Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: AlcopopStar on February 08, 2015, 03:15:38 pm

Title: Tileset and Trees
Post by: AlcopopStar on February 08, 2015, 03:15:38 pm
Hey gang,

Working ON a tileset for a freelance gig, beyond a few minor touches i'm pretty happy with the tileset itself, but the trees i've just not been feeling at all.

(https://40.media.tumblr.com/30a13eeb980e01cfa46a0805c8ccff55/tumblr_njgky2WKOQ1u3fa1zo2_400.png)
newest:
(https://36.media.tumblr.com/8b6dbf71e771408a6ec0acd253974b28/tumblr_njqvb2btDE1u3fa1zo2_400.png)
(shadows are very WIP)

Any suggestions with the trees in particular would be super welcome. Having them be slightly cartoony and textured at the same time is proving challenging. Colour suggestions also very welcome.
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: wzl on February 08, 2015, 03:26:00 pm
Looks not bad though :D
From a first glance they seem indistinguishable. They use the same colors, and have only slightly different textures while the silhouette is almost identical, plus they have a rather uncommon shape for leafy trees.
The green is the same as used for the grass which makes them blend into the environment perhaps a bit too.
You could reduce the bushy-ness and add some holes to show some twigs, or break up the even surface so you could make out how the leafs grow in clusters on individual branches

(http://gas13.ru/v3/tutorials/5-8.gif)
from seiken densetsu 3
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: Iceaxe on February 08, 2015, 03:48:41 pm
To me the colours and general shapes of trees are cohesive with the surroundings but given the angle that the view is looking onto the surroundings, the angle you have drawn the trees needs reassessed. The trees look like they are almost falling away from the camera. Take A Link to the Past as an example:
(https://dakkster.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/zelda3.jpg)
Although the style and shape of the trees are not the same as yours and despite the fact that Link himself is not angled well, you can noticeably see more of the tops of the trees just like you can see almost all of the patches of grass on the ground. While keeping depth of trees can be difficult, it can be done By layering segments of the trees with contrasting colours:
(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2010/134/8/5/tiles_by_XDinky___trees_by_XDinky.png)
Just my two cents. Hope it helps! ;D
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: (BYOND)Hebrons on February 08, 2015, 10:27:36 pm
try brightening up your palette looks really dull as of right now , i like where your heading and the style your going for though :y:
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: AlcopopStar on February 14, 2015, 04:33:59 am
Hey guys, thanks for the feedback and examples!

(https://36.media.tumblr.com/8b6dbf71e771408a6ec0acd253974b28/tumblr_njqvb2btDE1u3fa1zo2_400.png)
(https://40.media.tumblr.com/f1d148387cc30474e722aec9a780618d/tumblr_njqvb2btDE1u3fa1zo1_250.png)

Brightened up the pallet a touch, also tried to add some more bunching texture to the trees, may need to push this further. I also tweaked the perspective, but once again I maay have been a little timid here, not sure.
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: ptoing on February 14, 2015, 05:15:25 am
The dirt cliff kinda reads like a chasm atm. I think this has to be brighter overall. Unless you want to go for a certain dark vibe.
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: Seiseki on February 14, 2015, 05:32:37 am
The dirt cliff kinda reads like a chasm atm. I think this has to be brighter overall. Unless you want to go for a certain dark vibe.

A two tile long shadow beneath would help it read more as a cliff wall I think..
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: Iceaxe on February 14, 2015, 06:05:01 am
Nice work on those improvements! I would agree saying the cliff needs a little work though :)
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: Decroded on February 14, 2015, 06:31:03 am
cant remember if ive shared this before but since it sounds like a paid job here's something similar I did a while back in case it gives u any ideas.
it goes left unused because the dev wanted to stick to the zelda perspective (and it hurt my brain the way he was abusing the tiles  :lol:)
(http://i.imgur.com/hitp6WL.gif)
excuse the upscale its the only copy I have on hand.
just dont read into the clusters as I never got around to polishing off at the pixel level, more due to inexperience.
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: Kazuya Mochu on February 14, 2015, 01:00:46 pm
the colors on the cliffside make it look like a hole. like a mote. you should start with a shadow and once it touches the ground move it into light, so it rolls back into view
(https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2859209/rpgtiles.png)

you can see my edit on the top right. I changed the colors a bit cause the intense red was a bit hard to work with
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: xier on February 14, 2015, 06:00:02 pm
hey all, I am also working on this project .. I was wondering if anyone could provide feedback / guidance as to how I can make this castle fit better with alco's setting.

i want this to look like a decrepit ruin that you could find in the grass lands, should i darken it? it needs a nice colour to compliment the grass as well. and sorry for the lines, it is currently required for our engine.

Thank you

edit: added original

(https://trello-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/543c0d322a9342ce50f10676/362x329/edd89e735306ad85f65e0f8be20c0042/castle.png)
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: Kazuya Mochu on February 14, 2015, 08:16:01 pm
you can post images at 100% size. we can click them to zoom in.
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: Decroded on February 15, 2015, 03:43:05 am
one simple idea is if multiple people are creating assets is if they wip them up quickly to a certain point and then have one asset overlord who finishes them all off at the pixel level and color choice level so they have consistent rendering.

seems like a pretty efficient way to work at least until the point where more party members are comfortable that their styles are aligned.
Title: Re: Tileset and Trees
Post by: AlcopopStar on February 15, 2015, 07:19:58 am
Probably best to start your own thread and link to this one Xier. Advice off the top of my head would be to simplify the textures (although that is a lovely wall texture), make sure your perspective is consistent (compare the top of the tower to the statue for example) finally make everything a bit bolder and more exaggerated. Oh and don't match perspective to the character assets, the character assets are at a different perspective to the perspective of the ground assets (3/4), there is nothing to do about that at this point.

@decroded
I completely agree,

Unfortunately I don't have much control over the art direction / organization of this project unless I take a personal vested interest in managing the project on my own time. I like to generally put my all into freelance work but I can't afford to work for free on someone's else project without some kind of incentive.

Edit:
(https://40.media.tumblr.com/0bed719f39948956931e2234c1d0148e/tumblr_nk0jxeqPuV1u3fa1zo1_400.png)

I tried to make the dirt wall look less like a drop into the void. Also touched the trees up further.

Thanks for the feedback everyone!