AuthorTopic: Self Portrait  (Read 8868 times)

Offline CaKsTeR

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Self Portrait

on: January 15, 2009, 11:22:24 pm
As an excuse for me to keep working on pixel art, I decided to try my hand at making a self portrait. It's my first attempt at this kind of think, so I'm sure there will be a LOT of mistakes. Bear with me  :)

WIP #1:



And here's my reference pic:



Thanks in advance for C+C :D


EDIT:

Forgot to say, I posted this because I'd like some crits on the lineart currently, and any tips on how to start the face. Sorry  :(
« Last Edit: January 15, 2009, 11:33:53 pm by CaKsTeR »

Offline Akira

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #1 on: January 15, 2009, 11:41:39 pm
have you ever tried working without a lineart? Painting blobs of colour for shading and highlights and gradually adding detail to the blobs? You might find that it gives you much more realistic volumes. Currently i think that your head in the lineart is too large. You might want to get further along before asking for c+c though. If there isn't much to see people won't have much to say.
thanks Dogmeat!

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #2 on: January 15, 2009, 11:49:10 pm
Painting blobs of colour? I think I get what you mean. I'll try it out and see how it goes, thanks :)

Offline Mathias

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #3 on: January 16, 2009, 12:18:11 am
This goes beyond your C&C request but all crit is helpful, learn to love it. The pose is a bit awkward. It's as if you were shot at random, with no thought to yer poise for the portrait; you're slouched up against your closet door jam for some reason.

Akira is referring to starting out more sketchy, massing in the basic shapes with some thought to volume and space, so ponder light as you sketch out roughs and try and throw in some light and shadow.
Final lineart should always be preceded by exploratory sketches. Forget it's pixel art for a moment.

Another thought, if you're experimenting around, is to just trace directly over your portrait reference shot there, scaled down as desired. Assuming you have a layered graphics program handy.

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #4 on: January 16, 2009, 01:08:12 am
Thanks for your thoughts. I think I'm going to stick with this picture, mainly because its the only one of me that (in my opinion) doesn't look horrible. I started working on a second draft, as was suggested. I'm having a bit of trouble with the facial features though.



Draft #2 :)

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #5 on: January 24, 2009, 11:07:23 pm


I can safely say that I failed making the lips. I added a shadow to the neck, and the two rings to the shirt, but apart from that I'm lost at what to do. Crits would be greatly appreciated at this point. Thanks!

Offline Terley

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #6 on: January 25, 2009, 12:52:56 am
I'll give a bit of help.

First off you need a solid set of colours for your skin, more than anything you should be worrying about applying depth correctly, this will ultimately shape and define the character. I'd first start off by plotting out where everything is roughly and slowly start refining it to force the details you want to show. I think of it as bringing something blurry into focus. I don't know how clued up you are with AAing but something of this size can really do with smart use of this to trick the eye to show the details you want.


(im struggling to get a decent copy of Photoshop atm so I just nicked these colours from Shrike. Did this on paint  :-[)

You're pallete can be really useful for adding those details like a slight red tint which would be used for lips and add some needed colour variation to the skin.
I've not got anything interesting to type here..

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #7 on: January 25, 2009, 03:15:10 am


I think I've made a lot of progress, compared to my last one! Thanks a lot for the crits+edit, Terley!  ;D

I'll try to work some more on it tmo, hopefully I'm off in the right direction.  :-[

Offline balls01

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #8 on: January 25, 2009, 03:40:11 am
whats wrong with MS paint terley? i use it.

i think that your going into detail too early, get your levels right. find out high and low points of your face, then put it on, forget facial features, they can be added when your levels are right, because if they are right... then the facial features will come complimentary to it.

your choice of color, is your voice of color
BallsArt

Offline ndchristie

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #9 on: January 25, 2009, 07:21:54 am
Try to establish some bsaic forms before you get into how the mouth is AAed.  look for shadowed regions, such as over the eyes, under the nose, the upper lip, the lower cheeks, the front of the chin...and place these.  they will help you find the more important forms far more easily.


whats wrong with MS paint terley? i use it.

Ugh, try not to start the MSPaint debate again.  It's been had so many times and it always comes down to people who think that just because you can drive a nail with a shoe you should never buy a hammer and people who think you should buy a hammer even if you can't afford it and have no nails that need driving.  99% of the forum will then chime in with the idea that the argument is a silly one and that both accomplish the same task effectively for different people and we all hug while the extremes fume in the corner until someone strikes up the debate again.
A mistake is a mistake.
The same mistake twice is a bad habit.
The same mistake three or more times is a motif.

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #10 on: January 25, 2009, 05:39:08 pm
Thanks for the advice! I'm pretty sure I was just overeager when making the mouth, and I'll work the face as you suggested.  :)

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #11 on: February 01, 2009, 07:59:29 pm



Update! Hopefully an improvement, as well. The eyes are horrible, and I'm not quite sure how to do them, but I think I'll be able to figure it out. After a bit more touching up on the face, I'll move on to the hair (assuming there are no major issues with the face).

Thanks for the help!  :)

Offline balls01

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #12 on: February 02, 2009, 11:25:04 am
i think working on highlights then, add these crits on the way,

look at terleys edit, follow it like a reference, then add a thumbnail next to it so maybe you will on a mistake terley made (unlikely but might happen).
your nose id overdefined, simplify it, follow your references, more often (maybe) than the actual amount of time on the image.
again with the eyes, overdone, keep it close, dont just put them there coz it looks right, check your reference.
and mouth yady yady yada, you get the point

your choice of color, is your voice of color
BallsArt

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #13 on: February 03, 2009, 12:50:28 am


'Nother update! I'm slowly making progress. Maybe I'll be done by July.  :P

The eyes are still giving me trouble, but I'm working on it.

Thanks for the help :)

Offline Jad

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #14 on: February 03, 2009, 01:31:35 am
Go back to the last pair of eyes, they reflected how you look much better!
' _ '

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #15 on: February 03, 2009, 02:00:12 am


Edit #...whatever I'm at.

Honestly, I didn't think my previous eyes were very good at all. Not that any of my eyes so far have been very good :P

Redid the eyebrows, worked more on the eyes, messed around with some colours, etc.

Hopefully I'm improving. xD

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #16 on: February 04, 2009, 12:18:11 am


Edit'd!  :) Getting closer to the point where I have to start the hair. -Shudder-

I'm liking how it looks, though.

Offline NaCl

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #17 on: February 04, 2009, 12:52:30 am
Hey Cakster,

It seems to be coming along well. I made a few edits to help with what I feel are the main issues:

- Messed with colors to try and achieve more contrast

- Played with the mouth so it didn't look like a big black line across the face. If you're having trouble rendering the mouth, try and think about how light would hit each lip. With light above, the top lip will be in shadow, and the bottom lip will receive light, and because of the moisture will reflect it well.

- Changed the nose. Right now it looks like a snake nose, because there is little contrast around the nose to suggest it pops out, and the nostrils you drew are too prominent and slit like. I just put some pixels around it to suggest it's shape, and changed the highlight, and god rid of the very dark pixels at the nostrils. The color edit helped it a lot too.

- Altered your eyes. I do not feel I did a satisfactory job on the eyes, but perhaps you can see the problem with them and fix them. Yours seem a bit too small and beady. Also, you look very surprised because it appears the entire pupil is visible. The eyelid should cover part of it, for a neutral look. I think I made the eyes in this edit too dewy.

- Altered the eyebrows. Yours are of medium thickness, and slanted up towards the outside. The ones in yours seem a bit too thick and close together.



Hope some of this helps

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #18 on: February 11, 2009, 04:00:14 am


Update! Sorry for the 6-day wait!

Thanks for the edit, NaCl!

I think that I made good progress with this latest update. I also made a stab at the hair, but I don't think I have the colours down yet.

Offline Terley

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #19 on: February 11, 2009, 04:28:01 am
I think you need to make yourself a bit older, going by this you look much younger than your photo. A slight more definition with your jaw maybe? And I think it's time you had some ears  :P
I've not got anything interesting to type here..

Offline CaKsTeR

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #20 on: February 11, 2009, 04:59:01 am
I think your right XD



Small update. Tried to make myself look older. Not sure if I succeeded.  :-\

Offline Dr D

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Re: Self Portrait

Reply #21 on: February 11, 2009, 10:22:10 pm
I don't think it would hurt to add another color to your hair, and refine your skin tone, they seem a bit too yellow and peachy.

I also think there needs to be some more contrast, everything blends in together a little too much, nothing really sticks out or pops.

Your face needs to be a bit less round and puffy, and be a bit longer (not wider).