AuthorTopic: [WIPs] Two Guys And a Robot  (Read 3850 times)

Offline Hatch

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[WIPs] Two Guys And a Robot

on: July 17, 2007, 05:12:44 pm


Here are a few of my first serious attempts at pixel art. I've finalized a couple of them (well, submitted them to PJ) but I feel they could all benefit from some brutal criticism. Have at me!

EDIT: Added [WIPs] To the topic. Though I guess it should technically be [WsIP]  :B
« Last Edit: July 17, 2007, 05:24:45 pm by Hatch »

Offline lilwing

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Re: [WIPs] Two Guys And a Robot

Reply #1 on: July 17, 2007, 05:39:45 pm
the guy on the left looks okay, i think it would look better without the white outline, though.

the guy in the middle looks like a monkey because your shadows are kind of dark and the shape of his face and hair. if i were you, i'd make him into a monkey anyways.

i think the robot looks pretty cool. nice metallic texture to him. i don't notice any problems about him, but it would look better if it were a few shades darker.

Offline Hatch

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Re: [WIPs] Two Guys And a Robot

Reply #2 on: July 17, 2007, 05:45:18 pm
Thank you for the critiques.

I've always suspected my robot's palette was a little weak. Thank you.

As for the second face, It's the most WIP-y of all three and I'm not very happy with it. In spite of that, I'm not prepared to abandon my original vision and "make him into a monkey".

Offline EyeCraft

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Re: [WIPs] Two Guys And a Robot

Reply #3 on: July 17, 2007, 11:12:19 pm
They're all pretty rad. The skinny dude in the middle would be my fav. I'm hard-placed trying to suggest how you could improve it. Maybe increase the value of the near-black purple so it's more noticble, giving a little more volume to his shadowed areas. Maybe decrease the extent to which is brow is segmented from his forehead; doesn't look right to me.

I'm not a big fan of the grey in the fat man's palette, or maybe its the manner in which you've portrayed the stubble of his beard. Hmm I'll try an edit...



(edit on right) Mainly played with palette, but fiddled with things here and there in the piece (speculars, nose, lips). Killed the saturation in the shadow tones, I think that's what was bothering me, not the grey.

All in all its quite nice work  :y:

Offline Hatch

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Re: [WIPs] Two Guys And a Robot

Reply #4 on: July 17, 2007, 11:30:37 pm
Thanks very much for the crits and compliments, EyeCraft.

I love what you've done with fatso. I really struggle with palette choices, so your edit is a great help to me.

Now that I'm home from work, I'll try some edits of my own.

Again, thanks very much for taking the time.

Offline ndchristie

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Re: [WIPs] Two Guys And a Robot

Reply #5 on: July 18, 2007, 03:02:54 am
i actually prefer the original palette, skin is a very luminous material and the highly saturated tones in the shadows give it that life that is missing from so many pieces.

robot feels a little plastic in that it only is reflecting strong lights and shadows dully.  A lot of metal is highly polished and presents an almost mirrorlike reflection all the way round with crisp contrast, squashed of course for the cyllinder, and highly reflective metals tend to read better as metal.
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Offline Hatch

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Re: [WIPs] Two Guys And a Robot

Reply #6 on: July 18, 2007, 11:36:36 pm
Thanks very much for the pointers, Adarias.

i actually prefer the original palette, skin is a very luminous material and the highly saturated tones in the shadows give it that life that is missing from so many pieces.

I'm now undecided about what to do with his palette. You made a very good point and caused me to look at it in a different light. Anyway, I have two other pieces to work on, so I guess he'll have to wait.

robot feels a little plastic in that it only is reflecting strong lights and shadows dully.  A lot of metal is highly polished and presents an almost mirrorlike reflection all the way round with crisp contrast, squashed of course for the cyllinder, and highly reflective metals tend to read better as metal.

My edits follow. I'm not very happy with them. I should point out that I only edited the head (except for the global palette swaps) and that the jaw looks quite terrible. (for that matter, the entire thing might look quite terrible) I think it's either because I can't get the angles of the lines quite right, or because the new reflectiveness has brought some minor perspective problems sharply into focus, or both. At any rate, you may want to just block it out with your thumb or something. I found it difficult to judge my own technique with it in view.



The first edit is a simple palette shift to darker, more contrasting colors. The second is my attempt at the shading I think you're talking about, and the third is an extreme palette change that gets rid of the midtone altogether. I think it's technically more accurate, and might suit a plain cylinder just fine, but it seems very wrong for this character.

And that just leaves the thin man. In the first edit I made him less cadaverous (that wasn't really what I had in mind for the character to begin with) and changed his expression. On the two and three I just tried different hair styles. I think he sort of reverted back to cadaverousness in number three.



Whew! I think I'll just work on one piece at a time in the future.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2007, 12:32:40 am by Hatch »