GR#124 - Action Adventure - RPG Projection, Gameart

[Facet]

Yeah, really neat sprite, less girly, more action-y this time.

Against the grain, but I much preferred the non-metallic hair; it just seems both more cohesive with the new outfit and less er, weirdly shiny.

The portrait looks like a relative of yours maybe? , I kid but maybe you are falling into a formula here that could preclude something more interesting? The overall shape, the angle and features are strikingly similar.

[BlueArctica]

I disagree with Facet. I think the shiny hair gives the sprite a good contrast that the one with matte hair doesn't have. Actually, the non-shiny haired sprite seems very drab to me. Just my opinion.

Also, great work on the portrait. I like it a lot.

Can't wait to see how the environments turn out! 

[Crow]

I disagree with Facet. I think the shiny hair gives the sprite a good contrast that the one with matte hair doesn't have. Actually, the non-shiny haired sprite seems very drab to me. Just my opinion.

I'll have to agree with that. As I said on IRC already, wex The sprite without the shiny hair just looks rather dull, whereas the shiny one is interesting and more vivid.

[Facet]

Hmm, in the face of mounting opposition maybe I should explain where I'm coming from a little better: the original was more subtle and I like it, but the reinstated version carried over into the portrait begins to look odd.

If the character design wasn't metallic hair, then it just seems like a strange thing to do purely for the sake of visibility instead of just balancing the colours of the hair/sprite as a whole. I would try putting back some of that blue elsewhere in the sprite instead or just pare it back in the portrait.

[tehwexxl0rz]

Facet, thanks for sharing your perspective. You're absolutely right about the previous version looking more natural.

Metallic vs. naturalistic hair is a design choice I've been vacillating over for a while, which ties into the game's fiction a bit. There won't be any other characters with colorful hair like this. The protagonist is unusual in that her 'spiritual energy' isn't restricted to her body like a normal human's. Her blue hair is evidence of this energy kind of passively overflowing.

As a supernatural quality, it could make sense for her hair to have a strange metallic sheen, but it's really just a matter of whichever looks better.

[Facet]

No problem, I made a bit of a mountain out of a molehill there somehow . As recompense, I gave the portrait a go with that explanation in mind.

I mainly just  filled out and rendered out some of the flatter stuff, reduced AA for the kind of crisp toon-shaded look I thought you were after, and of course enjoyed myself immensely doing some looser, high-gloss tousled hair; I thought the spikes as was were shaded rounder and thicker than hair ought to be (not that my example is high realism ).



Edit: I cleaned the face up a bit & added some AA back on reflection.

[tehwexxl0rz]

Facet, beauitful edit! Thank you

I'd like to keep the messy spiky hairstyle, but there's still a lot I can learn from your edit, especially with regards to shading the hair and defining the shapes of the face.

I think I found a happy medium for the hair in the sprite.

Update + idle animation:

[Psiweapon]

Even though I'm usually a huge fan of chibi styles, I have to say that the more adult-proportioned versions are more striking and have more personality, or at least I like them better. Maybe it's because they're less common in top-down perspectives? (or lack thereof  )

[Ryumaru]

Facet, beauitful edit! Thank you

I'd like to keep the messy spiky hairstyle, but there's still a lot I can learn from your edit, especially with regards to shading the hair and defining the shapes of the face.

I think I found a happy medium for the hair in the sprite.

Update + idle animation:

What you have is nice, and probably mostly " realistic" but I think in the case of a sprite this size some exaggeration would benefit. Id like to see the head and torso move up at least a subpixel.

[TheMonsterAtlas]

I think the shininess looks great in the sprite's hair, but doesn't come off too well in the portrait. Contrast is amazing when it's on a smaller scale, but when it's on a larger scale like a portrait, it creates eyeburn ;~;