Hutch the Rabbit [Early WIP]

[redballoon]

I've been asked to produce some pixel graphics for a platformer with a design style of my choice. So, this morning I did a quick sketch then pushed some pixels resulting in the following :

Not spent any time on the colouring as I was just trying to get a 'feel' and I'm humming and hawing over the black outline, which I've been asked to keep (and I've always had a liking of black outlines due to my ZX Spectrum graphics). How do you think it's going?

[DtFM]

Maybe I am just slow but it took me too long to figure out what the hell I was looking at.

[Hawk]

Well, it doesn't really resemble a rabbit, except for the ears and teeth.

It looks cute and simple, but perhaps a few more details? To avoid confusion such as DtFM's.

If it's the protagonist, perhaps making him a little more attractive. Right now, it kinds of looks like a first level enemy, that you kill by jumping on it, I guess 

[Puppet]

I couldn't really tell it was a rabbit apart from the ears and feet.
I made an edit because I couldn't really see an arm. Although I later then figuoured out where the arm was.
This was a really quick edit so it may be totally useless it's just what's in the picture, by defining a arm you define it more as what you want it to be.

[Hawk]

Oh, I guess now I get it.

It doesn't have arms, does it?
What looks like arms are the tip of his left ear.

I see that you didn't want to do a "default" bunny! haha

What you should do, instead of putting arms and tails, is to make it a little bigger, a couple pixels high, to avoid confusion.

[pistachio]

Maybe I am just slow but it took me too long to figure out what the hell I was looking at.

Agreed. I don't think it's because you're slow, I think it's because it's not readable. I've probably been staring at this longer than you and I still can't figure out what that thing on his face is supposed to be.

Either way, body's too short. The whole thing seems to be horribly unbalanced, so I have no idea how it manages to stand up.

So editing... Hmm...

[redballoon]

Well, here's an edit and a latest version.


- Changes to the colouring
- Arm added

I think the main problem was that there didn't seem to be any real obvious separation between head and body.

So, yeah, he's a rabbit. Nose, and his buck teeth on his face.

Either way, body's too short. The whole thing seems to be horribly unbalanced, so I have no idea how it manages to stand up.

but but but but.....it's a cartoon character for a video game..it doesn't have to be anatomically correct and all that stuff  I mean, I can't imagine Jim Davis's publisher saying that the cat he's just drawn for his cartoon strip just wouldn't be able to stand up with that large head and the smaller fat body...or Warner Bros telling the artists of the Looney Tunes characters...well, you know 

[Puppet]

I personally preffered him yellow.
And I know your friend wants you to keep the black outline but I think it could really benifit without it. 

[pistachio]

So, yeah, he's a rabbit. Nose, and his buck teeth on his face.

Either way, body's too short. The whole thing seems to be horribly unbalanced, so I have no idea how it manages to stand up.

but but but but.....it's a cartoon character for a video game..it doesn't have to be anatomically correct and all that stuff  I mean, I can't imagine Jim Davis's publisher saying that the cat he's just drawn for his cartoon strip just wouldn't be able to stand up with that large head and the smaller fat body...or Warner Bros telling the artists of the Looney Tunes characters...well, you know 

I like to think of it this way: if you have to explain what everything is to people who don't get it--and the majority of people who look don't get it--it's not very readable, and you'll probably have to redo it.

First off what Puppet said about ditching the outlines is kinda right. From experience I find that black outlines don't really look good. On a draft of the sprite, perhaps.

Then, do you really need dithering on a sprite this small? IMO, dithering should only be used on larger sprites, or if you have a low palette of only a few colors or less.

One thing to note, the feet follow what seems like an isometric perspective of sorts. This is partially lost on the body, and completely on the head. See this guide?



This is what I mean.

Let me try to fix it...



...Well, I tried to fix it. (Also redid palette.) Not entirely satisfied with the result--I think I lost the proportion of the character a bit--but you get the idea. (And added a mouth as well, so the buck teeth are more readable.)

[Hawk]

I agree with Pistachio, the dithering doesn't really match. And, if it's a sprite in a game, it really sucks to animate something with dithering!

I did an edit too, based on Pistachio's edit:

Fixed the ears... Like it was before, it was more like antennae... ._. And spread the legs a little.

[redballoon]

No, I see what you are getting it, especially from your edit. But, from your edited version, the rabbit is now devoid of any stylist character what-so-ever. It looks like a standard western-ised rabbit design, though. My original version follows my style and it's fun to break (or bend) the rules, isn't it? We don't really want everything to look similar.

and the majority of people who look don't get it, and you'll probably have to redo it.

well, yeah, the majority of people in here..well, the ones that have replied..haven't got it. Various other places where the design has been posted people have got it, which, from my point of view, the design has succeeded.

First off what Puppet said about ditching the outlines is kinda right. From experience I find that black outlines don't really look good. On a draft of the sprite, perhaps.

Oh, I know. I'm going to be doing a version without the black outline. Part of me has delusions of grandeur think of Super Mario World 2 : Yoshi's Island.

Then, do you really need dithering on a sprite this small

Yeah, i know. I can't decide on this. There's a good chance I will make the colour palette quite small, so this may indeed change.

[pistachio]

No, I see what you are getting it, especially from your edit. But, from your edited version, the rabbit is now devoid of any stylist character what-so-ever. It looks like a standard western-ised rabbit design, though. My original version follows my style and it's fun to break (or bend) the rules, isn't it? We don't really want everything to look similar.

Fun, perhaps, but the result still looks bad. To me at least. I'm generally about as fond of "it's that way because it's my style" excuses as I am of bad sprites.
Which is not very much.

Well it depends on what kind of game this would be in. Is it a platformer? Head-on?
Or carrying a bit of iso-perspective with it, like the Savage World mockup?

So far my best guess, though, is that this will be in an isometric game. If I'm wrong about that, though, and if you really miss the head so much, just change the feet.

EDIT: Oh. Platformer. Yeah, change the feet.

[Froli]

well, yeah, the majority of people in here..well, the ones that have replied..haven't got it. Various other places where the design has been posted people have got it, which, from my point of view, the design has succeeded.

It kinda resembles like an ant to me rather than a rabbit, plus it does look isometic specially with the casted shadows and how the character's feet is aligned.  And don't dismiss Pistachio's edit entirely because he corrected some issues + the new colors. 

[Tourist]

I put this together for another poster last year.  A reference of some cute floppy-eared bunnies.  Don't know if it helps any:



What you've got looks a bit like a character from Sam and Max, so people may connect it with a bunny.  But I agree with Pistachio's crits.

Tourist

[redballoon]

Yip, I will re-colour him. I'm not going to change the design - no need, really. I asked my 4 year old son what he thought it was when he saw it for the first time (the animated version, below), "A RABBIT!", he shouted as he left the room. It's good enough for me . Anyway, here's the 8 frame walking animation. Just the line mono version until I add the colour.



I think I need to animate where the ears join the head as those parts are a bit too static and would bounce slightly.

[pistachio]

Yip, I will re-colour him. I'm not going to change the design - no need, really. I asked my 4 year old son what he thought it was when he saw it for the first time (the animated version, below), "A RABBIT!", he shouted as he left the room. It's good enough for me . Anyway, here's the 8 frame walking animation. Just the line mono version until I add the colour.



I think I need to animate where the ears join the head as those parts are a bit too static and would bounce slightly.

Is your 4 year old son a pixel artist?

I still have a problem with the buck teeth. Perhaps adding a line just to the left of where the nose and teeth meet should define a mouth and leave it more readable.

Also, the head's strangely static considering he's running, as well as the body which only stays in one place. Make it move side to side some more, perhaps?

Tell you what, here's a walk cycle tutorial that might help you.