Pixelation
Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Draco9898 on May 23, 2007, 05:07:00 pm
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Potty humor, fun isn't it? :crazy:
BTW, can anyone point me to where I can change my avatar pic? I searched through the profile forever and no cigar...
About 8 millennia ago, I wasn't so great at pixel art. Ouch!:
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/3566482903BlueShip.png)
You've seen the human evolution chart, right? Well...
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/5013829852YouCallthisProgress.png)
Now ride back in your magic time-machine to today:
A arcade style game where you must accomplish tasks around the office or get 3 pink slips and lose!
Lines for john doe's head and game idea(sorta-I guess.) from: Alucard:http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=4029.0 (http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=4029.0)
And yes, I didn't get around to finishing any carpet texture/ bear trap...-
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/2718296476OfficeRushXtreme.png)
shoot-em'-up sprites/mock-up for a game competition that's in the works:
Yummy fireball-
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/3666999724ShotOne3.gif)
The background is <sucky/missing, I know, I know...>-
Doesn't the ship remind you of that one sport on ice and they use brushes to keep it going without ever touching it? Errr- Nevermind.
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/5743672138AquariusMockUp.png)
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Welcome to pixelation! It looks like you could use much of the same advice you were giving to Orclaeder in his thread. While you seem comfortable without black outlines, your shading is a bit nonsensical still. You have some isolated portions that are very slick (like the little round eyes/windows/whatever in the mockup) but when you move on to larger forms, such as the sub itself, your style of shading gets muddy and confused. Something I've had to practice a LOT in pixel art is not being afraid to just use planes of solid color, especially on large sprites. Your sub especially seems to consist mainly of smoothly gradiented highlights, which ends up making it look a bit blobby and hard to read. Also, in a shmup, it can't hurt to have the same light source for your enemies as you have on your hero ship. You'd do well to match the level of contrast too! Keep at it, this is a good start.
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Welcome to pixelation! It looks like you could use much of the same advice you were giving to Orclaeder in his thread. While you seem comfortable without black outlines, your shading is a bit nonsensical still. You have some isolated portions that are very slick (like the little round eyes/windows/whatever in the mockup) but when you move on to larger forms, such as the sub itself, your style of shading gets muddy and confused.
Yeah, thanks but I've been hiding-out and commenting here for quite a long time. And I've been pixeling for years and years.
Non-sense, theres a definite light-source on everything and it happens to be the top right corner. The sub has ambient light coming from the bottom to make it look more metallic.
I like to have very sharp edges on various features and internal/external anti-alas the rest. Without any internal anti-alasing it becomes painful to look at.
I'd like to see an edit to see exactly what your talking about.
Compare the one of the first spaceships at the top with this thing, now THAT'S mixed up shading/contrast.
Something I've had to practice a LOT in pixel art is not being afraid to just use planes of solid color, especially on large sprites. Your sub especially seems to consist mainly of smoothly gradiented highlights, which ends up making it look a bit blobby and hard to read.
Maybe at 1x level, but it's ment to be a 320x240 game. At my resolution now, this would be like looking at it at 3x level. I'll agree that I kind of went over-board on the antialasing though.
match the level of contrast too!
I'll agree with you here.
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Nonsense, eh? From what direction are your little blue fishies lit? Regardless, your shading could use a lot of work, whether or not you choose to admit it. AA is not the problem here. The problem is that relative depth and planes of your sub in particular (though the fishy baddies have it too) are very confusing to the eye. Things that are close to us (like the pods extending from the sides) are shaded exactly the same as things farther away from us (like the fin). Now, it's a good idea to differentiate those planes regardless, but since you're underwater, you don't even need an excuse! There actually WOULD be less detail and contrast in any plane farther from our eyes, even in a photo!
Every surface (save the pod with the 4 lights on it, though the lights obscure it enough for it not to matter) suffers from a lack of color identity, or base hue. Your surfaces consist almost entirely of shadow and highlight, with maybe 10% of your real base hue visible. 50% would be a better number! On top of that, despite insisting on using AA throughout the interior, you've left some very harsh aliasing (especially at 3x) along the windshield edge, where the blue glass meets the green windshield. You need more contrast between your hottest speculars and darkest shadows, but you need to use them LESS overall throughout your sprites.
Of course, I'm sure this is all nonsense. Looks like those soldier types are from...September of last year? It appears that you rejected most people's advice then. I should clarify that the only reason I am offering crits for your underwater scene is that it appears, unlike the other pieces you posted, to be salvageable. It has potential; you have a chance to grow and improve as an artist here if you choose to look at your own work with the same critical eye that you cast on other member's posts.
You've got a good start here, but every part of your picture needs attention. You are capable of doing better work, but it will require time and a critical, analytical mindset. I encourage you to invest a little more, especially in your mockup; it could be the first of many fine pieces from you!
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underwater scene is that it appears, unlike the other pieces you posted, to be salvageable.
So, you don't like the office thing, eh?
I'm Sorry, I'm just frustrated as this is almost literally the 10th-or-so time I've recolored this sub-thing. I also have hay-fever and don't feel great at all. I've kind-of grown attached to the work as I've been playing with it so long and I'm feeling stubborn...
I'm not rejecting your advice, I'm re-shading the sub now. The hard edges on the top right of the shind sheild is on purpose, as I like to have some hard edges.
With the spike fishes I wanted them to look flat in form, but I couldn't get it to work on such a small level. :D
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/7870378112BetterShip1.gif)
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/2294195098compare.png)
Better explosion at the end, color tweak.
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/2384226346ShotOne5.gif)
WOOT 254 views and no more replies...thats a good thing, right? :)
I still can't find how to change my crappy 2 year old avatar!! ::) Profile -> profile info has nothing relating to images on it!?
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WOOT 254 views and no more replies...thats a good thing, right? :)
I still can't find how to change my crappy 2 year old avatar!! ::) Profile -> profile info has nothing relating to images on it!?
1) Be patient. 200 views is nothing much
2) Your avatar can't be 2 years old, the fadatars were invented a couple of months ago
3) We don't reply because you chose to ignore our comments anyway
4) Even a hard edge needs AA or it's jaggy, so fix that...
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WOOT 254 views and no more replies...thats a good thing, right? :)
I still can't find how to change my crappy 2 year old avatar!! ::) Profile -> profile info has nothing relating to images on it!?
1) Be patient. 200 views is nothing much
2) Your avatar can't be 2 years old, the fadatars were invented a couple of months ago
3) We don't reply because you chose to ignore our comments anyway
4) Even a hard edge needs AA or it's jaggy, so fix that...
1. Ok.
2. Alright, so maybe I exaggerated. This still doesn't help me find out how to change it. (Ok, it's broken...nevermind then, dood.)
3. How so? This seems odd as I just tried to listen and fix my ship from adam's advice above. I try to carefully read and understand any comments I get, despite I may seem a tad stubborn. I may not follow-up on a crit, but I'll always listen to what people have to say.
4) What if it's too small a space to pad it internally? or you'd find padding the pixels takes away from space you'd like to keep the same?
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4) What if it's too small a space to pad it internally?
theres no such thing. Every shape has room to be aa'ed and you should never have to sacrifice any space you don't wish to sacrifice. Try AAing the line itself and not just the colors that approach it and youll find that you have plenty of room.
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It's hard because I do not want to sacrifice the purple bubbley space and the line is almost entirely stair-stepped (45 degree angle) :crazy: As you can see if you view the sub, yes I've tried to AA it a bit
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Not the most inclusive edit as there are a lot of issues that need fixing. I think it fixes a few things and gives you some ideas though.
(http://imagehost.ensellitis.com/imagesv2/2294195098compare.png)(http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4336/fixingec5.png)
Light source is still off. Keep in mind that it isn't right next to the object it is a distance away and large. In your first shade you have placed it as if it was directly in front close up and really bright, the seculars are then on the more corectish angles. Your lighter one is closer. My edit actually doesn't quite hit it on the head but it's heading closer. AA more things then i did i only AA'd a few areas to give you a better look at how. Colours need a bit of tweaking, I say get rid of pure white and try and make the palette more versatile in its ramps so there can be some shared colours between ramps... My advice is pretty limited and uninformative at this stage, more or less repetition, sorry but hopefully others can go a bit deaper.
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thats very good, granted it's way brighter then I'd ever wanted and looks a tad harsh. My light source is the the upper right hand corner. The ramps on the side near the windsheild are orange lights and nothing that would stick out, but you've given me ideas about the AA, and form, thanks.
I'd like shadows, more shadows to add contrast. I guess I'll strip down to nothing again, or just start from scratch. I'm not really sure what I'd like to do with it anymore. I want it to look metallic, yet, be easily readable.
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stripping it down again and re-shading probably wont be very useful unless you get what I'm trying to say:
(http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/7803/lightcritjs4.png)
In the diagram you have two light sources. The bottom one which is indicated with the blue arrows and is fine (hence the ticks).
Then the top right corner one, this is not so good. The light is effective towards the front of the ship however the same angle of light should be applying to the back as well. The way the light is indicating now is that it is very close and not as bright as a natural light source like the sun would be, hence it is only covering the front part of the ship. the arrow with the X next to it is indicating that the light is wrong if you are wanting a natural sun lit piece. The arrow with the '?' next to it is also wrong given that the top part is not casting shadow on it (so depending on its depth). If it is further out then the top "fin" then it should have light covering the entire top as should the top fin.
Which is pretty much how you get to my edit:
(http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/4336/fixingec5.png)
You don't need to keep bashing the piece to its line work every time try and get it right with the shading you have!