Background help

[katt]

I only recently started considering composition in my pieces so I'm not sure what to do with the background of this piece. I tried one point perspective to lead the eye to the  subject. Also I'm not sure if the colour works, I tried using complementary colours but ehhhh, it's not doing it for me.

Link: http://i.imgur.com/G2BApCm.png

[Olooriel]

I'm no expert on perspective, so no idea there, but I would tentatively say that the reason why the colour scheme isn't doing it for you is probably that the foreground and background are completely disconnected and don't appear to be part of the same environment, affected by the same lighting conditions. This kind of separation might work in a rather stylized picture, but the painting style of the figure is rather realistic, so we expect the cool lighting of the environment to affect it in a natural way too - skin would not look this red under these conditions. Or alternatively, cast a warm light on the objects in the background. The local colours can still be cool in the background and warm in the foreground, but the lighting has to tie your image together.

Skin lit with a blue light: https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/86372822_640.jpg (yours might be white, of course, but it still wouldn't be this red, rather more of a cool pink)
The same room with warm and cool lamps: http://blog.1000bulbs.com/wp-content/upl...r-temp.jpg

[katt]

I'm no expert on perspective, so no idea there, but I would tentatively say that the reason why the colour scheme isn't doing it for you is probably that the foreground and background are completely disconnected and don't appear to be part of the same environment, affected by the same lighting conditions. This kind of separation might work in a rather stylized picture, but the painting style of the figure is rather realistic, so we expect the cool lighting of the environment to affect it in a natural way too - skin would not look this red under these conditions. Or alternatively, cast a warm light on the objects in the background. The local colours can still be cool in the background and warm in the foreground, but the lighting has to tie your image together.

Skin lit with a blue light: https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/86372822_640.jpg (yours might be white, of course, but it still wouldn't be this red, rather more of a cool pink)
The same room with warm and cool lamps: http://blog.1000bulbs.com/wp-content/upl...r-temp.jpg

I've never considered that before. I'll probably change the background instead of the person because he's got natural brown skin so I'd like to work around that. Thanks!

[meat]

Composition doesn't have to be deep perspective. Since the main subject is already pressed up against the view frame being the foreground, this piece might benefit from a flat, graphics design like background. With the same metal bar division, it could be a flat wall with warm light to cool shadows, letting you use complimentary colors, then have a giant poster that's equally cut off and only partially in view, just like your subject. You can also have off-screen hanging wall decorations casting a shadow into the camera frame. If you want the main subject to not be the foreground pressed up against the view frame, you can have shapes crossing the frame as if we're seeing him through a window that has decoration hanging across it.