the bad english,

[Zelan]

I like the background with the outline the best. (: It may be "messy" but it also has a specific style that fits very well with your sprites.

[rainarium]

[...]sorry for the mess coloring, this is how i really color, it gets through outside the outline.

Messy drawing isn't a style, it's just messy. And it's not "kinda" messy either. It's good that you recognize it, but if you can fix it, improve it, make something in your art look better, it'd be in your best interest to do so. IMO coloring outside the lines is half-assed. I understand how hard it is to choose between lines and no lines and it's not that you're supposed to choose, but learning the pros and cons of both will provide art skills/techniques and better understanding of how and when to use them.

[...]the angles or the shape doesn't really matched up sometimes with real objects.

Referencing objects, environments, light, shadows etc. would make your backgrounds look more convincing and less messy. Your imagination can only take you so far, and I say this from experience.

This is just a guess, but it looks like you also draw with mouse considering the brush sizes and pressure? If you do, I won't say it's impossible to learn, but practicing on traditional would help you improve faster (assuming you don't have a drawing tablet either). On the other hand, if you do have a drawing tablet, then I can't see why someone wouldn't use pressure unless the tablet's some kind of knock-off brand or it's just not configured.

[...]Is it better to use outline bg or without one?[...]

For future comparison, using the same backgrounds with and without outlines would be better to judge. I'd say with outlines is slightly better because I can see where you're going with the forms and shapes. Perspective is also easier to see in the first pic compared to the second one. Using the second pic as an example, is the red part the floor, or paint on the wall? I can assume from the first pic that it's paint on the wall, but by itself it's confusing. Also the name plate is just a blob. You gotta define your shapes for clarity.

[isobellesophia]

Oh my, thanks for the long advice, for better fixing, maybe you are right ar one thing honestly, i never actually make a shadow thing feature, but i'll rather do it right away, and preventing from the confusing parts to be fixed. Aha thank you two to advice, i may be young to understand what art is.

[Zelan]

I have to say that I don't agree with rainarium. "Messy" definitely can be a style if it is done so purposefully. I think that your drawing is very pleasing to look at because the sprite and background fit together very well, with the dark outlines and bright colors. It might be "messy" but I can still clearly tell what everything is.

The choice is up to you if you want to keep the messy style or try a cleaner one. Both are valid styles to use. I personally like the messy style with the dark outline quite a lot.

[rainarium]

Imo, there should have a better understanding of the fundamentals before purposefully drawing messy. If it makes sense and properly communicates the amount of information you want to share, then fine. Art is all subjective, so do whatever you feel is best for you.