Digital Background Painting for Animation
A course by Susan YungDesigner, Illustrator, and Background Painter for Animation
A course by Susan Yung, Designer, Illustrator, and Background Painter for Animation
Learn the entire process of creating digital background scenes for 2D animations in Photoshop
When it comes to animation, background painting has the power to enhance a story with meaning and breathe life into each scene through the use of shapes, color, and lighting. Background painter, illustrator, and designer Susan Yung has been passionate about animation since a little girl. And through perseverance and dedication, she turned her passion into her full-time job, working with animation studios such as Netflix, Green Portal Studios, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, and Cartoon Network.
Discover how to bring a background painting to life in Photoshop with Susan’s step-by-step creative process. Learn the basic theory behind color and lighting, see how to work with an efficient workflow, and explore Susan’s insider tips and tricks to use Photoshop like a professional. Are you ready to delve into background painting for animation?
What will you learn in this online course?
14 lessons & 19 downloads
Layers and Shortcuts
11 minutes, 52 seconds
Photoshop Brushes and Textures
8 minutes, 42 seconds
Grouping Your Composition
10 minutes, 30 seconds
Lighting Practice
9 minutes, 12 seconds
Let’s Add Some Color!
11 minutes, 19 seconds
Details
13 minutes, 7 seconds
What's included in this course?
Get to know Susan, learn about her love for animation, and how she found her place in the field. Explore the artists that inspire her and how they help with her creative process.
Learn about the principles of color and lighting for digital painting, see some basic theory, and understand how it applies to a scene. See how to organize your painting file like an expert and get Susan’s top tips and shortcuts to help with your painting process. Go through the brushes Susan uses and learn how to use them, before seeing how to add textures to your artwork.
Begin planning out your painting. Learn about shape grouping and train your eye to see simple shapes by looking at some examples. See how to break down a composition by using thumbnails to organize your color selection. Susan then shows you how to plan out your lighting scheme and shares some essential tips on how to create adjustment layers for faster results in Photoshop.
Time to get painting! Start with color blocking your base colors and then work on the details with Susan’s guidance. Bring it all together by adding the final lighting and seeing how to add a glow to your artwork. Complete the course with Susan’s final words of advice to make your background illustration pop.
Recommended software & tools for this course
What is this course's project?
Complete a professional background painting scene for animation production.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone interested in learning the skills needed to become a background painter in animation production.
Requirements and materials
To take this course, you will need to have a working knowledge of Photoshop.
As for materials, you will need a computer with Adobe Photoshop.
Reviews
- 20 days ago
creativo y practico
- 2 months ago
excellent teacher and course!
- 4 months ago
MUY BUENO , no abarca partes tecnicas como perspectivas o profundiza en el color pero muestra los procesos que usa ella en la creación de backgrounds , lo recomiendo para saber por donde empezar , es muy buen curso
- 6 months ago
very great course for beginners in background art!
- 6 months ago
nice
Through tons of passion and dedication, Susan got her first job as a background painter at Nickelodeon and hasn’t looked back since. She has worked on animation series for Netflix, Green Portal Studios (Solar Opposites for Hulu), Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, and Cartoon Network.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- What Will We Do in the Course?
- U2
Preparation: Color, Lighting, and Photoshop
- Principles of Color and Lighting 1
- Principles of Color and Lighting 2
- Layers and Shortcuts
- Photoshop Brushes and Textures
- Finding References
- U3
Let’s Plan!
- Grouping Your Composition
- Color Thumbnails
- Lighting Practice
- U4
Bringing It to Life!
- Let’s Add Some Color!
- Details
- Light It Up!
- FP
Final project
- Digital Background Painting for Animation
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FAQs
Yes, this course is ideal for intermediate artists looking to develop background painting skills specifically for animation, with a focus on color, lighting, and digital workflows.
You’ll need access to Photoshop or a similar digital painting program, a drawing tablet, and optionally gouache supplies for analog exercises. Basic familiarity with digital art tools is recommended.
You’ll learn how to create compelling animation backgrounds using color theory, lighting, shape language, digital painting techniques, texture creation, and portfolio preparation for animation studios.
Some prior experience with Photoshop is helpful, but the course covers essential tools, shortcuts, and layer organization to help you get started and work efficiently.
The course guides you through creating professional background paintings and teaches visual development techniques, helping you assemble a strong portfolio tailored for animation industry standards.
You’ll explore techniques for painting light, shadow, bounce lighting, atmospheric perspective, and using value to create depth and mood in both digital and traditional mediums.
Yes, the course covers digital painting in Photoshop and introduces traditional gouache and paper art techniques for environmental backgrounds.