Another updated background

I've realised I haven't written a post in a while, due to being so distracted from working on the backgrounds. But I really need to make sure I post more often! I've also gone and bought myself a new MacBook Retina which is absolutely amazing. Definitely a big step up from my slightly old Acer, and OS X Mountain Lion is in my opinion so much easier to work in than Windows 7. I gave up trying to work on the studio's computers after having so many crash on me and making me lose my work, so that's one reason why I went and bought a Macbook which could handle software better (I have the CS6 Master Collection installed). So far I am loving it!

But now, onto backgrounds! After having another chat with Kathy, she told me I was on the right track and am definitely improving on making backgrounds. I myself feel that I'm getting a much better understanding on how backgrounds work every time I make one.

So the updated background I made is the large house which our two characters climb. I made the original back before I talked to Kathy, and looking at it now it is pretty awful; very flat, and no sense of depth or space. It just wouldn't at all work as a background. So here it is:

My old version (WHICH IS HORRIBLE!) just to show how bad I was before.

And this is my new and improved version of the same background. I decided to change the angle of the house so it was more upright to give a greater sense of height, and it also makes the whole drainpipe visible which is what I wanted. I then added a hill in the background to add more depth and a better sense of the foreground, middleground and background (which is what I'm trying to make every background to have). Here it is: