AuthorTopic: Posing Practice (Read 12871 times)

Rosier · **on:** February 15, 2017, 05:07:59 am

DesignDoll again. Went for a relaxed sort of pose, but the feet kind went weird at some point. I think I'm on the right path for shading and I hope to maybe add an extra shade for colors, but I thought this was a good place to start.

rocifier · **Reply #1 on:** February 15, 2017, 07:41:53 am

Hmm I think the sillhouhette is alright, but the shading and form need some work. For example, the arm is awkwardly infront of the left leg, and the lighting on the crotch area looks undefined. I'm having difficulty determining where the light is coming from as it's inconsistent around the figure.

Other than that, the legs are too long and a bit bulky for the thin figure.

Rosier · **Reply #2 on:** February 15, 2017, 11:10:47 pm

Re-positioned the arm, slimmed down his legs, and reworked the shading on the pants. I added an extra shade, plus tried out dithering as a test.

Rosier · **Reply #3 on:** February 25, 2017, 10:37:57 pm

I'm a bit happier with the first set, but I was going for more smaller scale, dramatic stuff.

Rosier · **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2017, 09:32:19 pm

I would like to thank Yamazaki from KOF for the first one, and the phrase, "Power up!" for the second.

Bak · **Reply #5 on:** March 17, 2017, 12:16:02 pm

The main issue is inconsistent limb length as well as other proportions, i would suggest practice simpler poses with classic proportions.

Rosier · **Reply #6 on:** March 17, 2017, 07:44:16 pm

Quote from: Bak on March 17, 2017, 12:16:02 pm

The main issue is inconsistent limb length as well as other proportions, i would suggest practice simpler poses with classic proportions.

Which areas/characters specifically? A lot of these were based on DesignDoll models, which I would think had consistent sizes.

I'm also working on this smaller one. I want to make sure the shades/sizes are right, because I intend to animate it.

eishiya · **Reply #7 on:** March 17, 2017, 08:08:45 pm

This latest one has short-looking arms.

When you use DesignDoll, are you using it to understand the structure, or to copy from? If the latter, then it's quite easy to accidentally create inconsistent or incorrect proportions because you might render parts of the body in way that make them look like they're at a different angle than the ref. Poorly done foreshortening can lead to wonky limbs, and DesignDoll, being 3D software, will almost always have some foreshortening somewhere that you might not be noticing and therefore not depicting clearly.
In addition to that, with pixel art you don't have room for the subtler details that make things look right. The difference between an arm being too long or too short could be a single pixel, where exactly you put the sleeve can determine whether the arm looks foreshortened or not, and so on.

Rosier · **Reply #8 on:** March 17, 2017, 08:55:59 pm

Quote from: eishiya on March 17, 2017, 08:08:45 pm

This latest one has short-looking arms.

When you use DesignDoll, are you using it to understand the structure, or to copy from? If the latter, then it's quite easy to accidentally create inconsistent or incorrect proportions because you might render parts of the body in way that make them look like they're at a different angle than the ref. Poorly done foreshortening can lead to wonky limbs, and DesignDoll, being 3D software, will almost always have some foreshortening somewhere that you might not be noticing and therefore not depicting clearly.
In addition to that, with pixel art you don't have room for the subtler details that make things look right. The difference between an arm being too long or too short could be a single pixel, where exactly you put the sleeve can determine whether the arm looks foreshortened or not, and so on.

A mix of both. The latest one is actually based heavily on Vanessa from KOF, but she has a lot bigger sprite and has more detail, though that creates a similar problem.

I think no matter what I do, I won't be able to get any sort of detailed shading/perspective on such small sprites, at least with my current skill. I'm going to scrap this small one and try working on an animation with this size and character:

Tell me what is wrong with this one here, and I'll focus on it. I want improved shading, maybe an extra shade for each color, and if any of the limbs are wrong, then I'll see about making the animation with a new starting pose. Whatever you guys think needs massive improvement, including a completely new shading style if necessary.

Bak · **Reply #9 on:** March 18, 2017, 09:01:14 am

shes about to fall
That other dude also does anime pose but comes more as he is humping stuff
i told you to get handle of basic positioning and perspective because now it looks like cargo cult imitation of fighting game/anime sprites, and im more than sure people who drew them studied anatomy and drew from live sources first.

DieMango · **Reply #10 on:** March 18, 2017, 09:05:55 am

Here comes the guy that struggles alot with the same problem.

My Photoshop Teacher always told me to simpliefy everything until you cant simplify anymore (Like turning everything into cylinders or making a ,,low poly net'' for the form to know how things are bend and will cast a shadow)

Pixelart of curse is a little diffrent...

Still you can always siemplyfy things...cut it down into triangels or round shapes (the easy things in pixelart)

And keep in mind...most of thetime ther is no ,,core shine'' (a shine in the middle and small black outlines) But the is a always a ,,core-shadow'' (very dark shadow with light at both sides)

So Take a VERY dark color and start where the most domiant shadow and then refine it (really just put big part into shadow...cellshading doesnt stop at the line where a normal shadow woud blur...it stops when the light begins...)

PS: I will follow with a edit but for some Reason that image is a gif...so i have to edit in PS (Graphics Gale cant open it >.>)

Rosier · **Reply #11 on:** March 18, 2017, 05:50:56 pm

Quote from: Bak on March 18, 2017, 09:01:14 am

shes about to fall
That other dude also does anime pose but comes more as he is humping stuff
i told you to get handle of basic positioning and perspective because now it looks like cargo cult imitation of fighting game/anime sprites, and im more than sure people who drew them studied anatomy and drew from live sources first.

How specifically? Is the pose unbalanced? How so? It's clear I'm not getting why I'm having these sorts of problems.

Quote from: DieMango on March 18, 2017, 09:05:55 am

Here comes the guy that struggles alot with the same problem.

My Photoshop Teacher always told me to simpliefy everything until you cant simplify anymore (Like turning everything into cylinders or making a ,,low poly net'' for the form to know how things are bend and will cast a shadow)

Pixelart of curse is a little diffrent...

Still you can always siemplyfy things...cut it down into triangels or round shapes (the easy things in pixelart)

And keep in mind...most of thetime ther is no ,,core shine'' (a shine in the middle and small black outlines) But the is a always a ,,core-shadow'' (very dark shadow with light at both sides)

So Take a VERY dark color and start where the most domiant shadow and then refine it (really just put big part into shadow...cellshading doesnt stop at the line where a normal shadow woud blur...it stops when the light begins...)

PS: I will follow with a edit but for some Reason that image is a gif...so i have to edit in PS (Graphics Gale cant open it >.>)

I'm not married to cel shading. I want whatever looks the best, and so far I've liked what I've been doing. If there's a better way for me to shade this, I'd be perfectly fine with that, though I'll take into account even harder shadows.

Bak · **Reply #12 on:** March 18, 2017, 08:54:32 pm

Quote from: Rosier on March 18, 2017, 05:50:56 pm

How specifically? Is the pose unbalanced? How so? It's clear I'm not getting why I'm having these sorts of problems.

It is unbalanced, her legs are sliding apart and her feet are stumps.
It is said that if you wont land a character feet properly, entire thing will look unbalanced.
Also you can fit the third leg between hers, look down on yourself and think about it.

MysteryMeat · **Reply #13 on:** March 18, 2017, 10:29:04 pm

To expand on Bak's point, a good habit is to try any pose you plan on drawing. If it's hard to stay upright, it's gonna look unstable

Rosier · **Reply #14 on:** March 19, 2017, 11:00:40 pm

Decided to try out some silhouettes for the sake of it. Pink was based off an image, White was me trying to listen to the, "build characters around shapes," thing though barely, and Yellow was based off of the last pose in this: http://img06.deviantart.net/cd9c/i/2016/048/8/c/pose_set__1_standing_poses_by_anadia_chan-d9s6hgt.jpg

I'm still not 100% on Pink's arms, because I can't figure out what to really do with them. White probably gets away with a lot by having a cloak, and Yellow is almost a copy, so I'm not too worried about them, but the shape practice probably helps.

I tried shading this, but I'd really like ways on how to make it more complex. I want to try getting away from this style if it isn't working how I want it to, so I'd be fine with either improvements or a major overhaul.

MysteryMeat · **Reply #15 on:** March 19, 2017, 11:22:21 pm

Hm, something I'm noticing is you tend to gravitate towards the same slender bodytypes. You ever try playing around with different proportions?
IE fat, burly, emaciated, mutated, etc?

I've found that doing big burly bastards and skinny waifish types has helped a lot with my ability to nail muscle groups and bone structure.

More immediately, middle and right are pretty good but left looks a bit stiff. I assume you were going for the anime "I'm a glum party pooper" type pose? if so, raise the shoulders and give 'em more of a slump.

Rosier · **Reply #16 on:** March 20, 2017, 03:23:05 am

I've tried previously in the sense that Red is supposed to be thicker/muscled, and Brown is supposed to be shorter/chubby while the rest are fairly average. Another thing to blame is a lot of images on Google are that body type, but I should look harder.
Even here, I envisioned him as being wider, but I do like how this turned out.

Pink was supposed to be a standard/generic pose that'd be the base for an animation, and a, "meh," expression was all I came up with. I don't really know what to do with arms in that case a lot of the time.
Here's her being grouchy, though that still doesn't really work for a ready pose.

MysteryMeat · **Reply #17 on:** March 20, 2017, 03:58:26 am

hmm
try pushing it more, I think. Perhaps try and work from bodybuilders for a bit, or perhaps extreme-living-conditions photography

Rosier · **Reply #18 on:** March 20, 2017, 09:35:23 pm

Made Red a bit thicker just for the sake of it, but here's a beefcake. I still think I could do with a different shading type on him, maybe just because there's a lot more real estate to use.

MysteryMeat · **Reply #19 on:** March 20, 2017, 11:41:26 pm

Aye. Try and work on the waist a bit too, the divide between the torso and the legs looks a bit off here. It might be a problem with the crotch height again, and possible the curve on the left side of the torso being too straight.

Rosier · **Reply #20 on:** March 21, 2017, 03:47:56 am

Axed the full black on the waist line to make it blend a bit better, and rounded out the shading a bit, plus made the Deprived class from Dark Souls.

yaomon17 · **Reply #21 on:** March 21, 2017, 04:07:43 am

Beefcake might fall because his legs are out of proportion

Rosier · **Reply #22 on:** March 22, 2017, 03:31:03 am

Went for a more dynamic pose, but I have no idea what to do with the arms. I tried, but this was the best I could come up with for any sort of active look. I'm happier with the legs, though, and I think I'll play with the hair at some point.

Bak · **Reply #23 on:** March 22, 2017, 12:04:12 pm

all your drawings have a big neck and head size problem. Necks pretty much expand into small heads. And hands being the same size from fist to elbow

Heres how that buff guy head would probably look full scale:

also heres someones elbow, notice the size difference with wrist

You should draw normal, non-pixel art, non anime people to get a grasp on basic proportions.

Rosier · **Reply #24 on:** March 23, 2017, 03:48:40 am

Played with the pose based on Makoto from Third Strike. Legs look like they might be off, but the hands are doing something rather than nothing, and have a bit more human proportions.

MysteryMeat · **Reply #25 on:** March 23, 2017, 04:50:23 am

Getting warmer, but you're still working from stylized references! There's a lot of guides and diagrams you can look at for muscle groupings on google, I'll link a few under the spoiler!

And a bonus animated one I wish I knew the source of from tumblr about arms: https://rancidmysterymeat.tumblr.com/post/158214989296/anatomicalart-piss-hubbo-fuck-this-i

Hope those help!

PixelPiledriver · **Reply #26 on:** March 23, 2017, 11:04:16 pm

Rosier · **Reply #27 on:** March 24, 2017, 02:25:05 am

All of that definitely helps for the future. Probably reused a bit too much of the edits, but I do like how this new one is looking. I'm having problems with the hair, seen in how it appears this character looked like a man.

This is the best example of what her hair is supposed to look like, though I can't really think of a way to shade it other than how I did.

MysteryMeat · **Reply #28 on:** March 24, 2017, 02:47:17 am

What you've done looks more like one of those punky undercut things, perhaps something more like this?

I also reworked the face and ear a little, watch that overbite!

dpixel · **Reply #29 on:** March 24, 2017, 06:12:13 pm

Maybe this edit can give you some ideas:

Rosier · **Reply #30 on:** March 24, 2017, 08:20:47 pm

Both of those definitely helped! I also decided to look at KOF to help me plan the animation I'm doing a bit more, and I tried out shading along those lines. Chest might need some work, but I think it's a start.

Rosier · **Reply #31 on:** March 30, 2017, 12:02:33 am

Worked on this a bit. I like the legs, but I feel like the torso is a bit off. I tried making him a bit leaner because he's not supposed to have a very broad chest, but I don't think I nailed it. His hair also looks too round, but I couldn't figure out the best way to fix it.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8b/2e/56/8b2e56c718776fcf491b3e69b727e7c7.jpg

MysteryMeat · **Reply #32 on:** March 30, 2017, 07:10:34 am

Work on your crotch height, given how often you do that it might be wise to do some studies on the pelvic area soon.
Also, his left arm would be a hand longer than his right one with it bent like that. Proportions, mang.

Rosier · **Reply #33 on:** March 31, 2017, 04:28:11 am

Decided to scrap everything above the waist because I found a good way to improve the hair, and a much better model for the torso: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ba/ba/78/baba780f6efc33158a25ee348a26ba3b.jpg

Took another look at KOF sprites for clothes, and it's definitely a bit more complex than I've done.

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AuthorTopic: Posing Practice (Read 12871 times)