[WIP] Valor Dump - NEED HELP WITH RUN CYCLE D:

[Sokota]

Well this has turned into Valor's Dump, so take a gander and critique on anything you see here.


[Current]


[WIP]



Other Stuff


C&C Welcomed! Thanks!
Sokota

[Sokota]

Ok well, after a bit of toiling on it, I tried to make a bit of a torso, then tried to add some volume and anatomy. I'm not sure how its going, but my first try is the left torso, and my current one is the right. Eventually he'll have clothes that cover up his anatomy, but I thought it would be good practice. Also, I'm thinking about using this for a game, fullscreen, at that. Do you think that would work well? I know he's a sorta of larger sprite, but I really like him. Anyways, here is the updated torso. I'm not sure what to do with the back, and I was looking at a few muscle pics on Google Images for reference, nothing worth posting though. *Not other art or pixel art*



All C&C welcome. Hopefully I didn't bump too soon.

Sokota

Edit: Made some more quick alterations due to some friends input.

Better?

Edit: Added some more 'anatomy'. I'm not sure, because I can't find any really good sideview references. Also, I'm completely clueless about what to do around the neck area and the back. Help would be appreciated.

[NaCl]

Hey Sokota, not looking too bad. My main critique is that if you are trying to practice anatomy, draw the entire figure! If you draw and finish one section at a time it is really hard to make them look right. I usually draw a stick figure, and get the proportions and pose correct on that, and then draw the detail on top. On this one, don't forget that there are muscles along a persons sides, which if this guy's pecs and abs were so developed, his obliques probably would be too. However, his arm will probably cover that, and if you animate him for your game his torso will be twisting.

[Sokota]

Hey thanks for the suggestion. I did try some legs, but I think they are bit..out of whack. I need them to be angular like his chin, and kinda rigid looking I guess. I don't know, so here is my update:



I want the legs to be semi rigid to exaggerate a run cartoony style, much like Battlefield Heroes or Team Fortress 2, so I made this very quick animation to illustrated what kind of run Mr. Grunt will eventually have.



Also, I still have no idea of what to add on his back or around his neck, so all C&C is welcome. The sooner I get him done, the sooner I can move on to accessories and animations !

Sokota

[NaCl]

Hey Sokota,

About your legs, they look off for a couple of reasons. First, legs are about half the total body height. So in this case, I stretched out his legs to be 53 pixels tall, same as his upper body. Next, think about the shape of a leg, especially a muscular one. It is not just a triangle, but the muscles within give it a certain shape. The calf muscle bulged out towards the top of the lower leg, and the thigh muscles make it thicker towards the top. Here is a simple edit on his legs:



Now for your run, add more frames! Three frames will not suffice, even if you are going for a cartoony run. Just because something is cartoony doesn't mean it is necessarily easier and you can cut corners.

What do you mean about the back and neck?

[Sokota]

Yeah I was thinking about that, your edit, I mean, but I need the legs to be..someone offsetting of the torso..that's why they are smaller. Now about the actual anatomy, mine does suck. Thank you for the edit. Its like, perfect...That run is just to get an idea across. I didn't spend much time on it, I didn't need too. Thank you for the great edit, I'll try to fix mine up a bit. Also, I'm confused about what to do with the neck and back, like, giving them any type of anatomy or muscle definition. I should probably make an arm soon, because although this will be a mouse-aiming game, I want the arm to blend in with the body, making it feel more natural than just being pasted on top of his shoulder. But say I wanted a run, not as exaggerated as the mockup one, but similar, for this guy, how would I do that with such beefy legs? I want the focus of the sprites to be his torso and head, not his entire body...as weird as that sounds..Thanks for giving me advice..animation him is going to be a pain in the butt..Though I am prepared for the hell I will take for making such a large sprite =].

Sokota

[Sokota]

Well, I tried redoing the legs, and I was really happy with your edit, so sorry if my legs seem too close to yours...Heh. Anyways, I'm satisfied with the figure, I hope you guys are too, but here he is for some final crits before I move on to animation and giving him something to wear:


Legs Redone

As you can see, NacL, they are pretty close, but I improved the knee area, I think, as well as the feet. I also did a minor color change, and I think it looks better and a bit more natural. All crits welcome!

Sokota

Actually, I still need to give him some arms, so I will try to finish that soon...

[ndchristie]

About your legs, they look off for a couple of reasons. First, legs are about half the total body height. So in this case, I stretched out his legs to be 53 pixels tall, same as his upper body.

I haven't measured but it's generally halfway to the base of the butt/genitals in an idealized human.  real people and video games play with this a lot but if we're going to measure with "science" better make sure it's right .

[Sokota]

Well, I played around with the knee height a bit, and gave him some well deserved boxzors. He's been streaking it up for too long now. Here he is, the 'final' base sprite for our game.


Shaded legs, knee,  boxers

Pretty soon this topic will turn into a dump for outfits and other game stuff.

Sokota

[Sokota]

Well, I took a break from the soldier and started on a old stlye, stone windmill. I'm having troubles shading the stones, which are overexaggerated to match the style of the game, and I need help. I'm such a confused little pixelist.  I'm not sure how I should shade them, and made them pop off the structure of the building. I started with forms once again, as it is more fun that lines, but I am at a loss of how to do it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


WIP Windmill

Sokota

PS: I don't want to do a ton of shading just to have to redo it all over again...so I did a bit to show you how the rest would go.