Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Obsidantion on October 01, 2007, 08:46:40 pm

Title: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Obsidantion on October 01, 2007, 08:46:40 pm
(http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb311/Obsidantion/Dove.png)

I'm pretty mathematical and I always resort to the same simple processes with art and I'm pretty sure it's stopping me from learning. Does anyone have an approach that I could use that might open my mind to more then what I'm seeing at the moment. I really want to get good!
Title: Re: [WIP] Dove
Post by: Androk on October 01, 2007, 10:55:27 pm
I think your process is fine as is to be honest. Only thing is you don't seem to reevaluate form after you are done cleaning it up, you may want to look into it, although its def. not needed for this particular piece.

I'm pretty sure everyone works by the same model, first sketch with a pencil then either scan and outline or just play sketch n computer, add colors, clean it p, add detail, reevaluate colors, reevaluate detail, reevaluate colors and so on and so forth until the piece looks good.

That being said, here is an aweosme website I found in someones sig while browing Pixelation today. The guys is pretty good, and has awesome step by step animations.
http://www.retinaleclipse.com/pixelart.html

Try and find more step by step animations like that, or just go to any of the featured threads. Those are the ones where people make most progress on their drawings.

Oh and finally, try to find more techniques to use. I see you already make good use of dithering and I think creative dithering (? not sure if you do this one), try sub-pixel animation and other crazy things, I'm honestly not any good yet but that's what I'm planning to do next to improve, well when I say "next" I mean after I learn how to find proper colors, how to do textures, etc /sigh.
Title: Re: [WIP] Dove
Post by: Rydin on October 01, 2007, 11:07:32 pm
Stop looking and see.  Stare, if you have to.
A big problem is that a majority of people draw what they want to see, not what they actually see.  Apples, silverware, chairs, people--don't worry about 'cool' yet--draw real life to build your skill and understanding of how light, color,and lines actually work. These skills and knowledge will then "rub-off" on the drawings you do from your head.

Another big problem is that the majority of people do not take enough time when drawing.  Try to remember that there is no time limit when making art. Don't rush; take an hour, take several hours, take the whole week, take months--there is no time limit.  Usually, the more time spent on something, the better it will be; you get what you give.

And a third problem is that many people do not practice or explore enough.  Beat your own studies into your head...repeat repeat and repeat...until you memorize them inside and out.  Then let them ferment.  Attempt something you know you will fail.  And explore, experiment, and break the rules you learned--you can always learn them again if you need to.

Does that help? ???
Title: Re: [WIP] Dove
Post by: baccaman21 on October 02, 2007, 01:10:24 pm
Try to remember that there is no time limit when making art. Don't rush; take an hour, take several hours, take the whole week, take months--there is no time limit.  Usually, the more time spent on something, the better it will be; you get what you give.

You've obviously never worked to a deadline ;)

but good advice on the whole.
Title: Re: [WIP] Dove
Post by: ptoing on October 02, 2007, 01:33:47 pm
Usually, the more time spent on something, the better it will be; you get what you give.

I would disagree, there is a time you have to call something finished and there also is the danger of overworking.

As for the dove, I would try to give it blueish instead of browny/green shadows.
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Obsidantion on October 02, 2007, 09:28:33 pm
Thanks for the replies. WIP animations/videos are really useful, I implore for more. Please go here if you have any to upload - http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=2144.0.

(http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb311/Obsidantion/Octopus.png)

I know I was advised to look at real life but I got caught up in this doodle that turned into an octopus and I wanted to post it for a good reason that is relevant to my improvement in pixel art; I haven't a clue what to do next. This is because I've run out of ideas. I could just render the whole image with those dithering styles I've tried out, but it wouldn't look interesting. So what I'm asking is: What would you do to it, or more importantly, how would you experiment with it to come up with ideas for what to do?
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Rydin on October 03, 2007, 02:31:16 am
(http://img460.imageshack.us/img460/51/octopussynv1.png)

It's a very very bad edit--the colors for the dither could be optimized a lot more--just wanted to show that if you had such a strong light source on the top of the head, odds are, you'd be able to see it throughout the whole piece.  Now, this edit's just to show you; it's by no means where the light would actually fall--this is something you learn from studying real life :P. 
Also wanted to show that you might want to "dumb down" the white with a few more colors, sort of the way you did with the greyish color in the dark shades.  Also, you might want to look into dithering a bit more (http://www.monsoon2d.com/pixelart.html Monsoon2d's got amazing dithering)...because, I didn't illustrate it very well on the edit, but dithering is more than just

Code: [Select]
x x
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x x

Good luck to you man, I'm pulling for you  :y:
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Faktablad on October 03, 2007, 02:34:35 am
The key is to draw what you see.  Not what you know is there.  Try drawing a collection of darker and lighter shapes instead of the tree (or whatever) that you know is there.

For more, read "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain".  That's an excellent book.
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Cure on October 03, 2007, 05:49:53 am
I read skimmed through that book.  It contained an exercise in which you draw an image that is upside down, so you focus on contours rather than your predisposed idea of what the image should look like.  Or something. 
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: sharprm on October 03, 2007, 06:29:34 am
I remember when I was young I did that excercise but i misread it. I tried drawing a picture right way up from a reference upside down. And I kept thinking this doesn't help at.

Rather than reading books, I recommend copying from pictures that you like, that way you can learn the tricks that the artist uses, rather than discovering everything youself by trial and error. But it beats books imo because "people who can't do, teach".

With the bird, it looks more like a statue with stuff stuck on it. Its shaded well but you need to look up some reference for wing/ tail shapes. I don't like the final colors you used.

The octopus needs a beak and eyes. Are octopuses head's peanut shaped?

I would never experiment with a picture at the stage it is at. Draw a rough one until you have at least in your head what the picture would look like. Right now, lets say I thought a giant octopus attacking a pirate ship would be interesting. The octopus is at the wrong angle to do this scene though. So it would need to be scrapped. Thats no problem if you just roughing things out since you haven't spent much time.
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: baccaman21 on October 03, 2007, 12:54:14 pm
I've found an interesting excercise in perception is to sketch a blank wall... good tonal excercise.
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Helm on October 03, 2007, 02:26:40 pm
If you draw the blank wall that you have in your mind, yes, it'll be blank. If you draw one you're looking it, you'll realise there's value shifts and tones and details there.
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: baccaman21 on October 03, 2007, 08:21:28 pm
I've found an interesting excercise in perception is to sketch a blank wall... good tonal excercise.

Sketching a blank wall? You won't put a single thing on the paper if you do that...

Point of the excercise this is, young grasshopper/skywalker... Perception is not what we think we see but what is truly there - Learn to see with the eyes and not the mind. The mind is the Artists folly. Interpretation of what they percieve to be real is the true way and key to all forms.

Try it. If all you get is a blank piece of paper - then so be it... your powers of perception are weak... but if you make some marks that even delineate some notion of tonal variance then you are one step further to enlightenment.

 

Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Jad on October 03, 2007, 08:25:04 pm
Rather than reading books, I recommend copying from pictures that you like, that way you can learn the tricks that the artist uses, rather than discovering everything youself by trial and error. But it beats books imo because "people who can't do, teach".

'Drawing on the right side of the brain' is an awesome book, though. Has helped me a great deal.
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: rabidbaboy on October 03, 2007, 10:56:43 pm
That's odd, I can't seem to view any of the images on IE...

Anyway, I've only done the drawing from an upside-down ref once, and that was when I was nine, so maybe I'll try it again for practise, and the "blank wall" thing.
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Faktablad on October 04, 2007, 01:53:28 am
Rather than reading books, I recommend copying from pictures that you like, that way you can learn the tricks that the artist uses, rather than discovering everything youself by trial and error. But it beats books imo because "people who can't do, teach".
I disagree, at least about Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.  I DON'T like books that teach you how to draw.  Books with titles like "Drawing for Beginners" are such crap because they try to teach how to put marks on a page and use all these different techniques, yet they miss the vital connection that occurs somewhere between the eyes and the hand.  I DO like books like Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, because it teaches you how to SEE, not really how to draw, but how to record exactly what you see.
Title: Re: Learning to see and not just look
Post by: Obsidantion on October 06, 2007, 12:16:57 pm
I came across that book when I was researching art techniques. Thanks for the reviews; I've now ordered it from Amazon.