Three Background Designers share how the language of color and light brings locations and settings to life.
Natalie Arenzon
Kiff, Titmouse Animation
Tell us briefly about your animation career.
After graduating from a liberal arts college where I majored in film studies, I managed to land my first gig designing and painting backgrounds for the pilot ofPrimosat Disney TVA when it was still in development. I went on to work as a Background Painter on Netflix’sCarol & The End of the World, and most recently have been painting backgrounds at Titmouse onKiff. I didn’t initially plan on having a career in animation when I was in school, but now I can’t imagine myself anywhere else.
How would you describe your job?
I often joke with other painters on my team that we have the “fun, coloring book job,” but I think it’s a pretty apt description of what we do. We receive beautiful designs from our amazing background design team, and then we get the pleasure of painting them. It can involve making different color iterations of a background if we’re exploring a location for the first time, as well as ensuring that the characters will stand apart from the background while keeping the palette cohesive. Often, our job also requires us to be able to shift the local color or day palette of an existing background to a different light setting—this always ends up being a great exercise in demonstrating just how much colors change depending on the light source.
What are the biggest challenges of your job?
One of the biggest challenges I’ve been facing recently is learning how to really push my detailing and rendering. That last 5 percent once you’ve already flatted all the colors can really make the difference between a good piece and a great piece—this is something I only noticed by observing other Background Painters on my team and learning from their process.
What are the best parts about being a Background Painter?
Fundamentally, I think it’s getting to work with color and treating it like its own language. Even with only a few years under my belt, I feel so much more fluent with color than when I first started. It’s really comforting to feel confidence and control in the when, where, how, and why of introducing a specific color or palette into a piece—it’s a very unique sense of satisfaction.
Do you have any advice for aspiring Background Painters?
Practice your understanding of lighting and color interaction through photo studies, observe and learn from artists you like, and absolutely learn from your peers. On a broader level, be deliberate about what you want to work on, but be open to every opportunity that comes your way. Don’t be afraid of venturing into other departments or fields if you’re given an opportunity—you will always gain something from it.
Vivien Wu
Baby Shark’s Big Show!, Nickelodeon
Tell us briefly about your animation career.
I went to ArtCenter College of Design for Illustration with a minor in Entertainment Arts. After graduating, I was illustrating children’s books when I received a test for theUnikitty!TV series. I’ve always loved animation, and although I had no previous show experience, the Art Director trusted my color sense. I learned a lot from that role and have been doing background painting alongside illustration ever since.
How would you describe your job?
My role is to paint the scenes drawn by our Layout and Background Designers. I work closely with the Art Director to find the right moods and color palettes for each location, often doing color scripts for song sequences as well.
What are the biggest challenges of your job?
Taking certain scenes and asking, “How can we make this feel different from what’s been done before?” OnBaby Shark’s Big Show!we’ve got at least three kelp forests alone—at day, sunset, and night. Our characters are very colorful, too, so we need to avoid them potentially clashing with any background colors.
What are the best parts about being a Background Painter?
Having a “color breakthrough” after being stuck on a scene, seeing the amalgamation of everyone’s hard work come together in a completed episode, and at the end of the day, being part of a team that brings joy to kids.
Do you have any advice foraspiring Background Painters?
Have a range of pieces in your portfolio that convey style and mood at different times of day. When you are learning, look at artwork and shows you’re drawn to with an analytical eye and study how color harmony, value, lighting, and composition are all working together. Don’t be afraid to take relevant classes and ask questions on areas you struggle with.
Davey Cummings
Unannounced New Series, ShadowMachine
Tell us briefly about your animation career.
I started about two-and-a-half years ago working onVelma. From that first gig, I have gone back and forth between Warner Bros. and ShadowMachine as a Background Painter, working onVelmaseasons one and two for WB andPraise Peteyand another adult animated series for ShadowMachine.
How would you describe your job?
As a Background Painter, I am tasked with painting backgrounds after they have been designed. I have the immense responsibility to paint the final look of what the audience will see. It’s a daunting task, but it pushes me to be better with each background.
What are the biggest challenges of your job?
Grasping the style is a pretty hard challenge for me. Sometimes when I’m in the zone I might get a bit lost and miss a few key style details. What helps to overcome this in my experience is asking your co-workers for a second look before submitting to your Art Director. I know it is hard with remote work to share progress with co-workers who are not physically sitting right next to you. Regardless, hit them up on socials or work chats. I have even created group chats to foster a bit of a community with fellow painters so that we can share with each other our progress.
What are the best parts about being a Background Painter?
The best parts are the mindset variations. Each background presents myriad considerations: time of day, indoor or outdoor setting, lighting sources, textures, and more. With each question and answer, our brains have to hop around while also remembering all of these things at the same time. This constant engagement keeps my mind stimulated, and I love it.
Do you have any advice foraspiring Background Painters?
Try to retain as much shortcut information as you can. We work in an industry where studios want quality, but they also want you to be efficient with your time. Also, adjust to grabbing and placing things, instead of painting from scratch. For shows I’ve worked on, if we already have certain assets like clouds and roads that fit the style, it’s a lot easier and more efficient to grab those assets from previous backgrounds in the show’s production library and put them in a new scene and modify them to fit the setting.
