Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: skw on February 10, 2007, 07:57:11 pm

Title: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: skw on February 10, 2007, 07:57:11 pm

(http://republika.pl/falloutmodding/jabberwocky.png)
An illustration to the well-known poem by Lewis Carroll.

Yeah, I've tried it; CGA#2, +45 minutes of doodling, dither brush used. I dig the palette I must say!

There's a tree on the right, some tanglement of green (or forest) and a boy behind the hole on the left. I haven't placed the character of Jabberwock here, since I guess everyone has their own interpretation.

If you don't see anything or if you think I should throw this crap away, tell me. :)

I don't have an idea of what to do now. Would you help me?

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Souly on February 10, 2007, 09:34:05 pm

I love it.  :'(
It's beautiful.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Xion on February 10, 2007, 09:43:33 pm

Yeah, awesome muchly, but I don't see the boy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

I so want to see your interpretation of the Jabberwock.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Ai on February 11, 2007, 12:33:26 am

The right 2/3 of the picture is yummy.


My suggestions:

* trail out some 75% dither from the solid green areas
* elaborate on the silhouette you seem to be suggesting in the mist

This piece exemplifies my idea of good pixel art: exacting enough, but not so much as to cramp style.
For future CGA pieces, you might be able to use the fact that you can switch the palette as the screen is being redrawn, so some vertical slice of the screen could be drawn with a different palette than the rest.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: skw on February 11, 2007, 02:37:31 pm

Thanks a lot! I hope you'll like the finished version better! :)

(http://republika.pl/falloutmodding/jwocky02.png)

I've reworked only the boy - another quickie, but still not the last change I'm going to do. Now you should see there a shape of a long-haired man (3/4 side-view) with the vorpal blade at his side. This portrays the scene from my signature: "And stood awhile in thought". Still I don't know whether to stay with a silhouette or to push the rendering further.

It'd be a hard thing to depict (or even to imagine in every detail) the Jabberwock. That's why I love it. I think I'll leave it for you, just like Carroll did in his poem, to imagine that somewhere in this tanglement of pixels lurks his hideous figure. :)

From an artistic point of view, the palette does a good job as well. If we'll think of the colours as of symbols, the green (the brightest clr) may symbolise the hero's serenity or innocence, the world of nature, which is opposed to the black and red - colours of darkness and blood - the viciousness of the antihero.

Thanks for the useful suggestions and a piece of advice, Ai. There's much to polish yet on this one, but I'll put here the next step as soon as possible.

Keep on posting!

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Helm on February 11, 2007, 02:52:14 pm

The green and the red where they meet, need fuller mixing. I'm afraid you won't have a choice but to do silly dither patterns like I did on Spartan. This is a wonderful piece of pixel art. Congratulations.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Xion on February 11, 2007, 08:31:41 pm

Oh, I see the dude now.  :o
Not only was I looking on the entirely wrong side of the pic, but I was looking at the brightest green as positive space when it's, in fact, negative.

O, things are so much clearer, now.

disagree that the transition between green and darkness needs another dither pattern. I think it would be much cooler if you let the green spill into the forest like some kind of fog, with wisps trailing into it. You've already got a part like that in there, just to the right of the man.
The wierd dither in the upper-left hand corner I'm not liking. It's too...unfitting with the rest of the image. Like, you can see the brush strokes. Needs more detail there to make it look like a tree branch.

Unless you intended to do that in the first place, in which case I guess you can ignore me.

Real nice though.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: InvaderLupus on February 11, 2007, 09:31:25 pm

this is a truly beautiful work of art. It really captures the mood of the poem perfectly (a poem that I was obsessed with back in 6th grade)

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: skw on February 11, 2007, 09:42:48 pm

Thank you!

I made a step foward; the question is: is that the right direction?

(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/3169823710jwocky03.png)

Again, I'm a little lost right now; an edit (if necessary) would be really helpful!

@Helm: The dithering patterns on your Spartan look clear and seem planned, like you had full control over the piece. I can't get rid of a feeling that those on mine still look messy, no matter how I would try to improve it.

Hehe. I'm not ignoring any comment or suggestion, Xion. I like the mist idea, I'll think of it (the next step). How do you like the dither now? ;)

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: khorin on February 11, 2007, 10:44:11 pm

This is just an aside but for some reason the image seems to blink in the red and green area whenever I scroll. Interesting... (Maybe it's just my laptop)

Anyway, beautiful work there. Took me awhile to find the boy (oops). The dithering was great before that edit but mixing the red and green a bit more was a good move.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Badassbill on February 11, 2007, 11:00:17 pm

There are a lot more ways to dither that would add to the blending of red to green. Try using more unconventional types of dithering.
An example of what I mean:
(http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/9259/dithexfj8.png)

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Checkworth on February 11, 2007, 11:06:51 pm

I still don't see the boy  :'( Helps me!

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Xion on February 11, 2007, 11:11:26 pm

The boy has become a Man, now.
Look into the green mists.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: Faktablad on February 12, 2007, 01:48:14 am

I love it.  The varying textures give me a lot to look at.  Nice job.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: ptoing on February 12, 2007, 07:02:37 am

(http://www.ptoing.net/edit/jwhorsie.png)

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: skw on February 12, 2007, 10:17:41 pm

Haha, sharp eye! Know what? I'm gonna leave it there. :)

Quote from: Xion Night

The boy has become a Man, now.

Right! :)

(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/9559667114jwocky06.png)
Another step; yes, I know: I'm very, VERY slow. No time.

Thanks for your comments and suggestions, this is one of the most 'unconventional' pixel art pieces I've been doing so far.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: spunos on February 13, 2007, 08:12:59 pm

Just wanted to say how much I love this piece. The composition, the trees, the figure in the background, the way you used the colours... it's beautiful :)

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: ptoing on February 13, 2007, 08:21:21 pm

Quote from: Skurwy on February 12, 2007, 10:17:41 pm

Haha, sharp eye! Know what? I'm gonna leave it there. :)

Less sharp eyes, more overactive brain making me see stuff.
For me personally the "horse" hurts the piece a bit :/ But it still has an ace atmosphere.

Title: Re: [WIP] Jabberwocky? CGA2
Post by: skw on February 15, 2007, 12:15:46 am

Thanks! :D

I think I see your point, ptoing, but I won't change that. I like it. It still can be looked upon just as a tree/forest texture. Ah, I ereased the pixel eye, though, hehe.

The piece is 'finished' already, so if you like please visit the gallery: http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/18192.htm! ;)