Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Rosier on November 23, 2015, 11:38:16 pm

Title: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on November 23, 2015, 11:38:16 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/VN58BKa.gif)

I've been trying to work more on posing, especially stuff more dynamic stuff than the casual slouch I usually do.  So, silhouette practice. 

Aside from just poses, I'm also trying for stuff like concept art or a splash screen, with the intention of kind of giving an impression of the character's personalities.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Gil on November 25, 2015, 08:57:36 am
I think you should exaggerate more, this is still too much in your comfort zone. Go for some spine breaking ultra dynamic action.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on November 26, 2015, 03:23:11 am
I think you should exaggerate more, this is still too much in your comfort zone. Go for some spine breaking ultra dynamic action.

I can understand exaggeration in animations, but impossible body positions should be left to Jojo.

I assume you mean like more physical action stills like mid run or jump?
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Gil on November 26, 2015, 01:59:33 pm
I can see how you wouldn't like impossible comic poses, even though I think it'd be good practice. Here's some real poses then, they are still far more dynamic than yours, so I'm sure you can still push it all a little more:

(http://i.imgur.com/FiXlIdC.jpg)
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Conzeit on November 27, 2015, 09:36:45 pm
man, like I've said several times go for gesture drawing.


OMG someone flagged the video as mature -.- that is impossibly lame

think of them more as body parts making geometric shapes than geometric shapes that make bodyparts, that will get you better poses
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on December 05, 2015, 07:28:14 am
(http://i.imgur.com/vaPhkH7.gif)


Doesn't fully communicate holding a gun without the lines, but I legitimately tried different arm variations for like half an hour. 

Also I feel like I shouldn't be using straight lines much or at all, but it looked... stronger with the straight leg.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Cyangmou on December 05, 2015, 10:16:41 am
your art still suffers from too short legs. it looks really unelegant if the head + torso together are longer than the legs if you have nicely detailled characters (with feet, real hands etc. that they give a feel of believability.) With real chibis, which consist just out of the head and have all other body forms stylized heavily it looks ok.

Posing characters is storytelling!

You don't use striking action lines. hat S-rhythm with the forward bend legs and backwards bend upper spine makes your figures look hesitant. If you use that for an armed character it tells a story like "hey I am weak and afraid, please don't harm me" which is absolutely ok if you go for such a character, but generally I suppose you want a bit of heroism.

For that consider the mass center of the body. Usually you want to avoid strict standing poses, unless it's cool posing and you also want to avoid extreme dynamical action poses (unless you are doing the keyframes for an animation) - this means you are left with the "about to" pose.

The about to pose is the pose where the character shortly hands a pose before he goes into action. It usually communicates tension and it's easy to tell what movement will follow next.

On another note I'd try to implement some foreshortening to give away a better feel of volume and space.

Made you an edit for your 3rd pose:

(http://abload.de/img/2015_12_05_posen0ssv.png)

in an animation your pose could be displayed shortly before my pose (where the hero crouches and then he takes the step before an attack) - my pose is just more expressive in terms which will happen next becasue it only works in 1 way. Yours works in 2 ways, since we don't know if the hero is falling back or taking that step of my pose.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Friend on December 05, 2015, 09:29:52 pm
not to take away from other crits, but i like your poses.  and i like your proportions. You have room to grow in depicting your underlying anatomical structures to make your characters more believable and less of a "drawing". But you  don't need "elegant" legs or to conform to such artistic directions.  You do you.

  i prefer you pose to cyangmou's edit.  instead of making the poses more dynamic, you can also change character design that emphasizes your poses without having to make them needlessly dramatic.  Remember the pose is not the end all be all.  it is just the means through which your characters come to life.  they can be as zany or off the wall, unique or convential or as restrained or lacking dynamism as you want them to express what your artistic side desires. 

In focusing on what you want to improve, remember you're creating a character

(http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters2/okina.gif) (http://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters/am-walk.GIF)
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on December 09, 2015, 05:50:17 am
(http://i.imgur.com/o4aH2kQ.gif)

I wound up accidentaling Terry Bogard's Buster Wolf super before realizing that the pose I was going for was just Terry Bogard's Buster Wolf super.  Looked at it a bit for reference after realizing, but maybe a bit too much.  Exaggerated the roundness of it a bit more, though.

Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Conzeit on December 20, 2015, 04:12:05 am
for what it's worth I think this pose is better =). if you were going for capturing dynamic active looking poses you did it.

Try to not think of them as what someone else did, or what they'll remind people of, just think of them in function of what you're drawing and how much it works there, everyone is copying everyone else subconsciously so dont sweat it, just do your best
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Pheno on December 26, 2015, 04:10:07 am
(http://orig08.deviantart.net/5cda/f/2015/359/5/5/12_25_2015_silhoette_by_phen01-d9lhl8n.png)

Nothing reads as "holding a gun" to me quite like those right-angle arms they did in Star Wars. Another tip to help with really clear silhouettes - ideally nothing should be overlapping! This can be very difficult to accomplish, but to be really clear on a two-dimensional plane, less intersection means more clarity. This silhouette is obviously exaggerated in its proportions, but I think the idea is clear. If your character is less stealthy you may need to consider a different pose, though.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on December 26, 2015, 07:28:28 am
(http://orig08.deviantart.net/5cda/f/2015/359/5/5/12_25_2015_silhoette_by_phen01-d9lhl8n.png)

Nothing reads as "holding a gun" to me quite like those right-angle arms they did in Star Wars. Another tip to help with really clear silhouettes - ideally nothing should be overlapping! This can be very difficult to accomplish, but to be really clear on a two-dimensional plane, less intersection means more clarity. This silhouette is obviously exaggerated in its proportions, but I think the idea is clear. If your character is less stealthy you may need to consider a different pose, though.


That definitely improves the readability, but I was going for the more realistic stuff I remember seeing in CSI, ie closer and tighter.  It's probably a better idea to exaggerate, but I'm here to improve, and this ought to be a good indication as to how.



(http://i.imgur.com/dNgJkVc.gif)

This is based on LoZ: Wind Waker's promo art, seen here: http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/zelda/images/a/a4/Link_Wind_Waker_1.png/revision/20081015205248

Albeit mine hopefully has minorly exaggerated human proportions.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on January 04, 2016, 05:04:21 am
(http://i.imgur.com/WFH85Ml.gif)

Legs were taken from one of those pose studies, but I completely made the waist up from scratch.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Decroded on January 04, 2016, 08:30:23 am
I dunno if these are challenging enough or whatever but I think they look cool.
That last one is nice and floaty.

but yeah if u really wanna push urself do some a bit larger and from different perspectives and odd poses.
if ur not doing sketches then get onto daily sketch thread I'd say and smash out a shitload of gesture sketches like others are doing.
been meaning to get into that myself coz man am I out of touch with gestures :-/
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on January 06, 2016, 12:16:54 am
I dunno if these are challenging enough or whatever but I think they look cool.
That last one is nice and floaty.

but yeah if u really wanna push urself do some a bit larger and from different perspectives and odd poses.
if ur not doing sketches then get onto daily sketch thread I'd say and smash out a shitload of gesture sketches like others are doing.
been meaning to get into that myself coz man am I out of touch with gestures :-/

I'm going for the concept art thing for this one specifically again, so I'd hazard a guess I'm staying away from the more outlandish poses in favor of ones that can show off the body and details.  I guess once I finalize this one I can go for some weirder things.
(http://i.imgur.com/78QR5if.gif)
Colored in with some rudimentary shading, but this is what I was going for.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: kullenberg on January 09, 2016, 01:04:02 am
Just an observation, make what you will of it: pretty much all your characters have a weak posture. They are hunched over like an old lady with a bad back and their heads are thrust forward. I get the impression that they are a bunch of introverted emo kids with low self-esteem, kinda. They also tend to be a bit floatey and tip-toey (are those real words? heh) and don't portray a good sense of weight. I don't know what you want to portray exactly but if you want some of your characters to convey a sense of power my points would be worth considering.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Seiseki on January 09, 2016, 01:20:00 am
I think there's a lack of sharp angles in the anatomy, the limbs are very noodly and rounded..
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on January 09, 2016, 05:53:04 am
Just an observation, make what you will of it: pretty much all your characters have a weak posture. They are hunched over like an old lady with a bad back and their heads are thrust forward. I get the impression that they are a bunch of introverted emo kids with low self-esteem, kinda. They also tend to be a bit floatey and tip-toey (are those real words? heh) and don't portray a good sense of weight. I don't know what you want to portray exactly but if you want some of your characters to convey a sense of power my points would be worth considering.

By chance, this character is a bit introverted and has relatively low self esteem, but that definitely was not in my mind making it.  The floaty aspect definitely was, though.  Something something "light as a feather."

Is there a part that demonstrates that more than the others?  I mentioned the legs were all but traced, but do they give off that impression more than the torso does? 

I think there's a lack of sharp angles in the anatomy, the limbs are very noodly and rounded..

I'm getting that I should commit more to 75-90 degree angles from this.  I tend to think that makes it look a bit blockier and unnatural, but I might as well give it a shot if you believe I should.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: DracoDragon42 on January 09, 2016, 10:33:51 am
I made an edit that you might  not completely agree with, but I tried to do what they were saying. I moved the chest forward, bent the legs more, changed the arms, and the mouth looked a little of so I moved it a little. But, here it is:
(http://imgur.com/xXkIJVR.png)
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Seiseki on January 09, 2016, 12:11:57 pm
I'm getting that I should commit more to 75-90 degree angles from this.  I tend to think that makes it look a bit blockier and unnatural, but I might as well give it a shot if you believe I should.

Well, look at these for example. (http://letrasetblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/20-poses3.jpg)
It's just, a knee or elbow shouldn't be too smooth, you need some definition.
Also, your arms, legs, torso all have a very even size and proportions, which makes them look noodly and doesn't provide any direction or flow in the anatomy.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on January 09, 2016, 10:27:54 pm
I made an edit that you might  not completely agree with, but I tried to do what they were saying. I moved the chest forward, bent the legs more, changed the arms, and the mouth looked a little of so I moved it a little. But, here it is:
(http://imgur.com/xXkIJVR.png)

I kind of want to keep the hand on the hip, but I'll probably remake it or something later by myself, and I do appreciate the edits people make.  I work well with visual indicators. 
She definitely looks a lot stronger than the other one.


I'm getting that I should commit more to 75-90 degree angles from this.  I tend to think that makes it look a bit blockier and unnatural, but I might as well give it a shot if you believe I should.

Well, look at these for example. (http://letrasetblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/20-poses3.jpg)
It's just, a knee or elbow shouldn't be too smooth, you need some definition.
Also, your arms, legs, torso all have a very even size and proportions, which makes them look noodly and doesn't provide any direction or flow in the anatomy.

(http://i.imgur.com/l6VqgZA.gif)
I made this one with sharp angles in mind.  Based a bit on some of Rise's poses from Persona 4 Arena Ultimax

I'm not quite sure what you mean by the proportion thing, though.  Do I not want them to be proportionally even?
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Seiseki on January 10, 2016, 11:33:36 am
Well for proportions, your wrist isn't as thick as your elbow, and your elbow isn't as thick as your shoulder.
Same with your knee and thighs, upper body and lower body.

Also, if you only use sharp angles it's gonna look weird as well..
You need to know where to use sharp angles and where to use curves..
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on January 12, 2016, 06:50:05 am
Well for proportions, your wrist isn't as thick as your elbow, and your elbow isn't as thick as your shoulder.
Same with your knee and thighs, upper body and lower body.

Also, if you only use sharp angles it's gonna look weird as well..
You need to know where to use sharp angles and where to use curves..

(http://i.imgur.com/UGaHbg7.gif)
Made it a bit softer with the edges and hopefully fixed a bit of the proportions.

(http://i.imgur.com/0C9MlYm.gif)
And made this one.  The reference I had was a mostly back view, but that didn't communicate well until I put in that negative space to show which leg was closer.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice
Post by: Rosier on January 16, 2016, 10:48:25 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/ddrDzTc.gif)

Went ahead and added some colors and shading, because I also want to practice that.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: DracoDragon42 on January 16, 2016, 11:30:35 pm
I'm not trying to be mean, but how is the guy on the left standing, and what is the guy on the right holding?
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on January 17, 2016, 01:46:46 am
I'm not trying to be mean, but how is the guy on the left standing, and what is the guy on the right holding?

Left is a mid action pose (Like a leap back, at least that's what I envisioned it as.)
Right is holding a microphone, and that black line connected to it is me having fun with cords.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Zia on January 17, 2016, 02:34:56 am
I think it would read better if you went with a traditional microphone shape, like so: http://static1.squarespace.com/static/50a7a502e4b07b4b7b0bc3f2/t/50eae256e4b0955e46027af1/1357570647561/shure_sm58_microphone.jpg
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Friend on January 17, 2016, 05:03:40 am
it's really hard tto read on the white pixelation theme.. maybe give it a neutral bg for now so we can see everything better to crit
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on January 17, 2016, 07:25:28 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/8XQJZ86.gif)
One day I'll learn to not use black and white almost exclusively...
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on February 01, 2016, 07:22:23 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/kaWnNXV.gif)

http://img11.deviantart.net/7d74/i/2013/235/6/8/pose_study_by_kate_fox-d684trq.jpg

Pose based on the first one, but messed with the size and added a few things, like the way she's facing.  A bit simple, but I like how it turned out.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Gil on February 01, 2016, 07:49:16 pm
Your poses are getting stronger! I can tell you're working on it. Right now I think her point of gravity is not above her feet (she'd fall over basically), so you need to fix that. Your upper body lean is a lot less than the reference, the lower body is the same. So make her upper body lean more to the right, so the center of mass is above the feet.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on February 03, 2016, 06:04:57 am
(http://i.imgur.com/b8UwSwE.gif)

http://41.media.tumblr.com/5fdce7c8b595f589ddf78b963ef35a30/tumblr_nxli0yB8aO1uo4yrqo1_500.jpg


Increased the lean amount, and added a new one with the source. 

While the first one is meant to feel loose and cheery, the second is meant to be determined and formal.  I've been meaning to make the specific pose for this one, but I couldn't figure out how to do it before the reference.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on February 10, 2016, 06:08:59 am
(http://i.imgur.com/Gp8Bb8d.gif)(http://i.imgur.com/l0BDdI5.gif)

I'm happier with the first because I feel like the arm is a bit off on the second, but I wound up with these.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: PixelPiledriver on February 10, 2016, 08:18:04 am
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RZuJufnifK8/VrrxwpZJnoI/AAAAAAAABOI/8BxuDM4B114/s1600/SwordCharacters_4_frames.png) (https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q0soeiAx3e8/VrryCZfFABI/AAAAAAAABOM/-lW1XRTFqQY/s1600/SwordCharacters_4_frames.gif)
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Gil on February 10, 2016, 10:59:53 am
I really don't think anyone advocates using selout these days and especially not inside of a sprite.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on February 12, 2016, 09:25:11 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/Ee0y16w.gif)

Is selout all the darker shades at the edge?  I (and you guys according to Google finds) still have a half understanding of that...

I also want to keep the girl's pose as is; I have a few animations I intend to make at some point with it or a variation of it as a base.  Otherwise I tried analyzing the shading and stray bits.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Gil on February 13, 2016, 12:58:49 am
Yeah, you fixed it mostly now. Dark edge pixels like that tend to do more harm than good :)
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on February 15, 2016, 07:57:40 am
(http://i.imgur.com/WikquAA.gif)

I had a reference for this, but there's no recognizable part of it by this point...  Ah well, I wanted more custom stuff anyway.

I fell into the trap of having one arm in front of the body, though.  I made a version with it in a different position, but then I lose the pose I was going for.

Edit:
(http://imgur.com/KKIyYmm.gif)
Also made this.  It's the primary Jeet Kune Do stance.
Title: Re: Silhouette Practice (With some Shading)
Post by: Rosier on February 20, 2016, 06:42:45 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/tU8E0nc.gif)(http://i.imgur.com/hygeNeo.gif)

First guy is incomplete, but w/e.

Really happy with how the second one turned out.  First one is good, but I like how the second feels.




Also, what was up with the site?  Is there something going on with that?