Pixelation
Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Pizza Tom on June 15, 2016, 07:45:07 pm
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(https://s32.postimg.org/94bn5c0vp/pipe_x1.png)
Did this pipe for pixel dailies a bit ago, but I'm not quite satisfied with it. I realize there's a lot of colors - I was hoping to really go crazy on the reflections so I figured it was warranted. My main issue with it at the moment is the top "face" of the pipe.
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the shading you have on the top of the pipe suggest rounded top, like at the top of a bottle. Mario pipes are typically shaded as if they had completely flat top.
possible reference (http://www.spriters-resource.com/fullview/657)
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In some of the 3d games they do have a bit of a bevel at the edges, as seen here!
(http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/super-mario-3d-world/images/f/f0/Warp_Pipe_Artwork_-_Super_Mario_3D_World.png/revision/latest?cb=20131011212555)
EDIT: haha wow, that sized itself perfectly to the forum width. Nice!
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(http://s33.postimg.org/scss5wx6n/pipe_flat.png)(http://s33.postimg.org/spp897lrz/pipe_super.png)
Alright, maybe I've just been overthinking this then. I mean, it is a flat surface, so logically it would all be one color, right..?
Tried another version where it's like half and half, but ehhh... don't think I'm on the right track here. My brain keeps wanting to interpret it as convex instead of flat.
(http://s33.postimg.org/3mhcgp2wv/pipe_shine.png)
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You're actually pretty close! try removing the interior shading on that.
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You're actually pretty close! try removing the interior shading on that.
Which one are you referring to?
In the meantime I tried these two versions. Trying to go for a slight bevel. I feel like I may be progressing backwards haha
(https://s32.postimg.org/l155iw0s5/pipe_dark_rim.png)
(https://s32.postimg.org/3seheq639/pipe_light_rim.png)
Here's a version without the shading on the inside, though to me it looks more flat.
(https://s32.postimg.org/h1h94ymp1/pipe_no_mid.png)
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It would be more natural to apply light on the bevels facing us.
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(http://i.imgur.com/bKXWmJi.png)
EDIT: whoops, hit the post by accident.
What I did here was rework the shading to align more with the light source, which seems to be coming from somewhere to the left of the camera. I also added some spot-shine to the outer edge towards it.
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The pipes from the Mario series never read to me as metal, I always saw them as plastic.
Either way, metal has very harsh highlights, meaning they're super bright and shiny, metal is also reflective, meaning it reflects any surface you put it on.
(http://i.imgur.com/2IxnXCj.png)
Above is a quick study I did to showcase how metal behaves. Notice how the highlights are super bright and it also becomes lighter the lower it goes, because, as stated, metal is reflective.
Coming back to my first sentence, I've always looked at the pipes as plastic because of how shiny and vibrant they are. There are no naturally green metals, so the pipes, if they were metal, shouldn't really be that shiny. Heavy-duty paint that are used on metals usually give a matte finish (https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=metals+that+are+painted+green&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjh2eiLtqzNAhUJo5QKHdnaDogQ_AUICCgB&biw=1277&bih=675&dpr=2) to the surface being painted.
(http://i.imgur.com/lkCMUKp.png)
Assuming there were metals that were naturally green, above is an sloppy edit where I made it super-shiny, the blue doesn't really come from anywhere and the pipe would most likely reflect the orange bricks.
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(https://s32.postimg.org/ny37g4m9h/pipe_new.png)
Lots of great advice in here! Thanks guys! Hopefully this one puts enough of it to use to pass as metal now.
@drain, I increased contrast and tried playing with the shapes a bit more like in your edit. Hoping my highlights make more sense now. Re: the blue, wouldn't the pipe reflect the sky color as well?
@mystery meat, those rim highlights are exactly what I was trying to capture! Thanks!
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The pipes from the Mario series never read to me as metal, I always saw them as plastic.
Well, they're outdoor, so likely coated and unlikely polished. More looking like a metallic school fence than to a shining steel pinball. The suggested update is gorgeous, art-wise, though.
Just one note: the pipe should actually *enter* the ground. Right now, the little shading difference at the bottom makes it look more like it has a hat-shape, or a flower-pot shape, and could be freely moved on the ground.
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(https://s32.postimg.org/ny37g4m9h/pipe_new.png)
Lots of great advice in here! Thanks guys! Hopefully this one puts enough of it to use to pass as metal now.
@drain, I increased contrast and tried playing with the shapes a bit more like in your edit. Hoping my highlights make more sense now. Re: the blue, wouldn't the pipe reflect the sky color as well?
@mystery meat, those rim highlights are exactly what I was trying to capture! Thanks!
It appears as if you're mixing two value properties. The reflection to the right is too strong compared to the rest of the pipe and makes it look transparent more than anything. You'll have to bring in some blue and beige on the left side aswell if you want the reflection quality to match.
Remember that the smoother the metal is the more mirror like the reflection will be. Compare the two materials in this picture below; perhaps your pipe is somewhere in between?
(http://boxshot.com/support/boxshot-help/mtl_reflection_4.jpg)
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Thanks a bunch kullenberg, I had some issues with it but you articulated them exactly. :'(
(https://s32.postimg.org/prxq2puw5/pipe_new2.png)
Tried to bring the blue/tan into the other reflections, but it definitely doesn't look right. It's probably obvious that I'm just making it up at that point.
(https://s31.postimg.org/ib5gwykh7/pipe_new3.png)
Here I just removed the reflected colors altogether, and I think it looks the best so far, or at least less messy than the rest. Which is a bummer, I really wanted to get those reflections in, but I think that sort of complexity might be beyond a small piece like this.
Oh, and I changed the shading in both of them at the bottom to address the "hat" problem. It might still need some work though.
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I would get rid of that dark red shadow line as well, as it makes it look like the pipe/hat is hovering above the ground or is going in a little bit at the bottom. Instead of having a halo of shadow, suggest that it's in the ground by having some rougher dirt around it.
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an edit ...
(http://i.imgur.com/1F8vefT.png)
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That definitely looks to me like it's sticking out of the ground rather than resting on top of it!
I'd let the brightest highlights continue down a little bit more, maybe a pixel, if not all the way to the bottom. There are only three things that would prevent those highlights from reaching the bottom:
1. The lightsource (or the light-coloured object being reflected) is small and there's no more of it to reflect. That doesn't seem to be the case here.
2. The surface there isn't vertical, it goes inward. Like on an upside down hat :] That's not the case here either.
3. Something is blocking the highlight in that spot. In this case, that could be the dirt, however it wouldn't block that much, since the light source is coming from above the dirt and the dirt is small. It would at most block a pixel of highlight on the bottom.
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(https://s31.postimg.org/txhb8zvxn/pipe_new4.png)
Whew, you guys are really pushing me on this! In a good way, of course. :)
Adding the cracks and stuff to the tiles around the pipe made the rest feel too orderly, so I tried tilting and shoving the tiles a bit more. Let me know if it takes too much focus away!
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I didn't even notice the tilting until I read your post three times (each time I somehow kept misreading it), so I don't think it's too distracting xP
Good job with the dirt and highlights, too.