Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Pixel Art Feature Chest => Topic started by: Satsume on July 14, 2013, 06:42:24 pm

Title: GR#130 - Help with Sprites - Clusters, Focus
Post by: Satsume on July 14, 2013, 06:42:24 pm
Hello pepple, i don't know how many know me, but i need a serious problem, i want improve my skills, i see how "pro-pixelist" made, but i don't know how my concept or my works looks rugged, messy and other..
This morning i start with a little idea, create sprite with very low colors, just practice no others..
This is my wip;

(http://s23.postimg.org/p2gjxy5mf/Sprites.gif)
For the first, i've chosen a very simply style, and i think isn't bad.. (I THINK XD) but the second one.. make me confused.. at normal view the sprite looks very chaotic and rought.. but;

(http://s12.postimg.org/bbz0b46v1/test.png)
If i see on 1000% i can see the little details and i don't think is bad, i like it.. but at normal view it sucks..
what happen? please help me =< i don't know
Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: cirpons on July 15, 2013, 04:46:59 pm
the first sprite looks flat to me, you might want to add another color and add a shadow on the fur.
the second sprite looks good at both 100% and 1000%, he has a nice rocky texture. The only thing I dont like is his left (our right) arm, it looks kinda long in comparison with his right arm.
Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: Phlakes on July 15, 2013, 06:10:44 pm
If i see on 1000% i can see the little details and i don't think is bad, i like it.. but at normal view it sucks..

This is like Pixel Theory Rule #1 (and I don't mean that in a "you don't understand the basics" way)- when you're working at a small resolution you have to imply details rather than draw them outright. Looking at pixels zoomed out, everything runs together a bit, which you need to use to your advantage. Try to cut down on the single-pixel noise and focus on rendering the shapes more than giving them texture. You don't have a lot of space at that size so you should avoid wasting it on details, and then once you have a clear structure you can touch it up a bit.
Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: Facet on July 15, 2013, 10:48:55 pm
Yeah, I think you've answered your own question really (in that you gotta keep in mind the display resolution while you're working).

It's good practice anyway to simplify lights and darks into a nice clear statement. The faun-guy works better because he's separated nicely by material (hair/skin) and you could aim for similar readability on the cyclops using instead light and shadow masses. The way you're shading atm there's no predominant colour anywhere to give the contrast needed for a good sense of form at a glance; it's leveling out like a random dither.

(http://i.imgur.com/0fJnkNG.gif)

Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: Satsume on July 16, 2013, 08:50:13 am
Thanks for your help! i apprecciate it!
I don't know if i've understand, but i've tried to follow and made an edit

1x view
(http://s14.postimg.org/khc54pdld/Sprites.gif)

5x view
(http://s12.postimg.org/8jr4fw5wd/test.png)

Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: Facet on July 16, 2013, 08:26:30 pm
Yeah, that's definitely better :y:

I'd say you could still cut back on some of the constrast-y dark lines around smaller forms and those in the brightest light (generally rendering less individual bits with the whole value range) but I think you get the idea. I guess the peculiarities of this guy's physique makes quite a bit of that necessary here.
Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: Cyangmou on July 16, 2013, 08:59:39 pm
use your light to define form. don't bring in gritty non-detail pixels, just simplify and show thois forms clear.
(http://abload.de/img/2013_7_16ytu9y.gif)
Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: Satsume on July 16, 2013, 09:15:48 pm
Thanks for all your tips, i will try to follow.. for the next work :/
Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: Satsume on July 17, 2013, 12:26:36 pm
More practice; any rate/crits/tips will be accepted!

(http://s9.postimg.org/lmtjesddb/Sketches.png)
Title: Re: [WIP]Help with Spriting,practice
Post by: pistachio on July 18, 2013, 01:33:12 am
If i see on 1000% i can see the little details and i don't think is bad, i like it.. but at normal view it sucks..

This is like Pixel Theory Rule #1 (and I don't mean that in a "you don't understand the basics" way)- when you're working at a small resolution you have to imply details rather than draw them outright. Looking at pixels zoomed out, everything runs together a bit, which you need to use to your advantage. Try to cut down on the single-pixel noise and focus on rendering the shapes more than giving them texture. You don't have a lot of space at that size so you should avoid wasting it on details, and then once you have a clear structure you can touch it up a bit.

Had to be very latepost, but here's that useful rule of thumb in action in an older example by Arne.

Details (what it has) (http://androidarts.com/tuts/organic3c.jpg)
+
Forms (what it lacks) (http://androidarts.com/tuts/volume.jpg)
=
Both (http://androidarts.com/tuts/organic3c2.jpg)

About the new sprites: they're pretty flat around the edges. Not much volumetrics, but lots of detail clusters/flattened individually shaded forms. Tree seems the worst offender, images (http://www.wayofthepixel.net/index.php?topic=10520.0) and threads (http://www.wayofthepixel.net/index.php?topic=8291.0) are worth study. That's aside from the roof and chimney--better overall, but the chimney and roof are at different angles and the roof shingles are pretty dark--some unintended loss of color identity there, or they're made of metal.

The quickest thing you can do to fix this flatness is to draw shaded primitives, cubes, spheres, pyramids, probably with reference. Try using 2 or 3 colors only; a midtone and a shadow tone, maybe a small specular, to keep from over-blending. Try to get a better grip of this stuff by doing a lot of angles and lighting situations, then applying what you learned to your work, which should come more or less naturally by the end of it. Here's (http://3dtin.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/screen_shot_2011-09-08_at_6-05-37_pm-scaled500.png?w=494&h=407) some more primitives you can try after that, but the basics are really all you need.

Will make an edit of 1 or 2 of these if that helps.