Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: 2D4Me on November 20, 2014, 03:05:58 am

Title: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: 2D4Me on November 20, 2014, 03:05:58 am
Hello All,

New member here, just thought I'd try and get some opinions and advice on how to improve my pixel art.  This is the piece I'm working on:

(http://s30.postimg.org/lfqv58m75/revised_tree_copy.png)

Any and all comments are welcome, any way I can improve this pic would be much appreciated.  I'm at 20 colors at the moment.
Title: Re: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: PsylentKnight on November 20, 2014, 04:14:24 am
Looking nice, I love the perspective of the building (museum? temple?) on the left. The thing that stands out to me the most is the leaves on the tree. I can tell you've put a lot of work into them, but I'd daresay that they're too detailed. In art of any medium, each individual leaf usually isn't drawn. I've found that there's a really hard balance to strike between showing each leaf and just showing the general shape of each cluster. Also, I don't think the shading really shows the form of the tree. It just gradients from dark to light rather than curving with the clusters of leaves.

Good work. :)
Title: Re: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: 2D4Me on November 20, 2014, 02:06:38 pm
Yeah, I know what you mean about the foliage, I've already gone through a few revisions trying to create something I'm completely happy with but it always ends up being either too simplified or to detailed.  It is indeed tough finding a good balance.  I'm thinking maybe I should eliminate most if the detail on the shadowed side and just a little from the lighted side to achieve a better result.  Also, should I perhaps add another color or two to the pic?  Would it benefit from added colors or is it ok the way it is?  I haven't even attempted any anti-aliasing, should I? 
Title: Re: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: Fizzick on November 20, 2014, 05:18:22 pm
(http://i.imgur.com/z8eCt9B.png)
I tried to nicen up the colors.
Title: Re: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: Kosvid on November 20, 2014, 06:29:10 pm
I messed up a bit. Changed colours, added some outline and removed dithering. I really think you should add some new colours so that transitions would become not so sharp and you could add more details. Also find out what clusters are, they mean a lot. Lonely dots moslty look like noise.
(http://i.imgur.com/zzECYYx.png)
Title: Re: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: 2D4Me on November 21, 2014, 02:13:19 pm
@Fizzick- Whilw I think your color changes definitely work and are interesting, I don't think they are necessarily nicer colors.  I think your version kind of just makes it look like it's taking place at a different time of day.

@Agent00X- Ok, so you think I should remove any and all dithering from the entire pic and instead add more colors to replace the dithered shading? 
Title: Re: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: Kosvid on November 21, 2014, 05:28:09 pm
I think dithering is not something definitely good or bad, it just can suit or not suit. 50% dithering, though, doesn`t look good for me.
I also suggest adding colours not for replacing dithering places but to have more opportunities in adding details (if you think you need them, of course).
Title: Re: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: Manupix on November 22, 2014, 12:33:56 am
I think the point of both color edits is to show you that your colors are too 'basic', in a mental kind of way, and thus neither realistic nor visually striking: you need to get rid of the 'grass is green, earth is brown, stone is grey' mind set.
Look at reference images, or actual nature and look at the true colors that are actually there, especially those which are 'at the edge' of perception, like blue/purple shadows.

You have 19 colors (http://akira.selfip.org/pj/?input=http%3A%2F%2Fs30.postimg.org%2Flfqv58m75%2Frevised_tree_copy.png), the last one (grey) likely accidental as it covers one pixel only (I couldn't find where). A piece with that much detail can have 32 or more without shame (if needed, of course).

Your color ramps (greens, browns etc) have very little hue shifting, they are disconnected in both color space and pixel space. Also you should avoid the use of pure (or nearly pure) greys: stone is rarely neutral. There are no dark tones.

Think of your palette as an interconnected whole, and recycle colors throughout the piece. More about this here (http://www.pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299&PN=1) and there (http://www.pixeljoint.com/2009/10/03/2938/Pixel_Artist_-_Syosa.htm).

The composition is good, but it makes the tree more the focal point than the building, which kind of contradicts the color balance (and maybe your intentions): the viewers eye is a bit torn between both.
Title: Re: (WIP) Seeking advice/critiques
Post by: 2D4Me on November 23, 2014, 07:23:00 am
Ok, so I tried to incorporate some of the tips you guys have given me, I got rid of most of the dithering (just need to finish up the dirt path) and I added some new colors as well as play with the overall color palette.  Am I going in the right direction here?  Here it is:

(http://s18.postimg.org/6ulnvtv4p/revised_tree_copy_2.png)