I have an MDI application with controls situated on the outer edges of the Parent. Only one MdiChild is opened at a time and is set to DockStyle.Fill in the center of the Parent.

I understand how gradients work when painting backgrounds, but the resulting display always appears to be flat and without character. I want to add depth to the Child forms so that their controls appear to be actual objects. I hope that is a clear description of my intent.

How can I paint the background of a Child form to add depth without taking longer to paint than a standard gradient would?

Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.