Foreground and Background

In a picture, the foreground is the part closest to you and the background is the part farthest away.

Reading is good — doing is better. Practice Foreground and Background as an interactive lesson.

Definition

Every drawing or painting can be split into layers. The foreground is the area at the very front of your picture — things there look big and close. The background is the area at the very back of your picture — things there look small and far away. Together, these layers make your artwork look like it has depth, almost like you could walk right into it.

Remember the rule

BIG and LOW = foreground (close); SMALL and HIGH = background (far away).

Key words

Foreground: The front part of a picture where objects look big and close to the viewer
Background: The back part of a picture where objects look small and far away
Middle ground: The area in between the foreground and the background
Depth: The feeling that a picture has space going back, like it is not flat
Overlap: When one object is drawn on top of another to show which one is closer
Horizon line: The line where the sky seems to meet the ground in a picture
Viewer: The person who is looking at the artwork
Layer: One level of a picture, like the front layer or the back layer

Worked examples

You draw a tree that fills almost the whole paper and sits near the bottom edge. Is it in the foreground or background?

→ Foreground — it is big and near the bottom, so it looks close to you. · Objects in the foreground are usually tall or wide and touch the lower part of the paper.

You draw tiny mountains near the top of your paper. Are they in the foreground or background?

→ Background — they are small and high up on the paper, so they look far away. · Things that are far away look smaller and sit higher on the page.

You want to show a dog that is closer than a barn. How do you do it?

→ Draw the dog bigger than the barn and place the dog lower on the paper than the barn. · Size and position together tell the viewer which object is closer.

You draw a sun in the upper corner of your picture. Where is the sun — foreground or background?

→ Background — the sun is high up and behind everything else in the scene.

You draw a flower that overlaps a fence. Which one looks closer?

→ The flower looks closer because it is drawn on top of the fence, covering part of it. · Overlapping is a great trick to show which object is in front.

You are drawing a beach scene. Where would you put the big crashing wave — near the top or near the bottom of the paper?

→ Near the bottom of the paper, so it looks like it is in the foreground, right in front of the viewer.

Common mistakes

Drawing everything the same size, which makes the picture look flat with no depth
Putting far-away objects at the bottom of the page instead of near the top, which makes them look close instead of far
Making background objects bigger than foreground objects, which confuses the viewer about what is near and what is far
Forgetting the background altogether and leaving the top of the paper blank or empty
Coloring background objects with very bright, dark colors — far-away things usually look a little lighter and less detailed

FAQs

Does every picture have to have a background?

Not every picture, but adding a background makes your scene feel real and complete. Even a simple sky or green ground at the top and bottom of your paper counts as a background.

What if I want something in the middle — not too close and not too far?

That is called the middle ground! You can have three layers: foreground at the front, middle ground in the center, and background at the back. Put middle-ground objects in the middle of your paper and make them medium-sized.

Why do far-away things look smaller?

Because of the way our eyes work. The farther something is from you, the less space it takes up in your vision. Artists copy that same trick in their drawings to fool your brain into thinking the picture has real space.

Can a person be in the background?

Yes! If you draw a tiny person near the top of your paper, they look like they are far away and are part of the background. If you draw a big person near the bottom, they are in the foreground.

How do I remember which is which — foreground or background?

Think of the word: FORE means FRONT. Foreground equals front ground. Background equals back ground. Front is close and big; back is far and small.

Do colors change in the foreground and background?

Yes, artists often make background colors lighter and a little blurry to show distance. Foreground colors are usually brighter and more detailed because those objects are close to you.

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