Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: what on January 31, 2011, 12:17:00 am

Title: Shading
Post by: what on January 31, 2011, 12:17:00 am
im making a game, and am using a sixteen-color pallet, and as a crappy pixel artist i am wondering how would i go about shading this:
OLD:
(http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/7207/sboss3standstrip8.png)
sorry for it not being animated. i just cant get it to upload right...
pallet:
(http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6743/sprite82.png)
its tiny XD

thanks. i swear this one won't die  :D

MOST RECENTEST:
(http://piczasso.com/i/1mhle.png)
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Mathias on January 31, 2011, 12:48:58 am
Hmm, funny that you posted the same pic 8 times, hehe. N00BZY ALERT!

. . . Just messing with you

Why C64 palette? Why not a custom palette? Your C64 palette is 16, not 12 colors, btw. I highly recommend a basic ramp for your palette, since you're n00b level runs high at this time. The C64 palette is rather unforgiving.

Are you really posting this here for help before you've even tried yourself? I see no attempt to shade this guy in yet.

Get reference from the web. Pull off yer shirt  (woo) and stand in front of the mirror. Observe. Where do the main patches of light and shadow fall? Now go and paint up Rufus here with that knowledge.

Let's not even bother with the anatomy issues . . . hmmm . .  anatomy . . . I seem to remember founding some fake anatomy guild once . . . where was that . ? .

But, anyway, give this your best shot, THEN post.
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Cybernetic on January 31, 2011, 06:56:43 pm
im making a game, and am using a sixteen-color pallet, and as a crappy pixel artist i am wondering how would i go about shading this:
(http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/7207/sboss3standstrip8.png)
sorry for it not being animated. i just cant get it to upload right...
pallet:
(http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/6743/sprite82.png)
its tiny XD

thanks. i swear this one won't die  :D

hey dude, im a total  :noob: too lol. i heard its good to start off with a very limited palette. i think 16 colors is too much. if you cant shade with 2/4 colors you wont be able to shade with 16. take my comments with a grain of salt though :)
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on January 31, 2011, 08:05:40 pm
quick edit

the images above are all different, its kinda breathing. they are NOT shaded

i cant get the animated pic uploaded, cuz i haven't found the right program to use for animation. i just use the one built in game maker.

i like this pallet, even though it is a bitch, and iive made an entire game using this pallet, and imo, it looks pretty okay

i also have shaded it in before, and it looked something like this:
(http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/6743/sprite82.png)
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: StaticSails on January 31, 2011, 11:04:29 pm
The eyes look very..... not like eyes. You don't need white to represent the eyes.
(http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/2372/whatanatomy.gif)
I made them look sunken in. It's just black. But you know they are eyes.
My anatomy is whacky, but it's a step in a direction. Use some anatomy references to get something that looks more human.
Great references on this site (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=anatomy+images)
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Stefano on January 31, 2011, 11:14:39 pm
I'm also experimenting with the C64 palette and I agree it's pretty restrictive.
But for that very reason, if you're planning to use it, I think you shouldn't take colours so literally (as in photographic transcriptions of colour), but experiment with the available ramps and see which ones best conveys the idea of that material. For that purpose, I've found Ptoing's post (http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=10784.0#post_c64) to be extremely valuable for learning the basics without exaustive reading/searching through the forums.

For instance (skins and other abstract stuff):
(http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee177/stevetera/test.png)
It's a crappy example I did some time ago, just to illustrate.
There are plenty examples around the web and scattered these forums.
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 01, 2011, 01:43:22 am
Not shaded yet, no hands either. Anatomy is a little distorted, but i think its going in the right direction  :P
Open to anything right now
(http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/5962/31711325.png)
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Jeremy on February 01, 2011, 06:02:39 am
What you have there so far is sorta a mix of pillow shading and banding, where the edges are just thickened with no regard to light/form. Try to pick a light source and shade according to it.  The latest one you have there is more accurate but the chest could be widened and lines in general worked on. Another thing is trying playing with form rather than line; blocking in highlights and refining them down.

Here's my go at the face, made it a bit too effeminate x_x
(http://i.imgur.com/loS42.png)
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 01, 2011, 09:18:52 pm
Boom! Here 'tis. Its not great, i blocked in the shadows, and edited the form.
I also tried a new ramp:

   Before                        After
(http://i55.tinypic.com/32zlz7m.jpg)
Any suggestions?   ;D
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Cure on February 01, 2011, 11:19:34 pm
head is far too small, eyes are too far apart, ears are too small and too high, the lines on the torso don't relate to actual rib structure, the arms are too short and ill-defined. I'm not sure what the lines on the neck indicate, they follow neither the collar bones or the muscles of the neck. he lacks hip, as well as wrists.

are you using any references? if not, I'd definitely suggest doing so.
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 02, 2011, 12:14:44 am
Thanks for all the crits.

Cure, which lines on the neck, the highlights or the black ones?
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Geti on February 02, 2011, 02:50:18 am
The black ones.

Your anatomy is... fucked up, to say the least.  Get some refs, and before progressing do some shading practice on generic shapes, like cylinders and prisms and cubes etc. Learn to shade before trying to apply it to a piece you're already fumbling the anatomy on ;)
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 03, 2011, 12:38:28 am
Aaaight!!!!!!!!!!
New less-fucked up anatomy. (hopefully):
(http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/6743/sprite82.png)
the arms are rough right now and are 100% open to change, so is the face.... and the shadows....
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 08, 2011, 08:59:40 pm
Here's the newest one, only minor details. sorry for bumping the post up AND for double posting
(http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/6743/sprite82.png)

i think its a little better.... but not as good as it can be...
how could i make the arms look smoother?
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Cure on February 08, 2011, 09:14:08 pm
head is still entirely too small for the body. using refs? could you post them so we see what you're following/aspiring to?
the last pair of ribs meets the sternum just below the center of the chest. the rib lines you've drawn, and the upside down u shape that looks like it indicates the bottom of the ribcage, is just above his belly button. Keep the skeletal structure in mind. in fact, a skeleton should ideally be one of your references.
there's no definition in the arms. know where the deltoids, biceps, triceps, etc are so you'll know what to shade.
neck doesn't make much sense. learn the muscles of the neck. deltoids meet the trapezius, trapezius travlels upwards (primarily up the back), and meets the muscles of the "neck" themselves. the dip in the center of the neck is the point between the clavicles (collar bones). as such, it's high- it should sit lower than the top of the shoulders, with the clavicles running along to sit atop the shoulders.

reference, reference, reference
then check the how the separate parts of the anatomy relate to one another in regards to size and distance
repeat
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 09, 2011, 01:08:46 am
I used more references this time around!  :D

Beginning:                    After:   
(http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/6743/sprite82.png)
The game is actually played at 400x zoom, so at this size, some shit won't matter....  :crazy:
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: StaticSails on February 09, 2011, 01:49:24 am
The game is actually played at 400x zoom, so at this size, some shit won't matter....  :crazy:
[sarcasm]In that case what you've got now will work fine.[/sarcasm]

Can you show us what you've got for references? It seems you're either ignoring them or have TERRIBLE references. I'm thinking it's the former.

I think you really need to just keep working at this for a while. Sketch things on paper for practice.
If you can't draw someone on paper I doubt you'll be able to draw it in a restrictive medium like pixel art. Your shading seems arbitrary, as does the anatomy.

Do you need help on using references? That might be your biggest issue. If you give us some links to your references and tell us what you tried to do we just might be able to set this train wreck back on track.
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 09, 2011, 09:22:27 pm
(http://www.musclesmagic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/400px-Muscles_anterior_labeled.png) and (http://www.csc.villanova.edu/~ysp/Teacher/Webpages/Forensics/SkeletonCrop.GIF)

I can draw things like this on paper.
 
The things that i'm seeing that are wrong:
The waist is too thin. Neck is too sloped. Shading sucks.
Anything i'm missing that you see?

How would I go about shading this better?

sorry for sucking....  :D
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Cure on February 09, 2011, 09:43:25 pm
Good refs, but why aren’t you following them? See the skeleton’s ribcage? That upside-down u-shape reaches its highest point at about the chest. You have ribs all the way down to the belly button.
Notice how under-developed your hips are. It’s a gigantic bone, that flares out wide, away from the body. The ribcage and the pelvis are the two most massive parts of the torso, the waist should cinch between the two.
The muscles of the neck don’t form a volcano-shape. The neck is roughly a cylinder, which flares out into the trapezius muscles.
The arm is still one big noodle. Where is the nape of the arm? Where is the bicep? Where does the upper arm end, and the forearm begin?

more refs: 1 (http://www.zbrushcentral.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=91817) 2 (http://pds8.egloos.com/pds/200801/19/69/a0009869_4791612edc7c0.gif)
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 09, 2011, 10:43:00 pm
Thank you so much. Edits coming soon.

[EDIT] boom.

(http://piczasso.com/i/1mhle.png)

sorry this one took so long. ive had tons of stuff going on recently.  :crazy:

the shading on the arms is still a little arbitrary and gross, but i think its a step in the right direction
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Mush on February 14, 2011, 06:17:15 am
(http://i.imgur.com/Y41eO.png)

When you use a reference, you need to pay attention to the position and size of key features in relation to other features. For example, the belly button lines up with the elbow, the nipples with the bottom of the deltoid, the clavicle with the top of the shoulders etc.

Also note that the neck extends straight down and the traps make triangles from the neck and the shoulders.

When shading, don't be afraid to shade/highlight the inner part of the object. Avoid only shading/highlighting along your line art (unless the object is flat like a disc).
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 17, 2011, 12:09:10 am
(http://i53.tinypic.com/28lquft.png)

final pushes. anatomy is better now. shading is okay.... i could use some work, but i have to have this done soon... (im also getting lazy  :lol:)

Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Cure on February 17, 2011, 12:49:05 am
where do the tops of the pecs end? where do the collarbones meet?
what shape are the ribs when they get close to the center of the chest?
what makes that hill-shaped indention above the belly button?

you're making progress, but it's so minimal that it barely shows. you can't be afraid to really alter your piece, to change major structures rather than just shifting little bits around.
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Dusty on February 17, 2011, 12:57:03 am
Is there any reason why he's so skinny, and that you insist on showing his ribs?
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: what on February 17, 2011, 02:00:53 am
@dusty
this guy's not really a human (i guess) i think it gives more definition to the chest

@cure
if u think i'm only making minute bits of progress, should i only post after a major edit?  ???
Title: Re: Shading
Post by: Mush on February 17, 2011, 03:31:16 am
I don't mean to be rude, but I think you're being extremely lazy. The updates you post are only slightly different than the previous versions. Just like anything in life, you need to put put the work into getting better. The skills won't just come to you magically.

I want to give you some additional crits, but unless you show that you are willing to listen to others' comments, it just seems like a big waste of time.