CLOSED

[xhunterko]

More Tweaks
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/rob/new/flippedmain.png
Newish body type
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/rob/new/bodymainchange.png
Logo
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/rob/NeoHunterko/twincoillogo.png
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/rob/new/styletest.png
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/rob/NeoHunterko/amainshomiuraandnpc.png
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/rob/NeoHunterko/mainpossiblefin.png
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/rob/NeoHunterko/mainafterpost.png

[NaCl]

I still think there is a lot of critique in your old thread you never put to use in the main character sprite. Look at Kclics edit and notice how yours is different. In yours, the legs are perfectly straight, going out at weird angles. Do you see how Kclics guy looks balanced? It is because the legs are at the correct angles, they bend at the knee a little, are the same size, and the torso is balanced over top of the legs. In yours, the torso is far back, there are no knees, and one leg is larger then the other. I would simply erase the legs and try to redraw them in a more natural way. I'm not going to bother with an edit because there were already great ones in the old thread, so just have an honest look at those edits and keep redrawing parts of yours.

As for your computer console, consider putting a little angle on it. Look at the reference and notice that it is tilted down a bit so you can see an edge, that really helps make the object look 3D, instead of flat.

[Dex]

Hey. I've made an edit to your main character sprite. I found it lacking in volume, form, and detail, so I whipped up a quickie to maybe show you what you could do with him!



First, I tried to make things seem more metallic and detailed. I wanted to make volumes and planes stand out.

Second, I changed the hand and the pose a bit. I didn't have time to finish the legs, so I might edit again later if you need me too. 

I also messed with the colors and tried to add better hues to the darker shades while leaving the ones you had alone.

Hope this helps!

[Kazuya Mochu]

oh, after so much effort in editing you still stuck with that same character shape!
oh well i supose its your style.

[xhunterko]

Better?



Or is it still the same "style". 

(I feebley tried to swipe Dex's shoulder pads. And in case you didn't guess, yes, I hate doing hands. Okay, done modifying post now.)

[donom]

Hello. I think you should practice perspective so you can see better what people are/were essentially getting at in their critiques. At least to me that seems to be your main problem at the moment..

[xhunterko]

Tried to use a lighter outline in some places. Used some of Dex's arms. Tried a method I saw on Pixeljoint for legs and torso.

(I seem to have a bad habit of making posts just as more promising threads are being started. I'll have to fix that one of these days.)

[NaCl]

You need to really look at the sprite objectively. It can be hard after you stare at it a while, but really try and see the flaws in anything you make. It is easier when someone points them out, but you are still not looking at the things people have pointed out. For instance, I pointed out that his legs were different widths. You don't really even need an objective eye to see that, you can simply measure them. I also pointed out that he was unbalanced. To solve this you must center his weight over his legs in a believable way.

The edits in your old thread are good, but are pretty much complete redos. You should study them extensivly and see how theirs deviate from yours. I decided to make a small edit, not a complete redo, because I think it could help you see what you need to change, instead of possibly being overwhelmed by a different sprite.

What I did was:
- Move his front leg back 2 pixels. Now his weight is over it, and he is more balanced.
- Thinned out the back leg so it's thickness was consistent with the front one.
- Slightly rotated his torso in the direction of the head and legs.



There is still quite a bit wrong with it. Firstly, all of your colors are 100% saturated. None of them should have 100% saturation, and you should decrease saturation for some of the shadows. Right now, you have a very slight luminance ramp, with the different between some colors just 2-3 difference in luminance. Eliminate colors that are very close, you should only need 3, maybe 4 shades for the blue armor.

One last thing. Kazuya said that perhaps this was just your, "style", but I disagree. I think style is intentional, while the mistakes you are making in the piece are unintentional.

[xhunterko]

I was going to put this up here until I saw your post. I still had GraphicsGale open when I checked this and saw what you had written there.



Since I still wanted to work on it, I decided to try out some of your advice.



What I initially tried to do, was follow Dex's advice on the torso. It's what I was trying to do, but I think he did it simpler. I think that accomplishes the rotating thing you mentioned. The legs were different widths because some games use that to point out the front and back legs. They also give the back leg a darker shade when they do that. That's what I was trying to do but I guess it wasn't working. Your legs however, make a big difference and look more natural.

Hue, saturation, and luminence ramp, all seem to go over my head in a big whoosh. I'm using the 15-bit color palette for this. The reason being is cause it's less colors. And people have said many times that using less colors is a good thing. It's also probably part of my saturation problem. (I'm also trying very hard for this not to look like a megaman x edit.)

About the back arm. I notice in your edit, it makes him look like he's leaning back just a tad. I tried to fix it by moving the arm a pixel closer. But that doesn't look right. Does that need fixing or is it just me? Oh, and did I solve the torso problem by using Dex's suggestion? I'll also try to work on toning down the colors. Would you mind suggesting a palette maybe?

(And let me point out something that me and kazuya know. Whenever someone uses the term, "That's just my style". What it usually means is, the artist is too lazy, afraid, or indignent to learn from his mistakes and make the sprite look better. It also shows that he's refusing to take advice and critique, even though it's patently obvious to others that he desperately needs it. Hope that explains my response to Kazuya for you.) 

Almost forgot, Thanks for the edits guys!

[NaCl]

Part of the torso problem was because the front plate was too far over. I think it looks rotated correctly now. Also I haven't seen any game change the thickness of legs to suggest depth, but the overall shade of the leg is good for making it go farther back.

If you are using GGale, then start picking colors with the HSL tab instead of RGB. Hue is just the color, saturation is how bright the color is (with 0 being grey and the max being a very bright version of that color). Luminance is how dark the color is. It can be kind of confusing and I'm still learning a lot about it, but basically things that are hit by light are high in saturation and luminance, and shadowed things are less saturated and have less luminance. So basically, take your midtone, or the color you want the armor to actually be, and make a lighter shade with more saturation and luminance, and then a shaded tone with less saturation and luminance. I'll edit this post with a possible palette when I get back home to my own computer.

I think what you're seeing with the leaning is that the torso is kind of far back. It is because I was sloppy, so try and move his entire torso forward instead of just his arm.

I agree about the "style" thought. Looks better, keep plugging away.