Need help with vegetation

[Danik]

Im struggling with making trees and bushes.
Probably a stupid question but whats the best way to understand how to pixelate small detail? Should I draw from reference or just experiment?

I cant make the leaves on this bush to look right. It just looks... random. 
I want to make it look like the vegetation in Secret of Mana 2, that game has such great graphics. But when I look at it up close I cant make any sense of it.
Would you suggest I start with smaller images?

Any help on this is appreciated.

[Fry]

The first thing I'd work on is the structure and silhouette of the tree/bush.  Right now it looks kind of like a green rock.  Any amount of amazing detail won't save an object that you can't distinguish in the first place.

Reference is key, both from life and pixel art... so take a look at some trees and bushes and see what kind of shape appeals to you.  Tsugumo's "how to be a pixel artist" tutorial explains how to achieve what you are looking for as far as pixel detailing and uses a lot of reference from Secret of Mana 2.

Best of luck.

Fry 



 



   

[AdamAtomic]

A good way to practice working on basic forms and readability is to work with just a few shades of gray first, rather than a full palette of colors.  Right now, color is def not your problem; it is form and value.  Limiting yourself to say 25%, 50%, and 75% gray will help you work out the basics of making a leafy shape with proper lighting.  When the structure looks good, you can start adding color to it!

[Danik]

Thank you for the crits.
I did this grayscale version based on your advice:



Im not happy with the texture on the light side but I think its much better than before. What do you think?

In color:

[lilwing]

a lot better. don't forget your shades. your highlights and midtones are good, but it really lacks the depth that shadows will bring.

[Danik]

Yes, it's pretty flat at the moment. (the color version)
Would you suggest I add a 4th color or darken the darkest one?

[Andy Tran]

It looks nice so far. One last thing to spice it up is consider adding contrast to it. I would darken that darkest shade close to black or black itself. Here's an edit I did to help you out. You don't have to take my word for it, it's just some tips. Notice you add some blues in the darkest shadow to make the shading more interesting.

 

[Danik]

Thanks Andy.
I did try to increase the contrast and I added a few shades inbetween.

[lilwing]

nice job, it kicks ass.

[Danik]

Great, thanks!