Samus Pixel art[WIP(?)]

[Afelium]

I tried doing Samus from Metrioid to practice shading,I'm looking for advice;the light on her left shoulder doesn't look right,what's wrong with it?

Edit:
Slightly changed the shading on the shoulders

[Tensur]

I tried to edit because i really like the art, i'm noob in pixel art but maybe my edit help u.

[Afelium]

I tried to edit because i really like the art, i'm noob in pixel art but maybe my edit help u.

Thank you very much!you may not consider yourself an expert in pixel art(I don't know if you are)but sure you found the exact problem that I couldn't see:the banding on her shoulder(that thing is called banding right?).The shades were all the same size,so I guess that made it feel wrong.
Thank you again,you really helped me

I tried to follow your edit,but by keeping the roundness of the shoulder

[Hunited]

Actually, although that is not banding, it is what is bugging me on the right shoulder as well, still.
Banding is when you line up pixels in a way that creates a perceived line.
Actually, what you described is banding too, itīs just that in pixel art jargon it means something else.
example of banding

[Afelium]

Actually, although that is not banding, it is what is bugging me on the right shoulder as well, still.
Banding is when you line up pixels in a way that creates a perceived line.
Actually, what you described is banding too, itīs just that in pixel art jargon it means something else.
example of banding

Thank you for the explanation

Actually, although that is not banding, it is what is bugging me on the right shoulder as well, still.

Do you think my last edit has resolved it?Or should I work again on it?

[Hunited]

It's this part especially, but if I'm the only one, then don't worry about it.

[Afelium]

It's this part especially, but if I'm the only one, then don't worry about it.

I don't know how light exactly works,but here's how I think it could have worked

[Hunited]

Well, although light does propagate in straight lines, you're not really looking at Samus as a 3D object in this way.

[Afelium]

Well, although light does propagate in straight lines, you're not really looking at Samus as a 3D object in this way.

I don't know how light would work in this situation,I tried to make the helmet's shadow more  evident

Edit:
here comes the body

[wolfenoctis]

I think you need to fix the proportions before you start shading, an edit to illustrate:

[Afelium]

I think you need to fix the proportions before you start shading, an edit to illustrate:

How can I be proud of my creation after seeing this?
Thank you for your edit,it's awesome!

[Hunited]

Afelium, you can still be proud, but it's not really about pride. I too feel a bit down if I see other people's art that's much better than mine. But instead of developing an inferiority complex you should try to learn from it, everyone was a newbie once, everyone will improve given enough time,work, and dedication.

Keep doing what you love!

[Afelium]

Afelium, you can still be proud, but it's not really about pride. I too feel a bit down if I see other people's art that's much better than mine. But instead of developing an inferiority complex you should try to learn from it, everyone was a newbie once, everyone will improve given enough time,work, and dedication.

Keep doing what you love!

Thank you,that's really motivating (;

I think you need to fix the proportions before you start shading, an edit to illustrate:

Wolfenoctis,Hunited,I have a lot of questions, so don't worry to answer them all:
How can I get better at making proportions?
How can I give a metal effect like the one in wolfenoctis's edit?
Do I have to study art theory to make decent pixel art?(good enough to be paid for)

[eishiya]

I hope it's okay if I butt in with a few answers.

Yes, you need to study art theory. Pixel art is just another 2D art medium. To learn more about light, this is a great tutorial. This is a more general tutorial that might be useful. Neither of these is about pixel art, but all the same theory applies to pixel art.

The metallic effect is created through contrast. Metal is shiny = high contrast. More specifically, the highlights on metal are usually much more different from the midtone than the shadows are.

[Afelium]

I hope it's okay if I butt in with a few answers.

Yes, you need to study art theory. Pixel art is just another 2D art medium. To learn more about light, this is a great tutorial. This is a more general tutorial that might be useful. Neither of these is about pixel art, but all the same theory applies to pixel art.

The metallic effect is created through contrast. Metal is shiny = high contrast. More specifically, the highlights on metal are usually much more different from the midtone than the shadows are.

Thank you for replying,your advice is always good

[wolfenoctis]

Wolfenoctis,Hunited,I have a lot of questions, so don't worry to answer them all:
How can I get better at making proportions?

Proportion is always relative, so for example the head has a certain size ratio compared to the torso and so too does the torso compared to the shoulders, etc. You can get better at it by studying your reference closely and trying to replicate these ratios, the more you practice, the better your perception will get.

How can I give a metal effect like the one in wolfenoctis's edit?

Study metal photo references, metal tends to have a broad range of values with bright specular reflections. Try to replicate the references, the more you practice, the better you'll get at illustrating metal.

Do I have to study art theory to make decent pixel art?(good enough to be paid for)

Yes you need to understand the fundamentals of art, pixel art is a medium just like painting or drawing and all the fundamentals apply to it just like any other medium.

Above all you need to keep doing pixel art on a regular basis, don't fear making mistakes, they are opportunities to learn. The only true way to fail, is to give up. 

[Afelium]

Sorry,its been a long time,but it is difficult to restart something you already made without making the same mistakes.Here's my latest attempt,trying to follow your advice

I changed palette and tried to respect the proportions
The shading on the shoulders still being a problem
Seems like I accidentally downscaled it a little

[Afelium]

im struggling with the lighting on the limbs(Especially the highlights,don't know where to put them),I have no idea about how to apply AA on the grooves and I don't know if the metal orange palette(the one on the shoulders and limbs)is good

Waiting for advice before proceeding
Edit:no longer waiting
Edit 2:
+1 leg

[Afelium]

Maybe not well,but I managed to make all the limbs,but the pose feels strange;do you know why?

[eishiya]

It just feels a bit unbalanced, with the legs leaning one way, but the torso not leaning/shifting the other way to compensate. In addition, the arm on her hip doesn't seem to be resting on the hip, is she just holding her fist next to her hip?

[Afelium]

It just feels a bit unbalanced, with the legs leaning one way, but the torso not leaning/shifting the other way to compensate. In addition, the arm on her hip doesn't seem to be resting on the hip, is she just holding her fist next to her hip?

Thank you for replying;No,her arm should rest on the hip,how do I make it feel like it does?
I'll try to edit the torso,meanwhile here's a version with better palette

I have to admit I used a color ramp generator and then changed saturation to make contrast,because I couldn't get a decent orange palette.Is this bad?

[eishiya]

I think if your goal is to make the arm rest on the hip, it should be higher up. That low, the surface is basically vertical so the arm wouldn't be comfortable there. It's also unclear whether she's got her hand in a fist with fingers against the hip, in which case the entire arm should probably be positioned differently, or if her palm is on the hip and you've just neglected to draw her fingers, in which case the arm position is fine. Try making this pose yourself, that should help you figure out how it works.

As for the palette, define "bad"? It doesn't really matter where you get your colours for the end result, what matters is that you use them effectively. To that end, understanding why your colours work or don't work is important, and that understanding can develop in many different ways. Some people learn by experimenting, some learn by analysing others' work, some need to have things explained to them, some have other methods still, and most people like a mix of methods. The key thing for learning is that you think critically about your colours, don't just accept something because it looks nice.

[Afelium]

Fixed the hand on the hip,and tried to make fingers this time.

Next goal:fix the torso
The orange palette keeps bugging me:I'd like to raise contrast to make it look less like cardboard,but too much doesn't make the colors mix togheter
Im really struggling with it:I tried to apply the same ratios I used with the red palette,but the colors still don't work good togheter,why?

[eishiya]

Not sure how helpful this is, but here are my thoughts. Keep in mind that I don't know what your goal with this piece is, and I was too lazy to look up what Samus's design normally looks like.



There are many ways to achieve higher contrast. In this case, I increased the contrast in the oranges and yellows through greater hue-shifting (made the shadows purpler/bluer, the highlights yellower/oranger), and through making the darkest colours less saturated (since the midtones are more saturated - low vs high saturation is also a form of contrast). Your original dark purple was very similar in saturation and value to the colour next to it, so it looked a bit strange, almost like she was illuminated by a weak purple light source.

Making the yellows warmer creates a better contrast between them and the purple shadows on the orange/coppery parts, since (warm) yellow and purple are complementary colours. It might not be accurate to the design, but I think it makes for a more harmonious palette. I would've probably done more with the yellows on her torso but I didn't feel right messing with your colours too much since I didn't know whether you were going for yellow or green.

[Afelium]

Fixed chest and torso,hope its better now

Can I say its finished?

[Decroded]

i think if the weight is on the right leg then the hip should be a bit higher than the left leg?
the left leg should look more like its kinda hanging lightly?

[Hunited]

I do not think the weight is on the right leg to be honest.

[Decroded]

I do not think the weight is on the right leg to be honest.

i meant our right, her left.