Could use some help

[Zhou]

Could use some help with the water. Don't want comments on my fire. I like it the way it is. I need suggestions like placement of the reflection of the sun, color choices, texture, etc.

[AdamAtomic]

what do you like about it?  The "fire" I mean?  The way it doesn't even vaguely resemble fire?  Or the way it is as bright as the sun?

I'm not trying to be mean, but I am trying to be harsh.  You seem to have a predisposition toward rejecting advice that you badly need.  To artists, this is like saying "I plan on sucking at art forever."

Every element of this image needs to be reworked, probably from the ground up.  The water is the least of your concerns, and on top of that, it is one of the most difficult things an artist can ever render.  Scrap this image, and start working on the basics.  Try some simple shapes (like a cube) with proper shading.  Once you are comfortable with the fundamentals of light and shadow, then you should work on the basic forms of landscape and anatomy.  When you feel comfortable rendering anatomy and landscape in black and white, experiment with color by studying photographs and master paintings and real life.

Once you feel like you have a handle on anatomy and landscape and color, revisit this concept.  The elements are not bad in and of themselves, but there is no way for your to render them reasonably with your current skills and knowledge.  To put this in perspective, I have years of experience and, based on this piece anyways, considerably more skill and knowledge than you, and I would not dream of attempting this scene!  The complexity of the elements and the perspective and the wide variety of surfaces (vegetation, fire, stone, fabric, sky, etc) make it incredibly challenging!

Sucks huh?  Welcome to art

[The B.O.B.]

   First, welcome. I just want to let you know, this place prides itself on making you a better artist, not just on the pixel end(however this is the bread and butter, here), but on all ends of the artistic spectrum. I bring this up, because you have asked not to make any critiques over the fire, because "you" like the way it looks. Thats fine. Just know that to the veteran pixel artist, those flames are extremely messy, and non-realistic. In my humble opinion, I don't think you can hide it's lack of artistic knowledge or skill behind a supposed "Style." So, I really do hope, that if you expect this piece to grow one ounce, you will consider detracting the statement: "Don't want comments on my fire." However, your piece, your property. Do as you will.
   Second, as a devout follower of the pixel religion,  , it's damn near a sin to use the spray tool in any application, ESPECIALLY M.S. PAINT. Try looking up Google for some references on how mountains aren't just one shade or ramp of green through a warm scene such as this sun lit background. In fact, try noticing that not all things that are considered one color, are actually made up of multiple colors in real life. These "general" colors we associate things with, are only for basic memory, not truth. Almost a mirage. This will help you develop a respect to understanding just how important color selection with a palette really is. Also, Water is a reflective surface, which would imply that it reflects sunlight from where ever the source hits it. Don't forget, that water is an underestimated form of a live object. Captures of the ocean can often reflect many emotions, such as giant waves crashing over rocks, or flat oceans with a gentle sway to provide a form of calmness.
   Finally the two most important things you will hear around here are Anatomy and perspective. To be honest, I don't think no one at this website has it down(including me, of course), so remember that we are all still trying to grasp these two important points. Now in this piece, the character's body is deformed almost to the point of a stick figure. The shading of him only consists of a gradient(another no-no). His feet are fatter than usual. His left arm is a bit fat towards the upper half, while his right arm is slimmer for some reason. He has NO ass, which make his legs align themselves perfectly with his sides.
  I Agree with AdamAtomic, in that you should scrap this and start smaller to build up a firmer grasp of what really makes pixel art, pixel-art. With this media, it's more important to remember that in a technical sense( especially considering restrictions) less is more, and more is less. Hopefully you won't take these crits the wrong way, and can quite possibly grow from them. Like mentioned before hand, critiques are meant to help, whether they be harsh, or mild. This is world of the artists who take their work seriously. But I've went on too much already. If you do continue this piece, I'd at least try coming up with solid forms first, rather than details that make up forms.( and I'm pretty sure someone will come around later to correct some of my previous statements)
  Good luck!

[legofreak]

this is an exaple of water i've done, im sure it could be better...
sorry bob i did use the spray tool. but i cleaned it up. im not good with randomness

[Zhou]

Oh, I realize it's nowhere near the kind of art you guys are doing. I like the fire because even though it's cartoony and not very realistic, it's showy. I'm not trying to do a "style." Not really going for realistic here, just trying to get some practice. His right arm is skinnier because he's kind of facing toward the side. And a lot of you are a few years older than me (I'm thirteen) so I'll have some time to try and get some practice in before I can catch up.

I know I used the spray tool, but I was going for something different, since shading the mountains and dithering them made them kind of ugly and boring (attributed to my lack of knowledge, apparently).

In real life I can draw pretty well (still bad at coloring), but it's just a ton harder with the mouse.

[Stwelin]

However, pixel art is not 'drawing.' it's the careful and considerate placing of each and every 'picture element' on the image. When you try to draw with the mouse, you are eliminating the point of pixel art. I would strongly suggest you consider Adam's advice. Your argument for why you like certain things such as the fire really is just like saying "I plan on sucking at art forever." as he put it, ever so elequently.

[AdamAtomic]

This isn't bad for being 13, but you are NEVER to young to start trying to understand the basics.  The problem with your guy's anatomy isn't that one arm is too skinny - it's that he is a formless blob devoid of proportion!  Same goes for the mountains and fire and everything.

You're quite right that just some simple dithering on the mountains would be boring.  However, it would also be completely unrealistic.  Quick lesson on landscape forms that has NOTHING to do with the friggin spray can tool:



Neither the spray can nor mechanical dithering are going to yield results that look anything like a mountain if you don't understand the basic forms of the objects you are trying to render, and how light affects them!!

[Froli]

Zhou,

Basic is the key..  They are giving you advice based on their long time experience in art and pixeling. So listen to them.

[Zhou]

Uh oh. I just got owned.

Oh well, I'll finish my crapfest of a pixel and then try to do some anatomy and stuff like that.

[Faktablad]

Don't get downhearted, Zhou.  These guys want to see you improve as much as you do!  That's the real reason why critique happens here.  If you want to improve, take to heart what they're saying and work at it, you'll get better for sure.  The best thing an artist can do is see beauty in what he creates without taking himself too seriously.  Go for it!