Atmosphere

I'm used to drawing single objects without giving thought about the environment. However, this time I'm going to try and get out of my comfort zone. I'm going to attempt to draw a picture, along with an appropriate background.

In the book Fantasy Art Drawing Skills by Socar Myles, she claims that one way to portray your character is "through atmosphere rather than physical detail (50)." Here in this photo, I drew my character as a skeleton.

Then I applied what the book said by adding a wispy tree stump for the skeleton to stand on. I'm careful not to add too much contrast on the tree stump by pressing lightly with my pencil. This creates a relaxing effect. The skeleton seems less scary, and more friendly.

Socar Myles also talks about how the weather impacts a drawing. What she means is that different weather have different feelings associated with them (50). Here, I decided to draw a sunny day with some clouds to create a calm mood. It's interesting how the big I've made the subject in comparison to the background. Close objects demand attention, and without realizing it I've applied yet another element that Socar Myles talks about, which is scale.

Now that I look at my entire picture, I hope that I've accomplished the "personality" of my skeleton as being friendly, and less scary by using the atmosphere. The light contrast and fluffy clouds in the background hint that he's not someone to be afraid of. For all of you drawers out there, what techniques do you have to create the atmosphere?

Citation
Myles, Socar. Fantasy Art Drawing Skills. N.p.: Barron's Educational Series,
     2012. Print.