Some pixel art - need some feedback

[Segesi]

Hey guys, new to the forum and was wondering if I could get some feedback regarding some of my pixel art.

I've been doing minor pixel art for over ~5 years now, but never took it too seriously. Just playing around in Paint whenever I was bored and had some free time.

Here are some of my most recent pieces:


This is a sprite of the Pokemon Kyogre. I struggled with the shading coming from a light source, mainly the areas on the head of Kyogre and its left fin. I used references from some official Kyogre sprites and used their colour palette. I know this isn't my own style, but practice is practice, right?


This the most recent item I have completed. It's called a 'Habbo alteration'. You take a character from the online game Habbo and edit it to look like a character. In this case, I picked Walter White from Breaking Bad. I first started editing Habbo characters many years ago and still do some here and there to check improvement in technique and growth.


This is a headshot of Link from Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise. I struggled a lot with the shading looking appropriate overall and the shading of the end of his hat.


This was a pixel-over of Mewtwo. I like the work I did with the anti-aliasing of the lines, thoughts?

You can see more of my stuff at my dA account here. I am always looking to improve and strengthen my skills and build on the small foundation I have.

I'd appreciate any general feedback and tips as well. I've had some troubles working with colours, linework and anatomy, but I see that there's some helpful guides in the Rules & Resources section which I'll check out for sure.

I'll definitely make sure to post any new work here for some feedback so I can improve. Thank you for your time

EDIT: I thought I'd mention my work is completed in MS Paint but sometimes I use Photoshop if I need to work with layers or opacity. I'll have a read of the programs list in the Resources section.

[Joe]

Welcome to Pixelation Segesi 

I highly recommend GraphicsGale free over MS Paint, it takes a little to get used to its awesomeness but it's so much more powerful. Plus it is designed for pixels.

It's great that you're working to improve your skills. Here is an edit of your Link sprite as an example of what you can work on.



I took some notes while making it:

1. You are too cautious with your highlights and shadows. I had this same problem for many years in all my art, I think most people do. An easy remedy: if you draw (which you should!!!), use a darker pencil like 2B-4B as your main, this helps force you to get used to higher contrast. Also pay attention to the contrast in your favorite pieces, they almost always have good contrast.

2. Your colors are too close in value, spread them out! Think of each color as serving a specific value range, where it can (in most cases) be reused throughout the piece.

3. If you have colors, use them. For example, what rule is there that says your outline color should only be for outline? If you look back at your reference you'll see the bottom of the cap has a thick band of shadow, perfect for the "outline" color. Furthermore, what good is the outline doing you at all?

4. Usually, larger areas deserve more colors, smaller areas less. I took a color from the eye and added one to the hat, where it serves better.

5. As for the shading, here is where drawing practice comes into play. If you look back at your reference, the shading is all right there! You just have to be able to see it, this is what's going to take a lot of practice—and it should be practiced independently of pixels.

[Segesi]

First of all, thank you for the response

I just downloaded GG and played around for only a little bit. The new interface is daunting and confusing but I'm sure I will slowly get used to it. I'll be sure to search some tutorials on how to use GG properly, thanks.

Thank you for all of the feedback and tips. I will definitely take it all on board and apply it when I do my next pixel art. I'm thinking of doing a character and then adding a little animation to it, which is completely new for me. Again, thank you

EDIT:

I've started this piece of Goku from DBZ. Very early WIP.
First time doing the shading in greyscale. Thoughts so far? I had some trouble with his left foot (our right), with the perspective and all. How is it?

[Gil]

You seem to very reliant on outlines. Have you tried making some art without outlines? It's probably a really good exercise for you.

The new piece looks really good, but the contrast is off, the darkest gray should be closer to black. Also, never work on a white background, it really messes with color perception.

[Segesi]

Hey, thanks for the response. Could you give me some examples of art without outlines? Thank you



Taking it slow with this piece. I darkened the darkest grey, how is it now? What colour background should I be working with? I've always used white, oops.
I had some troubles with the fist, how does it look at the moment?

[yaomon17]

- from cure.
Basically similar to painting on canvas. You block out the forms then you refine until satisfied. You can read more about it from this
http://www.pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299

[Gil]

For the background, use something neutral, a mid gray. Whether or not you like to tint that gray towards a color (blue works well) is up to you. You can always change the background after it's done btw.

[Segesi]

Hey guys.

I scrapped the previous piece and started a much smaller one.



Still a WIP, but nearing the end. Thoughts? I really can't get his left (our right) shoe looking right.

[Decroded]

Looks like the right foot is a bit off.
details in the arms seem more concerned with line rather than shading which flattens the forms.
consider u dont always need so many black outlines inside the piece, especially in lit areas.

the hair could use better outline clusters and the shading has flattened it a bit.
its not a bad idea to duplicate the layer and do a bunch of click-click-clicking and see what happens, then do it again and then flick back and forward between versions.
I find seeing the differences helps to see more options and ideas for clusters that u can take on to future pieces.

[Segesi]

Yeah, I know the right foot is off. I'm having troubles with the feet, I'll tackle them some other time maybe.
I changed the shading on the arms and I removed most of the black outlines inside the piece, I think it looks much better now.

What do you mean 'outline clusters' for the hair?