AuthorTopic: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character  (Read 4664 times)

Offline White_Crow

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[WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

on: July 21, 2018, 03:39:06 pm
Hi everyone, after searching for a rich and alive community for quite some time I was finally able to find this forum and here I am, making my first post on a Forum after a decade of not using one. I hope that you'll be able to forgive me if I'll do something wrong, I obviously read the rules, many times, it will be more about not being used to write on forums anymore than ignoring rules.
Now, lets talk about what I was working on during these days: my new (and first) D&D Character. This was something that I wanted to do for some months, and after re reading and reading tutorials that I found here I started to work. My main problem here is that I don't know, I'm not sure on how I should shade and highlight the clothes, and having a character with a coat doesnt help. I'm pretty happy about his head, but for the rest, meh. What could I do to improve it? Thanks.  :)

Offline YDVitamins

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #1 on: July 21, 2018, 08:36:21 pm
Now that's one cutie right there!

Because this is pretty minimal everything needs to contribute to a directional light source. That includes your colored outlines. The bun in the back has a very light top, but the outline for the rest of the hair and face is dark, and gets lighter towards the bottom, so it's as if light is coming from below in the front and above in the back. Then there's that "refracted" light in the color of the hair on our left side that's muddling it, too. And yet still, your cloak is light at the top, but the outline gets darker as you go down. You have something going on with the pants, but if it's not just a stripe pattern and is supposed to represent shading below the knee, it's too high on the leg, but shows directional light from the front and above as with both the belt buckle and what the cloak possibly suggests. And then the shoes have light coming from either side there at the bottom.

Once you focus your light source, your shading will fall into place. Think about where you want your light coming from, make an easily recognizable dot off in the ether to represent the source, and imagine that ray striking from that direction. You can draw directional lines if it helps you more visually zone.

Offline White_Crow

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #2 on: July 21, 2018, 11:03:24 pm
Ehy YDVitamins, first of all, thank for your kind answer and advices!  :) After reading your comment, you know, I have to admit that I felt a bit stupid: even if I was working with already what you said to me I don't know why I didnt follow it. And it's something that I already do in miniature painting, something that I do daily for hours! But many times you don't notice what mistakes did you make until someone else point them out, right? However, I retouched the pg with a light coming from above in mind. If think it's already better than before, I hope so at least. Thank you again.  ^-^

Offline YDVitamins

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #3 on: July 22, 2018, 01:44:07 pm
No problem, Crow! It absolutely looks more uniform.

Are you working with a particular color preset? Like myself, using Aseprite, I'm working on larger sprites with an NES color preset (index 55; 54 colors) so it's limiting to me and forcing me to come up with color compromises and shading techniques. If you aren't limited to anything, I think you can absolutely go more dramatic with your lighting overall on your sprite.

Offline White_Crow

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #4 on: July 22, 2018, 02:25:05 pm
I'm using Asesprite too, and I'm using a palette made by someone else that I downloaded some months ago I can't remember the name of the website.. It has many palettes and nothing else, maybe you know it.
As I was saying, if you zoom enough on the sprite that I uploaded here you can even see the colors that I limited myself too on the canvas.

Offline Teriyaki

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #5 on: July 22, 2018, 03:50:14 pm
I think the character would look better with a greater contrast between shadows and lights and between the different colors of his clothes.

For example, as the blue of the cape is desaturated a strong green would make a better contrast.

Offline YDVitamins

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #6 on: July 22, 2018, 07:43:00 pm
I share Teriyaki's statement. Your original concern was about how to shade and highlight the clothes. I know you have the colors you used for the specific palette that makes up your character, but if those are the only colors you're allowing yourself, your character will keep their low-contrast, and therefore flatter-looking clothes. We use highlights and shading to suggest a more 3D form. The best example on your avatar right now is the contrast in the face, and upon closer inspection, the subtle use of that single middle tone pixel to suggest a gradation which softens the edge. In contrast (no pun intended) the cape itself has no other values to match the lighting your outlines are suggesting for the whole form.

So when I asked if you were limiting yourself to a palette, I mean the preset array of colors from which you selected for your sprite, not exclusively the colors your sprite is made of (ex. My palette is the 54 colors used in the NES; one of my sprites uses only 8 of those colors). If your palette has more colors, you have more opportunity to add different contrasting colors so your character's lighting is more dramatic and arrayed. But if you're limiting yourself to just the colors you have here, it's time to think about incorporating your outline colors into the actual form, and making some adjustments.

I'd edit your sprite as an example to show you what I mean if I knew which you're going for.

Offline CFKaligula

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #7 on: July 22, 2018, 08:03:02 pm


I did an edit to show how I would do the lighting, and also changed and removed a some colours. I also tried changing the hair so it would be more readable.

Personally I would remove those brown and grey lines on his chest, its too much detail, especially for animation etc. So just a full green shirt should be good enough, a sprite does not need to be an exact copy of the way the char looks.
You get in the bowl

Offline White_Crow

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #8 on: July 22, 2018, 11:49:22 pm
Ehy everyone, thank for your kind answers and advices! So YDVitamins, I found the website: it was Lospec, the palette is the Endesga 32, this one: https://lospec.com/palette-list/endesga-32
This palette was made by Endesga and not by me, I liked it and wanted to do something with it. Sorry If I seemed like the worst beginner ever with my answer.
Now, well, for the issues about the colors, I've used those because I wanted something dark, so I worked with the colors that I had that I thought were the best for him. To be completely honest I'm not that happy about his a green for his clothes, but I can't make everything dark blue, and we all know that. This is just something that I wanted to do to represent my character while we play, something that usually is done with miniatures, probably I'll scale him up to a 128 x 128 or more and print it to use it while we play, so animations are not a problem at all, I'll never use it for anything more than that. I think with just a green "shirt" it would be empty.. Sorry if I wasted your time not posting everything that I should've posted previously, I should've made myself clear from the start. Sorry again and thanks a lot for the help you're all giving me.

Offline Rydin

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Re: [WIP] [Feedback] My D&D Character

Reply #9 on: July 25, 2018, 08:56:45 pm
Welcome aboard White_Crow

What's your character's name??

I would add more depth the the cloak: http://originalveniceshop.com/img/p/3/8/3/5/3835.jpg

You're missing a golden opportunity to use folds to show depth, which is an age-old technique the masters use: http://thebluez.gr/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/f512701f784a024d62ce7425c4b0b306-carrara-marble-wedding-veils.jpg

I would also consider how gradual your color ramps are. They all sort of blend together, which tends to happen with pixel art. You are allow to be bold and make high contrast when it comes to pixel art.

 ;D





Man cannot remake himself without suffering for he is both the marble and the sculptor.