Mountains! [WIP]

[fortunato]

hey guys, im trying to get better at pixel art, so im making some mountains. they are top-down rpg-perspective (i hope ).
FINAL:

OLDEST:

what do you guys think? c + c is GREATLY appreciated, as i need lots of help!

[TrevoriuS]

First off, here's the image while working:

[fortunato]

whoops, fixed.

[Dr D]

Omfg, fortunato? The one that I know? Haha. Nice to see you here.

Anyways, I love the odd choice of colors, feels very hot, like it would be used in a desert.

Anyway, your mountain looks blobby, the top is pretty well, but the sides are one flat color, and stick out maybe a bit too far. (left/right sides)

I would start by defining some shapes on the sides, giving it some detail, light rocks and dark rocks, cracks, holes, etc.

[fortunato]

Omfg, fortunato? The one that I know? Haha. Nice to see you here.

Anyways, I love the odd choice of colors, feels very hot, like it would be used in a desert.

Anyway, your mountain looks blobby, the top is pretty well, but the sides are one flat color, and stick out maybe a bit too far. (left/right sides)

I would start by defining some shapes on the sides, giving it some detail, light rocks and dark rocks, cracks, holes, etc.

haha yeah its me dude, nice to see ya.
i took your advice and heres what it came out like:

what im trying to do is make them tile and function like the mountains in the pokemon games. so i want to be able to make a base mountain (one tile high) then add this mountain on top, and however many mountains i want. heres how its split up:


anyway, c+c on the newer mountains please! im especially proud of the top part of the dirt <3

[Dr D]

It looks really great, unique retro-ish style. I guess you could use an extra highlight and/or shadow, but it's fine as it is, and definitely not required.

But if you say you wanted it tiled like you do, then, I propose making a seperate version of the top 3 tiles, moving them down, if you wish to eliminate the gap.

[fortunato]

It looks really great, unique retro-ish style. I guess you could use an extra highlight and/or shadow, but it's fine as it is, and definitely not required.

But if you say you wanted it tiled like you do, then, I propose making a seperate version of the top 3 tiles, moving them down, if you wish to eliminate the gap.

thanks man. im not really sure what you mean though; do you mean like moving them down so there isnt a giant slab of dirt?

[Dr D]

Make it so that the top border is at the bottom, or closer to the bottom of the tile.

[Dex]

Hey, right now you're not really paying attention to the texture of your cliffs/mountains. I'd say they look more like cliffs- in that case, you should really look into texturing them a bit better. Also, pay attention to colors, as they provide a great deal of how your image will end up.

Here's a quick edit. I edited just the left corner- it's what I'd do! 

[fortunato]

omg, thats so much better than mine! the texture thing is so true; i got a little lazy . but how do you pick those colors so well? i tried to follow this tutorial: http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=922.0 and i sort of understood it, but not really (obviously haha). could you clarify a bit on how to pick such nice colors?

[fortunato]

another update!

dex, i tried to copy what you did and i think it came out pretty good (also, i stole your colors thanks!)
i think it looks way better now, but what i dont like is how the rocks look pillowy and soft. how do i make them look more rugged and not.. well, bad? XD

[Dr D]

The softness look comes from the shading, since you said you wanted rocks, and not dirt, which is what it looks like now (and pretty good btw), then you need to define the edges of the rocks more, leave abrupt edges on the rocks where the light won't hit, 'rocks' are usually thought of as more jagged than smooth. (However they can be, it's just about the style you're looking for, I believe making them more jagged would give them that 'rocky' look.)

Also, I'm not sure about that dark red (and gray!?) for the bottom of the mountain, I don't believe it's helping the piece, maybe you should go a lot more towards dark brown, and define it a little bit more down there.
 And it looks like your light source is coming directly from the top-center, so, the sides of the mountain should naturally be a little more defined (lit up) than the side that is facing us . I think you would benefit from moving it a little (or a lot) to the left or right as well, as thing generally look more interesting, and it would probably help in removing that soft, 'pillowy', look as well.

[fortunato]

hmm yeah youre right about the lighting. most rpgs do a top down thing, so i figured id try it, but top left would probably look more interesting.
the gray at the bottom is for the shadow, though its really just temporary until i figure out something better. and as for the red, i stole the palette from dex's edit of my mountain (shhh!), and i dunno i think it works really well! but hey im willing to fool around a bit so the palette could change later on. ill try the dark brown thing. thanks for the crit dude!

[Jim16]

Firstly,Dex's edit is like foreplay awesomeness put into a bottle.

Secondly, Stealing his pallet is ok, as I think he wouldn't mind...but I however think that a choice in your own colours would be better suited if your still learning your way around the block.

I will like to say that Mr Dr D brings up some good point's, but going for more of a brown than red? Yeah sure...but then again, a redish tint is what will distinguish it as a shadow better than plain brown. But I think that Mr Dex's choice in that red was a bit extensive.

Well I'm muttering again. And my knowledge of these things aren't worth looking into, but take what you want from this comment.

Jim

[fortunato]

i tried making the rocks more jagged and added more detail. also, i fooled around with the colors a bit so there wasnt the red color as the shadow. i think it looks better, but the rocks are still all soft and marshmallow-like to me, and they just look unprofessional. im getting pretty frustrated here... could someone help me out with this? how do i make this not look so fluffy and better overall?

[Dr D]

Well you're going to have to start by making the rocks stick out more, and define those hard, jagged edges. This is harder when the surface is meant to be traversable, and therefore, the rocks/ground are naturally flatter.

[fortunato]

FINAL VERSION:



here is the final, edited it for proper tiling, and added more corner pieces to make more complex shapes with the tiles. i have to say, im really proud of how it came out! i like the style of how i did it and the colors are great. thanks so much to all of you who helped me out, or even just looked at the topic haha.
i may change these tiles a bit in the future (probably colors) but i dont want to spend too much time on it as i want to move on with my project. once again, thanks everyone!

[Dex]

Well, it came a long way from the first version.

Me being a nitpick would ask you to fix some further things, but I'll let you go on. Show us what else ya' got.

Also, if you haven't planned on it yet, maybe add some foliage and grass to the cliffs in various places for more life?