Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Gil on March 17, 2014, 11:38:14 pm
Title: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Gil on March 17, 2014, 11:38:14 pm
Hey guys, long time no see :)
I made some pixel art and for once I didn't forget to save the different stages, so I thought I'd post it here for a change :D
Marc Bolan (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan-3x.png)
Process:
First off, here's my reference, Marc Bolan from T-Rex: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan-ref.jpg)
I started with a silhouette, keeping the hair line for later: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan1.png)
Then I defined the core facial features as clusters: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan2.png)
Next, I defined two more important clusters, overlapping the previous clusters: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan3a.png)(http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan3b.png)
Highlights were next on the list: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan4.png)
To finish off the facial part, I added in more tones. At this point, I also added some rather abrasive colors in the palette, to make the picture more interesting. It kinda works, but it makes certain parts hard to get right. (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan5.png)
Next I did a color reduction of a filtered version of the original, which I then put into an indexed palette. The result is not pixel perfect of course, but I proceeded to put the face on. I also wrote Marc's signature by hand, and added AA (which is not stellar, I realize). (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan6.png)
Next, I re-evaluated all the clusters created by the color reduction, tightened them up back to pixel perfect level, to make for a finished picture: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan7.png)
Being a big Marc Bolan fan, I know the likeness of the original reference and thus, my version, is not too great. I might rectify this. The issue is mainly that the eyes need to be a bit different and the lips need to be more pouting. Also, I'm debating whether I should give him a hat.
Edit:
Gave him a neck and improved the likeness (I'm now happy with the likeness): (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/MarcBolan8.png)
For now though, critique time. Rip it apart gents. I could especially use some help on the AA of the lettering. I seem to have lost my touch with AA.
Syd Barrett (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-3x.png)
Process:
(http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett1.png)(http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2.png)(http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett3.png)(http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett4.png) (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett6.png) (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett7.png) I'm working on the hair right now, trying to emulate the style of my Marc Bolan picture. The trick will be to get better clusters going. Right now, the hair texture is noisy, which is not good. Also, if someone could help me figure out the likeness with Syd Barrett, I'd be much obliged. There don't seem to be any perfect photographs that I can study. It's mainly the eyes that I want to change to be closer to something like this: http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett-ref1.jpg
Thread starts here, read below for the process on Syd:
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Ashbad on March 18, 2014, 01:10:49 pm
Nice work on the Marc Bolan one! Nice colors and resemblance, tho the cheekbones are maybe a bit too pronounced.
As for syd barret tho he looks like a really sickly version of syd, he actually has a pretty wide jaw:
Lips are also a bit pronounced and his eyes are a bit larger, but I think other than that you really got his haunting post-drug gaze down pretty well. Nice job
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Gil on March 18, 2014, 02:27:38 pm
Nice work on the Marc Bolan one! Nice colors and resemblance, tho the cheekbones are maybe a bit too pronounced.
Thanks! Once the likeness got a bit better, I was quite proud of him. And yeah, the cheekbones are maybe a bit much, I think it's part of my style, as that seems to return in my drawings. I'll leave him alone for a while and look back at him in a few days with fresh eyes to see if I want to correct that or leave it as part of the drawing.
As for syd barret tho he looks like a really sickly version of syd, he actually has a pretty wide jaw: Lips are also a bit pronounced and his eyes are a bit larger, but I think other than that you really got his haunting post-drug gaze down pretty well. Nice job
Yeah, I completely agree. The gaze is there, but it's not his eyes :-\. I feel that once I can get likeness going in the eye region, it'll be easier to fix the whole drawing. I'm going to have to study his eyes for a while, before I can finish the drawing. Thanks for the comments! (Also nice that you know who these people are btw, I was afraid no one would recognize them :))
Edit: Is this better? It feels better. I still have to shade most of it obviously: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett8.png)
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Mr. Fahrenheit on March 18, 2014, 09:44:16 pm
I think the jaw should be a bit more angular and narrow at a really shallow angle starting at the bottom of the nose, then angle harder at the bottom of the lips.
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Ashbad on March 18, 2014, 10:07:12 pm
Nice work on the Marc Bolan one! Nice colors and resemblance, tho the cheekbones are maybe a bit too pronounced.
Thanks! Once the likeness got a bit better, I was quite proud of him. And yeah, the cheekbones are maybe a bit much, I think it's part of my style, as that seems to return in my drawings. I'll leave him alone for a while and look back at him in a few days with fresh eyes to see if I want to correct that or leave it as part of the drawing.
As for syd barret tho he looks like a really sickly version of syd, he actually has a pretty wide jaw: Lips are also a bit pronounced and his eyes are a bit larger, but I think other than that you really got his haunting post-drug gaze down pretty well. Nice job
Yeah, I completely agree. The gaze is there, but it's not his eyes :-\. I feel that once I can get likeness going in the eye region, it'll be easier to fix the whole drawing. I'm going to have to study his eyes for a while, before I can finish the drawing. Thanks for the comments! (Also nice that you know who these people are btw, I was afraid no one would recognize them :))
Edit: Is this better? It feels better. I still have to shade most of it obviously: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett8.png)
Yep! ;D love Syd, Piper on the Gates of Dawn is easily one of my favorite albums of all time.
Does look better, a lot less sickly! Jaw should be a bit more angular, though. Also, just realized how much hair you have on Syd -- I bit unrealistic, unless you were going for that. Lowering the hair mass might make his features more recognizable (since his head will look thicker/bigger as a result). A few more things: might not want to keep mirroring the face exactly, even if the light source is from the front, it'll look more natural with a slight bit of unevenness; and, his neck is really really thin (though I've personally got no studying of neck anatomy), but I'm guessing it's a placeholder since you did a much better job with Bolan's neck. Did a (really quick and sloppy) edit, may or may not be helpful, just for ideas.
(http://i.imgur.com/lkaY44x.gif)
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Gil on March 19, 2014, 11:38:52 am
Yep! ;D love Syd, Piper on the Gates of Dawn is easily one of my favorite albums of all time.
Does look better, a lot less sickly! Jaw should be a bit more angular, though. Also, just realized how much hair you have on Syd -- I bit unrealistic, unless you were going for that. Lowering the hair mass might make his features more recognizable (since his head will look thicker/bigger as a result). A few more things: might not want to keep mirroring the face exactly, even if the light source is from the front, it'll look more natural with a slight bit of unevenness; and, his neck is really really thin (though I've personally got no studying of neck anatomy), but I'm guessing it's a placeholder since you did a much better job with Bolan's neck. Did a (really quick and sloppy) edit, may or may not be helpful, just for ideas.
(http://i.imgur.com/lkaY44x.gif)
Piper is awesome. It's got some of the cool Floyd stuff, but then it also has Bike, which is definitely a classic Syd song :)
Edit! I like edits! Quick rundown: - Neck: yeah, this neck was from back when the face was half as wide, will fix. - Eyes: The black around your eyes might be an improvement, will have to play around. I'm afraid I can't do the pupils and white that way, as it has to fit stylistically with Bolan. You managed to get the slant more correct though, testing time! - Hair: Yeah, I'm still debating that one. When I think of Syd, I can't help but think about his final performance, the video clip of Jugband Blues. Jugband Syd has some crazy hair going on: (http://i.imgur.com/D3DYf0q.jpg) - Mouth: I think you got the moustache shadow correct there
I think I want the hair big, but it probably needs a redo in terms of shape. The reason Syd is giving me issues, is because I did some anatomy studies on Bolan beforehand, while Syd was just an afterthought :). I'll probably do Morrison next, I'll make sure to study up first this time.
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Gil on March 19, 2014, 02:51:54 pm
Okay, I decided to start over, apply all the techniques I used on Bolan.
First I made a quick Photoshop study of how I wanted him to look: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett-study.png)
Then I did the other steps: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-1.png)(http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-2.png)(http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-3.png)(http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-4.png)
To end up with this: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-5.png)
I still have to do the hair of course. Is this better?
Edit: few small things, cleaned up the hair (Left bottom part is what I'm going for I guess, hair is hard) (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-6.png)
Edit: fixed the nose a bit more, added some bags beneath the eyes, etc. I think I finally have his likeness. (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-7.png)
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Johasu on March 19, 2014, 08:07:35 pm
I feel like you can maybe do something with the eyeballs to nail this down. His iris/pupils feel too far out or too small in comparison to the remainder of the eye. Maybe make them darker or bring them in a pixel?
It's a nitpick but that's the only thing that has been standing out to me as a bit off.
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Gil on March 19, 2014, 08:54:44 pm
I feel like you can maybe do something with the eyeballs to nail this down. His iris/pupils feel too far out or too small in comparison to the remainder of the eye. Maybe make them darker or bring them in a pixel?
It's a nitpick but that's the only thing that has been standing out to me as a bit off.
Ah yes, you're right, I tried it and that does make more sense: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-8b.png)
Problem is, I think it kinda removes the drug gaze he's got going on, so I went back to the old eyes. I think this is the final version, unless someone has anything else to add that needs changing: (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-8.png)
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Ashbad on March 19, 2014, 09:57:37 pm
Looking really great! Some small nitpicks, I'd probably put weaker contours and have less contrast near his mouth, since it's standing out a lot more than his more noticeable features (his eyes and nose, imo), and maybe go with a bit less contrast near the mouth and nose area, since it looks like it indents/is too flat around that area.
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: tim on March 20, 2014, 11:47:44 am
I really like your work. Awesome art direction, awesome execution.
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Gil on March 20, 2014, 12:11:26 pm
I really like your work. Awesome art direction, awesome execution.
Thanks. I saw that Behind Nowhere website and I was really impressed btw. Great job on that so far.
I've been working on facial studies (graphite and pastels) for more than a year now, I'm glad to hear that the hard work there pays off in my pixel art too. Execution has never been a problem for me, but art direction has. So yeah, kids, if you've got problems with pixels, go back to traditional for a while, it pays off :)
Also, excuse my weird fascination with symmetry and frontal faces. I've got binders full of people staring straight at the camera. I like that for some reason. At first I wanted to change that, but then I decided that's my style and I'm desperately looking for a unique style, so I'm trying to go with it.
Looking really great! Some small nitpicks, I'd probably put weaker contours and have less contrast near his mouth, since it's standing out a lot more than his more noticeable features (his eyes and nose, imo), and maybe go with a bit less contrast near the mouth and nose area, since it looks like it indents/is too flat around that area.
Absolutely valid critique. This seems better, right?
Old -> New (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-8.png) -> (http://art.game-designer.org/pixelart/rocknroll/SydBarrett2-9.png)
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Ashbad on March 31, 2014, 04:04:45 pm
(sorry for late reply) Looks great! You've gotten really close to Syd's resemblance while keeping the same style with the Bolan one, so many kudos.
Any updates on Syd (if you have any) or any progress on Morrison? These are really cool and it'd hence be cool to see the set finished :y:
Title: Re: Rock Artists - Marc Bolan / Syd Barrett
Post by: Gil on April 02, 2014, 12:33:09 pm
I called Syd done for now. I started work on Morrison, but his facial features are really subtle, so I haven't quite figured it out yet.