Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: devinode on February 13, 2011, 06:05:39 pm

Title: Red Army
Post by: devinode on February 13, 2011, 06:05:39 pm
It isn't the best ever. It started as line art, I'm just practicing drawing. Hope you like it.  ;D

(http://i54.tinypic.com/r26a9z.png)
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: ptoing on February 13, 2011, 07:23:51 pm
Was this your reference by any chance? Please tell us if you used reference and link to it or post it. It helps in the critiquing process.
(http://ericksontribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/YLi1109_BeyondBoundriesSoldierRun.jpg)

Also where do you want to take you picture? Do you plan to refine it more, add antialias, more colours, whatnot? It helps A LOT if you let us know that as well, because if you just want to show us your art, this is not a gallery, it's a critique focused forum.

One thing that looks very odd is where you strayed from the ref (which I assume was what you used anyway) is the arm.
To look like that in silhouette he would have his arm stretched out to the side or angled in a rather uncompfy manner.
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: Mathias on February 13, 2011, 07:36:00 pm
The USSR star looks rather weak, it's mis-shapen, not equal on all 5 sides. Tool icons are also pretty frail looking. They should be beefier, stronger.

(http://www.russianlegacy.com/catalog/images/soviet_collection/flags/FS0088.jpg)

Not sure what the star represents, whether it's needed or not. Sometimes it's included, sometimes it's not.


The soldier looks American. Yet a Russian/USSR motif on top? Not following this piece.

And it's not even lineart is it? It's a silhouette.

Also, this piece is pretty big. It'll be exhausting to detail out at this scale. And if you don't detail it, then I have to wonder why it's done in pixel art at all, and not vector, which is typically the better choice for basic spot color stuff like this.
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: devinode on February 13, 2011, 09:08:14 pm
First off, yes that was the reference, 2nd, the arm is something I added to it because it looked odd with just the rifle sticking out. as if he has no arms.

I really didn't use much detail (or thought ) for the Russian star. And In paint there's a star tool. it didnt really work well I guess.

I probably should just take out the star and maybe put in a type of flag.

I may consider adding detail but as you've said, I suppose it almost doesn't count as pixel art. Then again, isometric pixel art pictures are very large sometimes but still counted. I dunno, just a thought.

And Like I said, it started as just line art but I just made it a sillouhette. I'm torn on if I want to maybe redo it and make it smaller.

P.S. as for the angle of the soldier, when I'm redrawing something I tend to mess up angles, sizes, etc. It's a dreadful thing.
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: ptoing on February 13, 2011, 09:40:29 pm
Size has nothing to do with whether something is pixelart. What depends, imo, is that the piece you are doing benefits from being pixelart and that there is pixel level detail. As it stands your piece might as well be vector art.
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: devinode on February 13, 2011, 09:48:31 pm
Well, I've failed you   :yell:
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: Mathias on February 13, 2011, 10:36:29 pm
Hehe, well I wouldn't view yourself as having failed by any means. I think you're just trying new stuff.

Size alone doesn't disqualify pixel art as valid, it's just part of the criteria. There's always exceptions. Best to take it case-by-case, not create hard rules.
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: devinode on February 14, 2011, 03:25:23 am
Heh. Well... I can't decide what I should do with this guys, forget it, just remove the red star, or make it even more, well, pixel art like. (smaller, kinda like a sprite..)
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: Gamer36 on February 15, 2011, 08:14:47 am
Fixed the Hammer and Scathe thing. WAS going to anti-alias but then I remembered how bad I was at that  :-[
NEW:                                               OLD:
(http://imgur.com/F9V2j.png)(http://i54.tinypic.com/r26a9z.png)
EDIT:I just had to put them next to each other and for once I feel proud of myself.
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: devinode on February 15, 2011, 12:26:25 pm
lol, thanks Gamer36, but didn't you read the rest of the posts? about how im gonna remove the star.   :lol:
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: Elk on February 15, 2011, 09:26:04 pm
Size has nothing to do with whether something is pixelart. What depends, imo, is that the piece you are doing benefits from being pixelart and that there is pixel level detail. As it stands your piece might as well be vector art.

I know what youre talking about :P

This could be a neat repro-PA :) ,devinode,
eliminate this meaningless grayshade, it doesn't go with the absolute white/yellow/red/black theme
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: devinode on February 15, 2011, 10:50:15 pm
Well I'm removing the flag anyways so it'll just be black and white.. and I may downsize it because there's no way I can fill it in with color.


Edit: what I'm really aiming for is to be able to create sprites and maybe make up a sample of an arcade version of battlefield bad company 2.
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: RAMENSHOP on February 16, 2011, 04:58:06 pm
more aggressive and more powerful like old propaganda posters!
(http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/6430/sorena.png)
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: Argyle on February 16, 2011, 05:31:30 pm
And Ramenshop comes in with the headshot bombshell.  Great edit, was going to suggest adding some depth like that even if it's just a more faint silhouette of more soldiers in the background, but that went above and beyond.  :y:
Title: Re: Red Army
Post by: devinode on February 16, 2011, 08:53:56 pm
Damn that just blew mine out of the water  T_T  ahaha. If you look in general discussion i used the soldier on the title screen for a mockup of a gameboy game.