AuthorTopic: Shop Scene  (Read 4300 times)

Offline Jicklus

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Shop Scene

on: January 03, 2017, 11:23:54 am
So this piece is based off a scene from a book I'm writing as I thought I'd make images for each chapter. I'm quite proud of this piece but I'm not that experienced with pixel art and I'd like to hear people's critiques and what they might change.

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #1 on: January 03, 2017, 11:34:05 am
What's the scene here? Also, how is there so much sky behind that lamp for what I assume is a cityscape?
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
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Offline Jicklus

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #2 on: January 03, 2017, 11:37:15 am
the scene is just the main character shopping, and I guess the reason I didn't put anything behind the lamppost was because there wasn't really a need to, same reason why everyone else is silhouettes

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #3 on: January 03, 2017, 12:14:43 pm
I'd say there is need! Like I said, there's a confusing lack of cityscape there, makes me think it's a gas station in nowhere or something without the context!
It's a simple fix though, a slightly textured darker color might sell a brick wall or alleyway!
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
MAJOR BORK TALLY: |

Offline Jicklus

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #4 on: January 03, 2017, 12:20:55 pm

do you think this is any better?

Offline MysteryMeat

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #5 on: January 03, 2017, 01:12:28 pm

Here, I did some illustrative tweaks to show off what I meant about the background, as well as some other concepts!

First, I lifted everything up to give it some proper sidewalk to give it a more street-level perspective, a sort of visual anchor.
Second, I added a tiled brick background with some also-tiled windows to the scene to sell the crowded city feel, then reworked that lamp-post as part of the building to open up the space outside the door a bit more for the street.

Finally, I tweaked the lighting on the shelves around what I assume is the main character to serve as a draw for the eye.

There's other stuff you could do (easing up the cut-away a bit more, instead of that noisy pattern on the left you could try a cut-out brick pattern, for example) but this is the specific stuff I was going to point out otherwise!
PSA: use imgur
http://pixelation.org/index.php?topic=19838.0 also go suggest on my quest, cmon
MAJOR BORK TALLY: |

Offline Jicklus

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #6 on: January 03, 2017, 03:17:13 pm
so I've spent some more time on it and taken some of your stuff into consideration and this is what I've come up with.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2017, 03:20:45 pm by Jicklus »

Offline Achrileg

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #7 on: January 03, 2017, 03:50:31 pm
So, my thoughts on looking at your piece are that the characters blend too much with the background. Desaturated on desaturated just doesn't really work.  Up the color saturation and make the character pop, have him as an accent of the piece.

Besides that, the characters and building standing on the very bottom of the image looks bad, MysteryMeat proposes an easy fix to alleviate the issue.

Also, in regards to "it's not needed", the details are what make something have character. The silhuettes, I think, do not work at all. Use colors, poses and composition to draw the eye to the main character, and have the characters themselves be a backdrop, but let them be "alive".
To illustrate what I mean I'd point to any Ghibli movie. Their backdrops and background crowds are amazingly detailed and animated, and give life and, most of all, realism to an otherwise unbelievable world.

Offline Seiseki

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #8 on: January 03, 2017, 05:03:46 pm
I can't tell the depth of the various objects, everything looks to be on the same plane.
Use highlights, shadow, shade things in the background darker. Maybe add some faux-perspective.. Because you need to separate the planes somehow.

There's also a weird architectural detail I can't make sense of, it's the gray bricks at the edges.

I'll make an edit later if I have the time :)

Offline Jicklus

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Re: Shop Scene

Reply #9 on: January 04, 2017, 06:46:03 am
Does it look clearer now? The doorway is supposed to be at 45 degrees to the wall it joins onto but it wasn't that clear at first.