[WIP] Vampire (critique needed)

[Paxjah]

This is a vampire I made as an adoptable from my site, but I really need some helpful critique on the animation. I'm content with the mouth, but the not the cape, I can't seem to see what exactly is wrong with it. Any help would be greatly appreciated 

Edited:



Orignal:

[Dr D]

It's just kind of awkward to me the way it just randomly blows away once and stops. If the final version is going to be different, or there is supposed to be a gust of wind or something, then ignore that.

[Paxjah]

It's just kind of awkward to me the way it just randomly blows away once and stops. If the final version is going to be different, or there is supposed to be a gust of wind or something, then ignore that.

It is just one random gust of wind  but thankyou 

[big brother]

I think the animation would benefit if you had a 4-6 frame loop of his cape rippling the whole time. Also, what's an adoptable?

[Paxjah]

I think the animation would benefit if you had a 4-6 frame loop of his cape rippling the whole time. Also, what's an adoptable?

I've posted up an edit 

An adoptable is a pixel piece made for use by the public to showcase on their site, or such 

[Gil]

A more flowing version of just the cape. This is more how I would encorporate the wind.

[Mathias]

Cool sprite! His arms are tiny. Gil's edit rocks, I was bothered by the rigidness of the cape material and Gil fixed 'er right up. Seems with such consistent wind though, that there should be a strand or two of hair loose in the wind as well, just something else subjected to the wind. The nice flowy cape makes the rest of him look too static. Fool's work is an impossible standard to attain toTake a look at Fool's mediocre and feable attempt at windy animation: look at his windy clothing.

I know yer content with the mouth, but I'm not. Love the idea, but when he bears his fangs they're not readable enough. I had to zoom to see was really going on. This varies per resolution of your viewers of course. My res isn't that high, though. It would be cool if his face really got ugly and monstrous when he beared them. Not suggesting you go overboard, but I bet it would be affective if his "cuteness" was overshadowed for a second; give him bigger gangly more readable fangs, bring his eyebrows down to give a mad/evil when his fangs come out.

[NaCl]

I thought the windy clothing in that piece was only, "pretty good", not "amazing". Also, I don't think it is right to put Fool on such a pedestal. He is great at what he does, but saying he has an impossible to achieve standard is over the top.

[ptoing]

Fool's work is an impossible standard to attain to

I would really love to see you and anyone else stop such stupid blanketstatement godfollowing, be it Fool or anyone else. It is not a healthy attitude for artistic growth and also quite selflimiting in a way.

[Mathias]

Fool's work is an impossible standard to attain to

I would really love to see you and anyone else stop such stupid blanketstatement godfollowing, be it Fool or anyone else. It is not a healthy attitude for artistic growth and also quite selflimiting in a way.

Crikey gentlemen, calm down. "stupid blanketstatement", "GODfollowing"? Thanks, ptoingy. It's funny, Jad already inserted into one of my now deleted posts that more posts in here that further expound on this off-topic subject would be deleted, then you come along, another admin, and carry it on further. Good job!

For the record, Fool is only a demigod, not a fully fledged god, note the difference, kids. Seriously though, like I told NaCl, in a PM, privately - the proper way to sling mud, I honestly believe I can outgun Fool's pixel art. That's right. I can "attain" his level and then surpass him, thus usurping his hallowed godship. Now, what do I need in order to do this? A lot of time and practice and experience. Will I ever get it? Probably not. But, the fact still remains I believe I have the core necessities that could evolve into what I would need to be on par with what Fool can do with pixels, and then some.

Alrighty Jad, whip out your electric eraser.

[Helm]

Your attitude is becoming stranger by the day, Mathias...

[Paxjah]

okies..i edited the animation. I added a bit more to the fangs and scrunched up his face when he bares them and smoothed the cape over a little bit (Thankyou soo sooo much Gil for making the cape flow <3)

[Mathias]

Haha, yes! That's it. That's really good. Now, I don't know if it's the browser (IE 7) or what, but the timing feels off. For example, IE and FF will animate GIF's at different speeds. Seems his face should go from nice to evil and stay evil longer, hey you might even repeat a simple looping 2-frame grimacing (like when a dog's or wolf's snout is all curled up and it's bearing its canines, you know how they're mouth will kinda quiver?) to convey an even more poingient emotion. Then I'd make his face return to normal twice as fast as it changed to evil. Right now it's an obvious reverse.
My point in advising you to increase the impact of his unexpected face-change was to reap the full propsect of the effect. At this point, it's great, but could be less passive even still. What if his eyes looked straight at us when he did it? That would make more sense to me - like he caught us in something. My ultimate concept for this would involve for him to totally change position and spread his cape like meta knight in full dracula-style horror, but that's taking this up a few notches and I bet you're ready to move on.

Did you try re-pixeling the cape anim for yourself? The fellas here will frown on just using someone's edit - they're typically meant as examples, not a contribution. Because now, Gil can take partial credit for mini Vlad here. Do you see what I mean?

[Paxjah]

Haha, yes! That's it. That's really good. Now, I don't know if it's the browser (IE 7) or what, but the timing feels off. For example, IE and FF will animate GIF's at different speeds. Seems his face should go from nice to evil and stay evil longer, hey you might even repeat a simple looping 2-frame grimacing (like when a dog's or wolf's snout is all curled up and it's bearing its canines, you know how they're mouth will kinda quiver?) to convey an even more poingient emotion. Then I'd make his face return to normal twice as fast as it changed to evil. Right now it's an obvious reverse.
My point in advising you to increase the impact of his unexpected face-change was to reap the full propsect of the effect. At this point, it's great, but could be less passive even still. What if his eyes looked straight at us when he did it? That would make more sense to me - like he caught us in something. My ultimate concept for this would involve for him to totally change position and spread his cape like meta knight in full dracula-style horror, but that taking this up a few notches and I bet you're ready to move on.

Did you try re-pixeling the cape anim for yourself? The fellas here will frown on just using someone's edit - they're typically meant as examples, not a contribution. Because now, Gil can take partial credit for mini Vlad here. Do you see what I mean?

I love the suggestions. No this isn't done, it's definately still a WIP. I only smoothed over Gil's cape edit for now, it isn't finished and I neither am or will take credit for his edit either, it's purely his  I will make another edit, i wanted mini Dracula to grab his cape, pull it in front of him and then throw it behind him when he bares his fangs. Having the eyes face us would be brilliant, maybe glowing red as they did so, would be cool. It's not the browser making the animation seem too fast, it is very quick, i will make his mouth stay open longer in my next edit. I also want to have the silver strands of hair move in the wind.

Yes, all in all this is nowhere near complete. Thankyou all for you suggestions, edits and critique so far, I'll post up the new edit next