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Miyazaki's "MA"
Once in a while, I try to have a couple of scenes where nothing happens- it's just beautiful scenery with absolutely no dialogue. I used to really suck at making environments, especially back in my Paint Shop Pro days of last year where the program was super clunky, laggy, and slowing down my computer.
But also in general, not to completely blame my tools. I've always loved drawing people. People are interesting to me! With backgrounds, scenes of nature, well... just go outside and stand in it!
Wanting a beautiful place for my characters to live though... that's what motivated me to get better at backgrounds.
What does this have to with Miyazaki?
Well, if you look at Miyazaki's films, you'll notice there are 2 minute scenes where nothing is really happening. Characters might be walking a long way from one destination to another, driving, and saying nothing. Instead, you get to enjoy the scenery- you get to take a breath between the drama and action and really be immersed in the world. This is what I want for Dragonrider's Dance. One of the philosophies I've been kind of exploring is preserving your home vs. seeing new worlds and exploring new things. I think to make this work effectively, you'll need to create your "home" environments as if it was a character itself. You want your readers to care about it- to love it- to want to be in it.
The same goes for the adventure- you want your readers to enjoy the thrill of adventure and seeing a new place.
It's not just backgrounds either, Miyazaki also has scenes where people eat (remember the scene from Spirited Away where Chihiro's parents gobble up the spirit food... and you don't blame them because the food is drawn in such a way that you're depressed you can't eat it through the screen?). These are nice little breaks from the plot. You let your characters- and in extension, your readers- enjoy the world you created for them.