Pixelation

Critique => Pixel Art => Topic started by: Euphronios on April 06, 2009, 10:39:41 pm

Title: Ghostopus!
Post by: Euphronios on April 06, 2009, 10:39:41 pm
I drew inspiration from the image posted here: http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=8239.0
While I was, unfortunately, unable to think of anything useful to help the fellow; I did come up with this:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost.png)

Taking some advice from Helm to yet another poster in another thread, I worked this from the ground up in the same way I would do a painting. (i.e. laying broad strokes to start and shaping my volumes from there instead of using linework to define form ) I also made it a point to spend as little time fussing with it as possible. I've invested a good hour into this so I'm now aware that I'm little more than a novice. I'd really like some help refining this image while staying in the 11 colours (any- no set palette) +trans limit I've set for myself. In particular the large blob of highlight on the noggin' and antialiasing are exasperating to me. Also, I'd like to actually learn how to use color to my advantage and stop making such monchromatic pieces, so if anyone has a link to some thread or site that'd be wonderful as well.

Thanks for taking a look!

I know it would have more than eight "legs" if you count what's on the other side of the body, but ghostopus sounds cool. . .

Update for the lazy:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/PROGghost.gif)
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: bengo on April 06, 2009, 10:47:27 pm
Haha, an original piece, thank you pixel gods. :D Its looking really good, you should add more detail to it like some freckles to make it feel more aged. By using color to your advantage, what do you mean? Do you need to learn the color theory? Need help with anti-aliasing?
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: EvilEye on April 06, 2009, 10:56:19 pm
Its good. It could be better with an ambient glow and a more clearly defined light source ( right now highlights are all over the place ).

Right now the teeth look a little sloppy and there's a spot on the head that needs some detail.

The eye could use some eyelids.

Keep up the good work.
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Euphronios on April 06, 2009, 11:22:12 pm
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost.png)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost_E1.png)

Highlights are as they are because it's supposed to look wet and/or slimy.
Changed this however to fit current lightsource and added eyelid.
Not sure how to go about fixing these: "the teeth look a little sloppy" and "add more detail to it like some freckles to make it feel more aged". I know what you guys mean but implementation is escaping me. The large area of highlight on the head is certainly a big quality killer for me right now as well.
Yes to all three of your questions bengoshia.  :crazy:
If someone were so inclined and had the time, an edit ( even in red pixel ) would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the input so far!
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Koi Kami Mauro on April 06, 2009, 11:45:30 pm
I may be wrong, but I believe if you keep the highlights of the first version while changing the highlight of his head (I beleve that's the noggin?) to be more of an upwards light, it would work. Sorry if I didn't word it well.
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Euphronios on April 06, 2009, 11:54:05 pm
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost.png)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost_E1.png)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost_E2.png)

Do you mean like this? ( Over there on the right side. . .)
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: EvilEye on April 07, 2009, 12:39:43 am
Okay first off I am a color hog, so working with only 11 colors is not my strong point.

I edited your monster a bit and realized it would take me hours to fix it the way I was planning, so instead I blew it up 10x, painted over it, then shrunk it back down.

So here is basically what I had in mind for improvements. If you can do this with 11 colors your a pixel god :lol:

(http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w104/chris_6713/edit61.png)

Basic points:

Fix the the teeth, they look all out of whack and the highlighting doesn't look consistant.

Use the highlights to give the tentacles depth. Don't highlight ( so much ) something that is not directly in the light. I tried to illustrate this with my edit.

Oh ya fix the light source so it looks consistent. I tried to show this with my edit.

Don't go overboard with the highlights and make the skin look like metal like I did with my edit :blind: You have a nice wet look going right now, it just needs proper direction.

An ambient light source would do wonders. I tried to do this with the purple and light blue.
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Scribblette on April 07, 2009, 01:01:00 am
Not that I know enough to comment yet, but it looks like the original critter had light source top right, whereas the new one has the source shifted to the left. That aside, the edit looks absolutely incredible. I love the way the eye looks way better now.

It left me wondering, though - is painting things at 10x, shrinking it down then editing over it to fix up the color count etc something that is commonly done, and is it a big time saver? Wondering if I'd get my trees done faster if I tried them that way.

*wanders off to try*
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Koi Kami Mauro on April 07, 2009, 01:13:25 am
I meant to position the light spot more like in EvilEye's edit. I do believe it would help.
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Euphronios on April 07, 2009, 01:57:15 am
OKAY! Fucking bad ass edit, thank you.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost.png)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost_E1.png)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghost_E2.png)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghostE3.png)

I've moved the light source over and added the kick light. I have tried to emulate your edit since I like it so much. I do understand the critique now. Clearly the very black areas on the left will have to be addressed next before refinement.
This is just a very rough edit to see if I'm on the right track. Yes?

@ Scribblette: In a production environment whatever you have to do to meet criteria and deadline in unison is fine. Here, though, just for the sake of preserving the artform, I think it may be a different matter.
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: EvilEye on April 07, 2009, 02:09:54 am
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghostE3.png)

Improved on the eye and the teeth. The 2 right tentacles look better according to where the light source should be.

You went too strong on some of the highlights though ( probably following the overkill on my edit :yell: ). Tone down the top of the head and the tentacles. The way you had most of the highlights before was fine, except they didn't point to any particular light source. Notice how I ( tried ) to tone them down or remove them when they weren't directly in the light.
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Euphronios on April 07, 2009, 03:00:09 am
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghostE3.png)(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghostE4.png)

Some more refining. I am loving this!
Still a lot of smoothing to do for sure but how does this look?

edit: Now that my buzz is wearing down it looks more striped than wet or slimy. I'll fix this tomorrow. Right now it's time for a snooze. Bear with me, I work extra long hours! Thanks, all.
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: EvilEye on April 07, 2009, 03:34:42 am
Definitely looking better :y:

You should try to recapture a bit of that wet-look from the older versions.

Eh... I guess it was the thinner highlights and the lower contrast on the darker colors. You're the one who did it so you would know better then me :P
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Euphronios on April 09, 2009, 02:02:37 am
A little update:

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v294/Euphronios/Pixels/RANDghostE5.png)
Title: Re: Ghostopus!
Post by: Mathias on April 09, 2009, 03:34:23 am
Big fat improvement over initial post, nice pixelin'. Love the expression, though it seems like the eye should be a little more emotive. It seems tired compared to the sinister grin, maybe V the brow a little. What expression are you targeting? I get the impression he's sarcastically grinning at prey he just surprised. The shiny dome top head bugs me a little; doesn't seem logical/right, but the back tentacle even moreso, seems it should be different than the other tentaacles, I dunno . . . it just seems ill-placed. Maybe ditch it for multiple smaller "feeler" tentacles. Last thought, it would really complement this to give it a little foreground environment, just a bit of surface cutaway with a shadow so he can feel grounded, nothing complicated, just an implication of him being at an actual location.