Platform character (updated)

[NaCl]

Hello, this is a character for a platformer I am working on. This is my first pixel art (and piece of art in general), so I would appreciate any input you have (on basic technique, anatomy, texturing, readability, or anything really). Also, right now the head is not animated, and is based on Julie & Basil (http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=7403.0) (made a new one). I used the shape of the head and hair, but am working on making a different one.

So anyway, here is the full sheet (new):


I labeled the animations so hopefully they are self-explanatory. The dive happens when you run off a ledge, and there is water below, or when you quickly hit the surface of the water while swimming, you will dive out.

Here is a GIF of the run (oldest to newest):


Diving (oldest to newest):


Thanks for any input, of course C+C is welcomed. I will make a GIF of any animation if anyone wants to see what it looks like.

[balls01]

no movement in the head? if-so you need some animation help because ive seen thread after thread where the people say the body does go up and down

and i think we are in need of this again thats all i can say because im rubbish ta animating

[NaCl]

You're right, the still head looks weird staying still. I edited the head so it is bobbing with the body:



Does that look better?

[Akira]

The body is a complete side view and the head is a 3/4 view. It makes it look very awkward. Also maybe try adding hair movement or something? The head is very static while the rest of the body is constantly moving.

[Bissle]

It's cute; I like the colors and the shading. The sprite looks pretty stylized, so not much of a need to talk about its anatomy.

I agree that the head in the walking animation needs to be more... animated.  Like Akira said, have its hair move a bit. Maybe change its face a little, too, though since the sprite has small facial features it'd have to be really subtle.

Also looking at the sheet the first diving pose looks a little stiff, though I'd have to see it animated to know for sure.

[NaCl]

I agree with the comments about the head. I'm working on a new one, which I will add some movement to.

About the dive: it does look pretty choppy going from the first frame to the next. I made a little demo to see:


However, should I bend the first frame more, or create an inbetween?

Thanks.

[Jad]

Hey guy, for me her looking towards the viewer when running strictly sideways looks odd; I'd say try making a new face that's turned towards the direction in which she's running.

[tehwexxl0rz]

Can I call you "Salt"? Or "Salty" perhaps? Good username in any case!

Anyway, I agree with what has been said about her face pointing in the direction she is moving.

Functionally speaking, this is really good stuff for your first time working with pixels!
The run cycle is especially impressive. That's something a lot of people have trouble with and overall, you nailed it!

To add some polish to your graphics, I suggest you look up tutorials on a technique called "Anti-Aliasing."
If applied properly, it can smooth out some of the jaggy lines you've got going on.

[NaCl]

Ok guys, I worked out a new face that is facing more forwards when she runs. It looks less weird, but I can't get the mouth right. I added head movement from the body, and a slight hair movement.


I also tried anti-aliasing on the idle frame, to see if I am doing it right:


The stripes on her suit definitely looks smoother, but the legs and arms still look kind of jagged. I basically tried to make an intermediate color between two objects and fill in the jagged parts.

tehwexxl0rz: Thanks for the compliments. They're encouraging. Also, Salty is fine, haha.

[NaCl]

I've modified the head, to try and suggest features with shadow instead of just drawing them on there. They zoom to about 4x (the resolution the game will be played in) to see them most clearly. I also updated the hair a bit and AA'd her outfit. I'd like input on whether I did this correctly. Thanks

[WadStrike]

she is completely straight during the dive, if you think about it, that would be incredibly difficult to do. look at like, michael phelps' dive as a guide or something. same with the swim, you wouldnt be totally straight, at least your head would come up everyonce in a while

[NaCl]

Hey Web, thanks for the suggestion. I made her bend more during the dive, and it looks significantly smoother.



I agree about the swimming too. She is underwater, so I won't make her head come up, but I was thinking about making her "dolphin a bit more". I'll update after I work that out.

[NaCl]

In the game, the character gets different suits that give her different abilities. Here is the frogsuit, which lets her swim faster and stay underwater longer. I wanted to see if anyone had input on it before I animated it.



The large one is zoomed 4x, which for me is how big she will be in the actual game. I guess it will be different depending on your resolution, but the game will be 320x240 so she needs to read at that level.

Thanks

[Draco9898]

The swimming animation looks strange, I wouldn't think someone would just be staring straight down as if rotated 90 degrees right, but I could be wrong.

[NaCl]

I agree, if you look at the new sprite sheet at the top I addressed that very problem! She bends up and looks in front of her.

[Draco9898]

I still think it could be improved, why does she always have to have her head somewhat face camera?