[WIP] NEW sprite (base + clothing)

[Tenjou]

Hello,

I'm editing the post I originally made as I do not feel it appropriate to start a new thread.  I am a programmer who is new to pixel art, with a particular interest in spriting.  To that end, I purchased a wooden artist's model (link below), and began to experiment.  At first I looked at Super Nintendo generation games but nothing was working out.  Finally, I did some more research online as well as looked to games such as Diablo II (PC) for inspiration.  The results are great, and I am pleased to offer it for C+C here.



Here is the mentioned artist's model: http://gifts.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?r=1&ourl=Home-gift%2F12-Wooden-Artists-Model&EAN=9780641697609&cm_mmc=Google%20Product%20Search-_-Q000000630-_-Home%20gift-_-9780641697609

I realize this is vastly different from my original post, however this style is working out much better for me so I wish to pursue it.  Thank you again for any advice you can offer, and please forgive me if this somewhat overlaps with my other post in this thread.

[Kaito]

im not a good pixel artist, but i can say something..
the head is too small
you need to add shadows
need more details...
is my opinion

i edit your base and i make this..

[Tenjou]

Thanks friend.  I actually decided to completely restart from scratch.  I found a great website with tips (http://www.wayuki.nl/tut-base.php).  With that, and also looking to games such as Diablo II, I realized a few things which made me want to start from scratch.

First off, I noticed the head should be about one eighth the entire sprite height.  Also I tried to think about where the arms go.  So I made a completely new shape, and it turned out great!  I asked my wife for help, and she helped me make the shape even better.  Then, I went to shade using Wendy de Boer's skin palette (http://www.wayuki.nl/tut-shading.php).  The results were absolutely fantastic.  I showed it to a few people who thought it was well enough, so I decided to go further by adding hair, as well as knight's armor, sword and shield.  I used my own palettes this time, and I'm particularly pleased with the way the armor turned out.

Anyway here is my new work.  You can see each step as well as the final product.



I understand everyone's hesitance to reply last time, as I broke the rules by not offering my best work.  However this time I feel I have done well enough to take your time.  Again, thank you for any advice you may have (C+C).

[Tourist]

The good news is that you have a small but reasonably proportioned figure.

The bad news is that you have a small but reasonably proportioned figure.     Welcome to the tough choices between readability and realism.

I don't have Diablo installed on my machine at the moment, but I did have some screen shots from Titan Quest sitting around (It's an action RPG like Diablo II).   The figures there are 1:6 head height to total height.  Just a point of reference.

I like the armor texture that you have, it looks really good. 

I don't get why the female's thighs are unprotected. 

You could widen the male's shoulders by a pixel to help distinguish between the figures.  Or make them 1 pixel more squarish.

The nude figures are a bit flat, but if they are meant to be paper dolls like in an inventory screen then that's ok.  Similarly, the pose is flat rather than a bold dynamic stance.  Again, ok for some parts of a game. 

Consider working on a neutral background color (like gray 128) rather than black.  A black background can throw off your eyes.

The site http://www.human-anatomy-for-artist.com/ has some refernce images of people posed with weapons.  Might be useful.

Consider adding some color or accessories to the characters.  An additional color theme would help grab the viewer's attention more strongly.

Hope this helps,
Tourist

[Tenjou]

Thanks for the tips!  I changed the background to gray (0x7f7f7f) which made it easier to work with, as you said.  Also, I did widen the man's shoulders, including armor as suggested.  I think it made a noticeable difference.  Finally, I lightened up the skin palette to try and bring out the nude models.  Not sure if that did anything.

As for the pose, I realize it's flat and dull.  This is my first work; once I'm confident about shading, anatomy, etc, I will try to get them moving a bit.

Here are the revisions described.  Please let me know what you think.

[r1k]

for the template you could reduce the colors, increase contrast, simplify, and add hue shifting.  Right now your colors are too plasticy which makes the templates look more like blow up dolls than actual people.  Heres an edit I did to give you an idea, I didnt really adjust the actual line art that much

[Tenjou]

Thanks again for the tips!  I did get some ideas from your edit.  First, I tried to add contrast where elbows and knees are.  I think it looks better with that.  Secondly I darkened the calves and area between the neck and collarbone, which I think helped quite a bit.  Then I outlined the base using two colors instead of one, pretty much the way you had it.  It helped to smooth out the base, especially the legs.  Finally I batch replaced the darkest color on my palette to be more red.  This was surely the greatest help in bringing them out.  I may try further hue shifting and contrast adjustments later.

For now I decided to stay with 8 colors, but nonetheless I think they look better using techniques I noticed on your edit.  Here it is:



Also I'll address why the female's thighs are exposed even with the armor on.  It's because I used to play a lot of Final Fantasy XI where almost all of the female leg armor was like this, presumably so that it would appear sexy.  As for me it's just what I'm used to.  It's easy to change later if I don't like it anymore.