AuthorTopic: [CC] [Nudity] [32x64] Naked Man - Seeking criticism before I try to animate him!  (Read 4028 times)

Offline Xolotl

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I'm trying to create a nude human male for a video game as seen from the front, back and side.

This is what I have so far:


The entire image is 128x64, comprised of four 32x64 panels each containing the character from a different direction. I've drawn it using the Pencil, Eyedropper and Eraser tools in Adobe Fireworks.

When I've made these still images as good as I can, I intend to create a simple walk animation. But before I do so, I'm looking for criticism and feedback. I hope for it to be more or less realistically proportioned and coloured.

Thank you!
« Last Edit: March 03, 2016, 07:02:46 am by Xolotl »

Offline Mr_Hk_

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Hey, proportions looks kinda ok, but the shading seems overkill for animation purpose.
I would advise to work with colored members to help animate, then shade each frames.
having a solid color on head, torso, hips left/right legs , left/right arms will help a a lots creating a natural walk cycle.

Good luck ans have fun=)

Offline Xolotl

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Hey, proportions looks kinda ok, but the shading seems overkill for animation purpose.
I would advise to work with colored members to help animate, then shade each frames.
having a solid color on head, torso, hips left/right legs , left/right arms will help a a lots creating a natural walk cycle.

Good luck ans have fun=)

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely take that approach. I think I'll try with a different layer and different block colour for each limb until I get the motion looking OK then shade each frame. Because you're absolutely right; I can see it being very difficult animating this from the somewhat detailed shading I already have. That said, I'd like to finish these standing images first if only because it's good practice.

I've made quite a few changes, and here's the most recent version of the character:


I'm wondering how to make his hair look more normal at the back. It just looks wrong and I'm not even sure why. Also, I'm having difficulty with the shading on his front when seen from the side. I'm not sure what to light up to prevent that whole side of him being in shadow so I've lit up his stomach but that looks kind of weird. I'm also unsure if the belly button should be visible from that angle or not. Any suggestions?

Offline Gil

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Lots and lots of banding going on in the shading. I'd work on that first.

Offline Xolotl

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I've given the banding a rough go, but I'm more interested in getting the motion OK and then I'll work on shading. I'm thinking of reducing the number of colours once I've got the motion working.



Thoughts on the motion?

Offline walker

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Nice and smooth, but his stride is very short (both his arms and legs don't really swing that much). Also leg movement should happen at the hip rather than just below it. Also, his feet plod on the ground perfectly level, natural movement would be more like Heel -> toe. Nice drawings though, good start.

Offline Adam

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I think the walk - as well as the stance - is rather stiff. It looks kinda like a robot walk. The front view feels like stomping rather than walking because the "backward slide" of the foot on the ground is missing.

I would consider giving the guy a more leasure pose if he is not an android or a soldier on parade...
Nice. Now do the whole thing with the EGA palette!

Offline Xolotl

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Thanks everyone! Here's the most recent version:


I’m experimenting with his proportions a bit and I've thinned him out from the side, but now he looks too wide from the front and if I try to thin that out I'm not sure how to draw his face (his eyes become either one or three pixels apart which looks stupid). It feels to me like he’s a bit too wide from every angle. He’s not meant to be as buff as maybe I’ve depicted him. In fact, he’s supposed to be a generic young white male; not too tall, not too short; not too buff, not too weedy; not fat, but not malnourished either. I want him to be fairly nondescript so I can use him as a template for other characters with stronger visual identities, if I ever get him to a good-enough standard.

Also, I have a general question about walking. Do arms move significantly quicker on either the upswing or the downswing? I've tried working it out from reference videos but I can't see any clear difference in speed, though I could definitely be wrong. I did have it so his arms moved at more or less the same rate on the upswing and the downswing from the side, and at exactly the same rate from the front. That looked odd to me, so I made his arms as seen from the front move back slightly quicker than they move forward. I think it looks better but I could be imagining it, and if it does actually look better I’m not sure why.

Nice and smooth, but his stride is very short (both his arms and legs don't really swing that much). Also leg movement should happen at the hip rather than just below it. Also, his feet plod on the ground perfectly level, natural movement would be more like Heel -> toe. Nice drawings though, good start.

I intend for his stride to be short, but I do agree that it could still be lengthened a bit. How do I do that with the arms? Should I make his arms move up and out a few more pixels from the side? Also, I've tried to make his hips move back and forward slightly as he walks so his body doesn’t seem sort of detached from the movement of his legs. I've also made his feet hit the ground heel to toe, though I'm not sure if it works. It looks sort of like his foot becomes fatter in the heel-down frame before it hits the ground. Maybe.

I think the walk - as well as the stance - is rather stiff. It looks kinda like a robot walk. The front view feels like stomping rather than walking because the "backward slide" of the foot on the ground is missing.

I would consider giving the guy a more leasure pose if he is not an android or a soldier on parade...

I agree on all points. I've added a backward slide to the front walk as suggested and I think it's a significant improvement; it no longer seems like he's stomping. I'm not sure what to do about the stiff stance though; how can I make his torso seem more relaxed? He looks stiff, almost as if he's on parade as you said. I've considered making him lead forward slightly as he walks, but I'm not sure how to do that without making him look like he's hunching over or something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq9A5FD8G5w

Thanks for the link. It was a good way to get a better general idea of what happens when someone walks, though the walk in the video is much more pronounced than the one I'm trying to make. I intend for the character to be strolling, with a casually short stride. The first walk in this video is considerably closer to what I'm going for: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FyriR1-7UQ

Offline rocifier

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His limbs look quite rubbery like they are bending at more than just the joints