Mario and CRT TVs

[Conzeit]

so, ever since ever I've wanted to do a mario sprite that shows all the details of his classic illustrations, specially using the same limitation olde SNES sprites had.

Some refference as per my usual etiquette
http://www.dan-dare.org/Dan%20Mario/SuperMarioBros3Wallpaper640.jpg 
http://www.mobygames.com/images/covers/large/1023686921-00.jpg
http://poisonmushroom.megamanempire.net/wp/images/smb2/scenesmb2.jpg
http://www.8bitjoystick.com/archives/photos/SuperMario.gif

Please view in 2x and above........


Not outlined transparent and not transparent...animates between with hat, and hatless.  (eeek, havent checked transparent version probably stinks.


Outlined versions,transparent and non transparent,  normal and paper mario

I'd have to check about specifical # of colors per tile, but I think these could easily be recolored to fit even NES limitations

[Helm]

in such small sprites, a single pixel is lots of real estate. The sprite suffers in my opinion from information confusion. For what I can see, EVERY pixel signifies a stylistic choice which while good in the abstract, comes out to hurt the piece in practise since there's no dead space to ease the eye in. The paper mario one is so much easier to look at.

These are worse than the original NES mario sprites because the originals inspite of themselves or some grand design by amazing pixel artists (they weren't) due to technical limitations bowed to the law of a very good information/clarity ratio.

Also, these could theoretically be recolored in nes limitations if you pile something like 4 sprites on top of each other.

Hi, Conceit!

[Conzeit]

hey there helm! 

about the detail I think you're right...I was a little obsessed about the detail on this one...that was practically the whole point. I wonder what it would look like in an actual CRT....that's what would really concern me with this one.

About making this in NES, I meant...if I removed all the shading it could probably work as a sprite...not so sure anymore :p The outlined non-paper one is downright horrible in any way shape or form, I'll admit that right now :p

my skills have gone to crap,both detail and animation. I babble so much about flow and volume and whatnot yet that's exactly what this lacks...maybe I'm just that kind of person that's meant to criticize but not actually DO things =/

anyways, I changed the paper one a bit and made a wario.
 
jesus...now I'm thinking the new paper guy looks like crap. it's as if everything I do looked better in ggale....so from now on, anything I do dont bother looking at it  in the page, download and open it up in ggale, and YES you AAAAAALL MUST download ggale to open a topic of mine XDD

[Darien]

The new paper guy is considerably better than the previous versions, particularly the head.  So much easier to read.  The body isn't quite there yet, I think.  Wario doesn't exactly look like Wario yet.  You have his distinctive features, but they don't quite add up.

I think you are doing too much "drawing" and too little implying, if you know what I mean.  For instance, you use a black line to separate Mario's shoes, when I think having one solid brown blob and only using strong highlights to suggest that there are two shoes, or something like that, would work.

But the new Mario is heaps heaps better

[setz]

you need alot less complication when working with a size so small, I made an edit to help describe what I mean.

black lines really make things messy at that size, and in general outlines do.



just really quick, but hopefully more readable except maybe the mouth and face

[yosh64]

hey

Wow, you seem to be very hard on yourself... I want to tell you not to be . I think you have captured mario quite well , you have just tried to cram to many colors and such together.

I made a couple of edits to try and help. Basically what I done was lower the colors, and tried to make things more clear and simple. Anyhows, hopefully these are easier to see or whatever.

<- mario edit
<- paper mario edit

edit

Just done another edit on mario, to try and better capture his character .

cyas

 

[Helm]

I wouldn't sweat it about the 'ment to critique and not to create' thing, it's a feeling, it passes.

I think this reads better



original - edit

[Bugguy]

Helm: Your Mario reads much better then the other but it stills need the "M" in his cap =D

[yosh64]

hey

@Helm: Yep, yours reminds me very much of the little mario from super mario allstars . Hmm, I mean the way it's shaded or something, I dunno. Well I was just looking at some mario allstar sprite rips before I done my last edit, hehe.

edit
I just went back and looked at mario from super mario allstars, and not even the big mario has the M thingy ^_^.

cyas

[Helm]

Helm: Your Mario reads much better then the other but it stills need the "M" in his cap =D

Exactly. I don't feel he NEEDS it. He doesn't need every detail he has on him on such a small sprite. Sacrificing information, for clarity. This is what I am trying to explain. At such size, an M on the cap would take so much real estate it would just divide a cap into 3 random bits of red. A single pixel at that size is as half as big as mario's fist. You can't exactly paint everything in.