Pixelation
Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Zizka on April 21, 2012, 12:59:11 am
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Hello guys! :)
While I'm working on the damage status, I thought I'd get some critique on my chipset.
I wanted to get some criticism about my chipset. I decided to put everything here instead of creating zillions of threads and spam the forum.
Mushroom:
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/rtas_1bb_u5vq6.png)
Bush:
(http://img15.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/ethd_ee6_u5vq6.png)
Flowers:
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/hxo3_474_u5vq6.gif)
Cloud:
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/qnya_773_u5vq6.png)
Sign:
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/usc1_946_u5vq6.png)
Tree Trunk:
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/129x_d27_u5vq6.png)
Tree (showed it before):
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/118o_a76_u5vq6.png)
Tall grass:
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/16vh_6e9_u5vq6.png)
Water:
(http://img15.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/115c_fe2_u5vq6.png)
Road:
(http://img14.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/u414_d0f_u5vq6.png)
Bit of grass:
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/i8qg_a05_u5vq6.png)
And a little extra, the ''selection'' animation (kind of like the hand in final fantasy). Got the bouncing idea from Pixeldiver. I'm just putting this there even if it's not related with the chipset, I like what I did with the animation (my first ''complex'' animation).
(http://img14.picoodle.com/i54k/freemind/13pb_6ea_u5vq6.gif)
It's for a Japanese learning RPG. I'm leaving a concept video here for those who might be interested (it's a mix of pixel art non pixel art):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl-RGvtXKbY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl-RGvtXKbY)
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Could you do a mockup? It's harder to see if these things work together when they're all separated like this. Though it seems to me that you've got some very different perspectives between the trees and the sign.
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Hi, I'm new to pixel art, but I have a fair idea on contrast. Everything looks nice, but the colors of the mushroom. Put the mushroom next to the tree that you mentioned you showed before. You'll notice its blurry compared to the vibrant color of the tree. I agree that a mockup would either average the colors or show that contrast needs to be adjusted, so it would be nice to see that.
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Alright for the mock-up then. There most probably will be color and perspective issues but it's worth a shot! Thanks!
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Alright, I did a mockup but I'd better warn you there's a lot of room for improvement (which is why I created the thread in the first place :D).
I think the main issue is the grass color which is too saturated.
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i54s/freemind/t7or_3d2_u5vq6.png)
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Right now it feels like you have a lot of disparate elements - nothing really blends well together. I would recommend reducing your palette, to start with, at least for some of the foliage. Instead of an individual palette for each plant, use a single one.
You also have some perspective confusion, I think. Some of these are nearly straight-on, while some seem to be going for a sort of Zelda nearly-top-down perspective.
Edit/mockup:
(http://i.imgur.com/UeXMZ.png)
I reduced the palette, added shadows to everything and tweaked the shading on the trees. I also repositioned the flowers/shaded around them a bit so they'd seem a little less top-down. I'm not sure what the cloud is meant for but here's one that keeps the swirly look while adding more volume. If it's not meant for scenery and is meant for a power or something you would probably want it less bulky.
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Thank you for the edit, really.
I knew what was wrong but I couldn't put finger on it, it was the palette! That's a great idea to use the for all of the plants and that's what I'll do.
This really points me in the right direction, thanks!
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I'm too lazy to write a list of all the changes. I'm sure you'll notice them :crazy:.
(http://img14.picoodle.com/i551/freemind/qtsy_324_u5vq6.png)
What's next? I'd really like this to be perfect.
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This looks much better already!
Your tall grass is really dark and heavily contrasted compared to everything else, though. I'd lower the contrast on that so it matches the rest of the set. I don't know if the shadows are mocked-up or not but you have some stray pixels in the shadows on the trees. The shadows on the flowers also seem too diffuse. Consider how close they are to the ground.
The "lightning bolt" coming out of the cloud is distracting, it kind of makes them look like thought balloons. It's not exactly bad, it's just kind of odd? The clouds also feel a little small compared to the rest of the scene, and I think they might benefit from another lighter shade. You have three colors in them right now but the two darker shades are close enough that it just looks like two colors.
The green mushrooms are also really distractingly bright - I'd tone down their saturation a little.
I'm picking over the details since you want it perfect, but your second mockup already looks so much better than the first. It's coming along very nicely. :)
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Your tall grass is really dark and heavily contrasted compared to everything else, though. I'd lower the contrast on that so it matches the rest of the set. I don't know if the shadows are mocked-up or not but you have some stray pixels in the shadows on the trees. The shadows on the flowers also seem too diffuse. Consider how close they are to the ground.
I didn't think someone would notice the stray pixels! I'll fix the shadows on the flowers and touch up the perspective. I'll lower the contrast on the tall grass as well.
The green mushrooms are also really distractingly bright - I'd tone down their saturation a little.
I thought of that too. I'll fix it, thanks.
The "lightning bolt" coming out of the cloud is distracting, it kind of makes them look like thought balloons. It's not exactly bad, it's just kind of odd? The clouds also feel a little small compared to the rest of the scene, and I think they might benefit from another lighter shade. You have three colors in them right now but the two darker shades are close enough that it just looks like two colors.
It's not a lightning bolt, it's supposed to be clouds like you'd see in Chinese paintings:
(http://fbrushes.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/Chinese_Clouds_by_TOMQVAXY_by_tomqvaxy.jpg)
Guess it's not very obvious the way it is right now though. I'll change them and make them bigger.
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It looks quite tame for a wild forest. I think the flowers should be seen with a slight perspective, because it clashes with the other elements for now.
Edit: I see what you did there. That made me chuckle. :lol:
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Yup ;D.
Anyhow, I fixed most criticism this time:
(http://img15.picoodle.com/i553/freemind/qtsy_fc6_u5vq6.png)
I added the bush which wasn't there before but I worked on it a bit longer before doing so. I think I'll get some comments about the shading of the bush but I wanted to try something. Not sure the colors of the bush match the rest of the map either. I also moved things around to make the forest look more like a forest. I tweaked the clouds a bit.
Anyhow, let me know what else could use some improvement and I'll do it.
I'm working on adding a cliff but it doesn't look very good at the moment so I'm not putting it on the map just yet.
(http://img13.picoodle.com/i553/freemind/e3ho_d98_u5vq6.png)