Critique > Pixel Art
How can I improve this piece?
Alícia F. R.:
Hello, Pixelation! I'm happy to see this awesome forum is still around. I really need your wisdom. What do you think is wrong (and right, but I'm mostly looking for stuff to improve here) about this character portrait?
I'm going for a cartoony style, so realism and proportions aren't really that important as long as it looks good. I haven't done any serious pixels in too long and I need to get better. Any tips, suggestions, criticisms, etc. are welcome. :) Thank you!
Chonky Pixel:
This looks pretty awesome! Excellent work. Linework and shading are on point, and I love the cartoony style.
The only potential issue I see is around the face. The dark red/brown against the black/grey outline doesn't allow me to see any detail. I'm assuming the single dot of white is supposed to be a tooth, but I had to zoom in to figure out what was going on. Also it's a single pixel, so I can only assume what it is because of its location.
I tend to try to avoid single pixels myself, but tbh I can't make characters look this good! But fwiw I'd try some face colours that stood out against the black or try using a light colour for detail. Also I'd choose a tooth colour with a bit of yellow or brown in it so it doesn't ping so much, and try to make the tooth at the very least 2px long. (Preferably wider as well, but I know you have the tiniest amount of space!)
But you know, feel free to ignore. It's a great piece imo.
Xer0bot:
You ever watched Treasure Planet ?
Amateur here, perhaps the direction of the cape ? It feels a little like an illusion, is it facing inward or outwards..
Alícia F. R.:
Thank you both for your suggestions, they were really helpful.
Chonky Pixel, you're absolutely right, face readability was the biggest issue. I've added a third lighter skin color for better contrast and improved the eye, the tooth and other details. Thanks :y:
Also, Xer0bot, I toned down the cape dramatics and I think it looks better now, not so "weightless". Thanks for your suggestion.
This is the result (I will probably still keep working on it):
Comparison gif:
If anyone has any more suggestions or critiques, I'm open to them!
SeDiceBisonte:
I love the clean, cartoony style too, and the piece has lots of character! The mutton chops are a nice touch.
To my eyes, the right leg looks a little bandy since the thigh appears to be the same distance from us as the left one, but then it curves round to the foot. If this look was intentional then that's all good, but I've done a small edit where I've changed the angle of the thigh and the top of the shin a bit to straighten out the bones. It's not polished, but hopefully it's illustrative.
I wonder if the torso could take a bit more shading too. At the moment there are creases on the T-shirt, but not much of a sense of the shape of the body underneath. The left shoulder and arm are in shadow, but the torso looks more like it's facing us.
Overall, it's a really nice piece though! :)
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