[WIP] [C+C] Platformer forest level mockup

[DekuJuice]

I'm making art for a platformer game, and this is my first attempt at pixel art.
The trees in the background were scribbled out pretty quickly and haven't been cleaned up yet, so I'm mainly looking for help and criticism regarding the grass and dirt tiles right now. I'm aiming for a green/blueish color scheme, like you're deep in the forest, although not so much that there's very little light, so I would like some help regarding the colors of the dirt in particular.
I also intend to be able to climb walls in my game like in Megaman X and Zero, so I'm thinking the walls should be "straighter", but I'm not sure how to go about that.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Xorceles]

Imo it need lianas and some fireflies

lianas's description:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liana
this will give you a idea

[heyguy]

Looks good, keep it up! Experiment with adding some light detail (rim lighting, etc) on the middle ground. Also I'd say just make the rocks straight instead of bumpy (for easier wall sliding). You can make the rocks on the inside vary in size to replicate that "bump" effect.

[Tidbit]

There's a tutorial by Saint11 that will help you out a lot:



I also suggest trying to hue shift your colors a bit more; don't be afraid to really push things! Contrast is your friend, not something to be afraid of.

[DekuJuice]

Thank you for the advice.
I wasn't happy with the dirt, and I actually started redoing it in a similar fashion before I saw Tidbit's post. It's nice to know that I had the right idea at least.


I redid the grass a little for a more "clean" look, but I'm not sure whether I should leave it at 3 colors or add a 4th color and try to fit in some more detail.

[eishiya]

I'm a fan of the fade-to-solid dirt style that you used before. The actual pixel work wasn't as strong, but I think you could apply what you've learned since and make it awesome.

The grass is a big improvement!

If you're not specifically going for a blocky look, consider making the shapes of the edge tiles less linear, so that they look less artificial/blocky. In particular, the background-only tiles that the player does not have to interact with have no need to have their visual edges conform to the tile edges. You could even achieve greater distinction between playable and non-playable surfaces by deliberately making the non-playable surfaces not follow the grid as tightly.