There are a lot of different options when it comes to choosing your background treatment. Here’s some of the most common kinds and the pros and cons associated.
No background at all
Just having plain white paper all around the subject is a striking statement and for the right subject can make for a powerful work. It really leaves no doubt in the mind of the viewer what the main point of interest is but comes with a couple of points worth considering to really achieve the full effect. First of all it can be extremely difficult for the uninitiated to keep the paper snowy white right to the end of a freehand drawing project, keeping your initial sketching and subsequent developmental drawing lines as absolutely light and removable as possible right from the first pencil marks is the key here, as well. The shape, size, and texture of the shadow itself is definitely an essential element of any ground-bound object drawn on a white background (see article “Life in the Shadows”) and should be seen as a very useable tool that is capable of either adding or detracting from the strength of your composition as a whole depending on the choices made during the photo shoot.
