I need some help!!! I'm a beginner

[ravensdesigns]

Hi! i'm having a problem with my character, i wan't it to be a character for survival games. I want it not to be plain but I also want it to be easy to animate that's why I chose 32x32 size but if it can't be helped i'll use 64x64 for better detail. The problem is It's way too plain (if i'm not overthinking).. the bag also doesn't have much detail.. somehow I think my problem is I lack on imagination on how colour would shape something like a watercan on the side of the bag , a rope and a shovel.. (I'm still learning english btw hehe.. so if you found some wrong grammars please be considerate and just ignore it.. that is if you can still understand it).

[Gil]

I don't think your problem is in the details. First off, great start, good style, this is already a great start. Basically, if you want to make him less plain, exaggerate what you have. Give him a more defiant pose, make the colors more bold, make it look like he's not wearing jeans and a tshirt.

This will of course change the character to be less plain and more heroic, but that might not be what you want, so you find a middle ground. Personally, I'd just push him a little bit. Give him a beard, better posture, little bit lumberjack like. That would make him stand out more, without turning him into a WoW character.

Like this maybe?

[ravensdesigns]

Wow!! thank you for giving some time on helping me and giving me an example at that ^.^.

That's what i'm trying to do!! I mean like yours! but whenever I try to put a little bit of muscle on my character it feels like out of proportion, and you also gave it a boots which I can't even imagine how to put and ended up just like a stickman..

anyway if you don't mind can you give me some of your tutorials that helped you on pixel art??? and if there's a tutorial on how to make a body like your avatar or like ragnarok that would be awesome, but I somehow doubt there's any, but if there is I want to read and learn from it. Some of them say that I just need to learn how to draw to come up with a good pixel art that I want, I know how to draw but I just can't seem to put it on pixel art hehe..

Thank you very much for the example and tips really, i'll keep that in mind

[Friend]

anyway if you don't mind can you give me some of your tutorials that helped you on pixel art??? and if there's a tutorial on how to make a body like your avatar or like ragnarok that would be awesome, but I somehow doubt there's any, but if there is I want to read and learn from it. Some of them say that I just need to learn how to draw to come up with a good pixel art that I want, I know how to draw but I just can't seem to put it on pixel art hehe..

forget most of the tutorials that say "how to pixel a" or "how to draw a".  they won't help. (besides for things like how to draw a box from any angle, or anything fundamental.) most only tutorials that teach techniques or fundamentals/theory will be of use as an artist.


you just have to observe and analyze other artists as well as your own practice.  and PRACTICE   

[ravensdesigns]

i'm worried though  ... because I want to do pixel art for games... and if I try to make pixel art the way I see things I might make a big one since I still can't get a hold of making small art created by small boxes, that's where the tutorials will come in... that's what i'm thinking 

[Roach]

Hey man don't worry. Just have fun with it. That's the whole point. If you aren't having fun doing it, than don't do it. I mean everyone gets just as frustrated, but you'll have your moments. Just gotta keep drawing things, and practicing.

[ravensdesigns]

Thanks Roach i'll keep that in mind. I am having fun it's just that it's frustrating when i can't see the things that i wanted to see and I don't know what my pixel art is lacking

[Gil]

I'd like to say that the original sprite is very beautiful already, I was rather impressed by it, so you're doing some things right . I merely showed how a few tweaks here and there can change it into what you asked for.

As for tutorials, I unfortunately can't help you much. I mostly believe in practice and critique for pixel art. You should draw a lot on top of that, but if you're already doing that, you're basically doing everything what you're supposed to be doing, the rest is just practice.

Why don't you try to also share failed experiments? Try doing with the sprite what you want with it and share it, especially if it fails. Edits based on failed concepts will be easier for you to grasp and get you going faster. Basically, if you are slightly unhappy about your skills, what we need to see is a larger body of work. Try pushing yourself and getting as much art into this thread as you can manage and we'll have a look over it.

[ravensdesigns]

Wow! thank you for appreciating my art it's the first time XD ahahaha.

I've been searching for great pixel arts, studying them to smaller details, and how they put their pixels and why and trying to imitate their work. It's saddening though because it feels like i'm just copying, that's why I make some few changes and trying to make my own style hehe..(don't think badly of me XD)

Oh sure sure!! i'll try to complete some of my experiments(it's just that when it's really look bad... I'm not gonna continue making it XD)... here are a few of them



my problem here is it's way too childish i'm trying to make the same concept which is survival and somewhat horror (i gave up on the horror thing... it's hard to do it in pixel art, well for me now that is XD) ahahah


the head of this one doesn't feel right ahahaha

I made a few tweaks and in the end it became childish again.. i think

same problem too childish

this one has the same problem as the one I posted here... it's too plain... (sorry about the background btw)

these are not all of them actually... but they are all the same ahahah just a few pixels that differ
I want to make a survival character but I feel like they aren't seem to be right for the concept... that's why I ended up with the one that I posted here the one with the bag... this is my first month that i got serious on pixel art, I made some in the past but i stopped, i need to focus on something.. all of these are posted on my deviant account and pixeljoint(some of them are waiting for approval)

deviantart : http://gamojohnraven.deviantart.com (gamojohnraven)
pixeljoint : http://pixeljoint.com/p/80190.htm (ravensdesigns)

[Decroded]

pixeljoint : http://pixeljoint.com/pixels/profile.asp (ravensdesigns)

When I click that link it opens my own profile.
I think you wanted to say http://pixeljoint.com/p/80190.htm

Also if you use URL tag you can say...

PixelJoint Profile

[ravensdesigns]

how come?? it opens my profile though >.< the same as the one you gave to me O.o

but thanks for correcting me... how to get the exact link?? sorry for that..  i already modified my post thanks

[Gil]

Aha. Showing some more pieces did indeed help a bit in understanding the problem. I think what is probably best is that you work towards a mockup. What this means is a full scene that represents more or less what the game looks like.

You already made a bunch of survival characters, that give a good idea of what the people will be like (leaving style alone for a minute). You already expressed having issues representing horror (don't worry, we can get back to that later, I think I have a few cool examples for you that would fit your style just fine), so we'll leave that last.

So, the environment, what's that going to be like? You could start pixelling it, but you could also take some random google image to describe a feel you get. You could even make some sort of collage out of these (I could show you how to, if you want). Next you should place your characters into this scene and start playing around until it feels like what you want. Once the characters are in a scene, it's going to be easier to gauge what is "childish", what is "too plain" and where to take it from there.

Sound good?

[ravensdesigns]

Nice!! I haven't thought about that i'll try doing that!! i'll try to make my own environment too while i'm at it (it'll take some time though), thank you very much but if you have time please do give me some examples too so that I have a guide and when I'm finished I'm looking forward to receive a critique

Oh btw i'm making a new experiment XD ahaha i'm studying a new way of pixel art it's my first time to make a big one like your avatar and ragnarok ahaha



what do you guys think?? and I found myself more comfortable making my colour ramps on circle so i can see it properly ahahaha. it's not done yet, actually I got problems with the eyes and the design of the body muscle's light and shadow and the hair looks weird, anyway I'm also looking forward for some critiques when i'm with this so i'll be away for now!! but please help me again when I get back!! i'll use this topic again so see yah for now .. Thanks again Gil! i'll be back!!

[Gil]

Nice!! I haven't thought about that i'll try doing that!! i'll try to make my own environment too while i'm at it (it'll take some time though), thank you very much but if you have time please do give me some examples too so that I have a guide and when I'm finished I'm looking forward to receive a critique

From a recent thread here, pretty good example:



Basically, he just sketched in a rough environment to fit in his characters, which also gives a good indication of perspective and such.

what do you guys think?? and I found myself more comfortable making my colour ramps on circle so i can see it properly ahahaha.

Making color orbs like that is a pretty good way to figure out colors actually, good job