AuthorTopic: Feature 03 - Mermaid  (Read 95023 times)

Offline Helm

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #30 on: November 03, 2006, 11:28:24 pm
Heh, I wish this would happen, if only for the purpose of hearing from Tsu again. I don't think either of us felt that selout was the end-all-be all of sprite style. But hey, if an overly dramatic religious debate could bring him out of the wood-works, I'd be game. ; )

Heh, I hear you. I miss Tsugumo lots.

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My feelings on selout have changed from back when it was the "hot new thing." I currently feel that solid colored outlines of various brightness with minimal internal AA tends to make for more attractive outlines.

Agree totally.

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I didn't have very good perception of the technique I was trying to implement on the old blue board, and a lot of my sprites came out harsh and unattractive because I went overboard with selout.

Still remember that Blade of the Immortal grayscale sprite that was so nice but was destroyed by harsh selout everywhere. Still have?

Offline snake

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #31 on: November 03, 2006, 11:38:53 pm
Absolutely love this. There were a few things you could do differently. Experimented a bit to show some suggestions:


(edit on Helm's edit)

The way the shoulders are connected now are a bit broad and is nearly parallel to the neckbone. Usually the shoulders are slightly above when leaning/resting on that arm. Some minor edits on her right (our left) arm since it looked a little squareish. There is also a very little indication of a ribcage so I pulled that further out so it would match up with her other shoulder. I also reduced her gut. Not because she looked beefy, but because her arm is allready hiding that she's sitting tilted forward/sideways. The extra gut made her look more like a flat column sitting straight down and taking away her pose (if that makes any sense...). Also did an edit to a few of the apples to suggest an alternative way of making the apples more golden.

On a sidenote, the fins are taking away a lot of attention. Maybe you could blend them in a way, I don't know. They do balance out the picture, but with the shading they have now, they grab the attention as yellow blobs rather than fins complimenting the rest.

Only suggestions of course. Just wanted to put my two cents into the ring.
« Last Edit: September 16, 2007, 08:07:50 am by ptoing »

Offline Kren

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #32 on: November 04, 2006, 01:21:31 am
hmm the only thing that doesn't suit is the tail of the mermaid, it seems to me that it is not the same style as the rest of the picture.

Offline Toby

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #33 on: November 04, 2006, 09:38:54 am
helm, untill recently I always thought that simply coloured-changing (according to light) outlines was also considered sel-out.  In a way, it is, because your "selectively outlining" certain areas of your sprite with different colours (solid line, not choppy).  If that be the case, then sel-out could be both clean *and* choppy.  But since i learn that it's not, I say that coloured outlines deserves a pixel-term.  It deserves it much more than the choppy sel-out does.

This is what I always thought selout stood for, a colored outline that changes according to where light is coming from. So, I'm sorry for misusing the term, but I still feel that a colored outline fits this piece better than AA.

Offline eobet

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #34 on: November 04, 2006, 07:57:49 pm
I hope I don't offend anyone for saying this, but in all the edits, the mermaid has gone from cutesy to a bimbo.

The quality of the picture has improved, but the original character has been transformed into something completely different.

I also agree with the previous post, the mermaid's tail is too attention grabbing in the composition as it is now.

Offline Helm

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #35 on: November 04, 2006, 09:12:45 pm
Though I don't care for the tummy tuck snake performed, it alarms me how you think give her actual lips contributes to her being a bimbo. I'd be scared to ask where that came from.

Offline Faceless

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #36 on: November 05, 2006, 09:13:22 am
Though I don't care for the tummy tuck snake performed, it alarms me how you think give her actual lips contributes to her being a bimbo. I'd be scared to ask where that came from.
There are plenty of mouth shapes, so claiming that he's attributing bimboness to "actual lips" is a bit unfair.
The shape of the eyes and the nose in the edit also contribute. >:D

Offline Dusty

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #37 on: November 05, 2006, 12:47:18 pm
Well, mermaids are supposed to be seductive by nature... least from the tales and such.
Anyways, I too much prefer the conditional-outlining(I'm going to call it that, because it changes due to the condition. For reference, I'm refering to the coloured outlining, not the black). I think black outlines are just way too harsh, and if you do want to keep them, drop darkness of it down a notch to a more near-midtone grey. In the original picture, the thing that stood out most is that it seemed you were going for a cartoony style, which the black outlines would fit. But then the outline of the hair and the arm was compeltely different.

I agree with what was said about the finsl. I think they're just way too large for such a lack of detail, and just stand out compared to the rest of the picture. I supposed you could either size them down a bit, or add some sort of texturing to it.
I'm also not sure about the dithering. You have dithered a lot of the picture, then didn't dither the rest. It really gives a clash of style to it, as some things like the tree are smooth and cartoony, then you have a more detailed rock, moss, and scales of the mermaid. That also goes with what I was saying about her tail.

I think the new face fits the purpose of the mermaid a lot more, and I don't think it makes her look like a bimbo. Though I think her left eye in the edit could use a move to the left a pixel.
« Last Edit: November 05, 2006, 12:49:51 pm by Dusty »

Offline Terley

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #38 on: November 05, 2006, 01:08:18 pm
I personally think the fin-tail bit is too light, looks great in the reflection but It seems too distracting to me..



Damn, already bin said.. ok, erm.. Last minute thought, maybe on the edits her lips are too large? I personally think this looks more feminine..  ???

« Last Edit: September 16, 2007, 08:08:59 am by ptoing »
I've not got anything interesting to type here..

Offline ndchristie

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Re: Mermaid!

Reply #39 on: November 05, 2006, 01:11:01 pm
as for the lips 'isuue', i'd either lighten them or darken the face.  i doubt it's the shape that's bothering people, but the fact that so much attention is drawn to them.  without some real makeup, few girls have lips that dark against skin that light.

heres an edit -



also, i didnt notice this until i started working, but the light sources are separated....split down the center really.  compositionally it works, but visually (and scientifically, if you can talk about science with regard to light on mermaids) not so well
« Last Edit: November 23, 2006, 09:44:20 pm by ptoing »
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