AuthorTopic: The Living Sketch  (Read 4351 times)

Offline Shrike

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The Living Sketch

on: April 26, 2009, 07:30:03 pm
The pixels! THEY LIVE!

It's been too long since I've actually pixeled something.  Also, my avatar is simplistic and regular.  So, in light of both these things, obviously the natural step is to make an oddly colored face that has weird lines in the back because I'm too lazy to draw the rest!
- Early Sketch
- After nice critique from Larwick via YIM, and Anti-alaised for the background color
Critique please; Anatomical, execution-wise, color wise, just not design wise..   I like how it is.
Thanks in advance, and help me get my mouse back into shape!
Shrike

Offline Shrike

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Re: The Living Sketch

Reply #1 on: April 29, 2009, 02:41:30 pm
Working some more, though it's not quite what I would have liked:

Dither=?
Not sure about it.  I also need to check my colors and maybe reduce them.  It's AAed and shaded to work on either message background.  (Just not that yellow....   :ouch: )
Thoughts?  All critique welcome.
Shrike

Offline Mathias

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bored at work

Reply #2 on: April 29, 2009, 08:48:11 pm
Hi, Shrike. So you're trying to get back into pixeling. May I ask, what made you choose a floating human head? Just curious. My impression of your sprite's concept thus far is a some ethereal floating disembodied head, maybe some kind of self-perpetuated spirit type thing. Like those freaking stupid floating firey skull things in Doom, but less mal- and more ben-evolent. This is to be yer new av isn't it? Allow me to randomly segway into avatar theory. Your avatar is your "face" on the respective forum. Just like a logo. It's your logo. Actual businesses with any internal marketing sense handle their brand with care, knowing it's "face" is the logotype, which is hopefully professionally designed to attract the target demogaphic and encourage sales, participation, garner interest, etc. When a brand is approaching old age, begins to look dated, then it's typically revised, not entirely changed. This cycle is said to run about 10 years. Think of AT&T's new globe, Pepsi's new circle icon, UPS's new shield, etc. Brand recognition has to remain intact, the look is just made more contemporary, so as to not feel antiquated, because it directly reflects on the company in question. That's how our feeble human minds work. Reason I mention being that I think it's best for all of our communication if we kept the same avatars and just updated them. That's probably a boring notion and nobody will agree with me, but that's why I like picksulation. Also tangent is that I've always used yer av to identify you, change it and it's as if you changed your piksulashun persona, I then have to readjust to the new ID. Ironic coming from me, with an avatar that competes for title of Worst Avatar Ever, which I plan to completely change once I feel I've attained the skill level I require to award myself with a quality avatar appropriate to identify me rather than my current one which I created in 2 minutes, on a whim to throw myself into the pixel art arena. Moral of my story is, return this flaoting head to it's owner and give your current av an update so you maintain your recognition. Treat life like a business model.

Offline Emtch

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Re: The Living Sketch

Reply #3 on: April 29, 2009, 09:07:33 pm
Mathias, every thing is correct but that's not a very reader friendly post, it's a wall of text.
I don't agree on making the same avatar again though, sometimes a fresh breeze is good. It's one thing when you're established, then it's wise to keep the logo/mascot. But when you're not, it's ok to change.
Look at really old logos from well-known companies, they usually look completely different.

Offline Shrike

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Re: The Living Sketch

Reply #4 on: April 29, 2009, 10:36:00 pm
Oi!  Replies!   :o  ;)   :lol:

Mathias:
To answer your first question: I find I make the best work when it's not supposed to really fit into a genre or type of thing.  I just started screwing around and it evolved into this; I needed pixelart practice as I'm taking up some graphic design jobs soon, and also the human head is difficult to draw right alone, not speaking about pixels.  The original conceptish thing is that a sketch of a human head that gradually, as it nears the front, becomes an actual object (or a good enough drawing to convince one that that's true.)  Maybe a tried and tired idea, but it's what it is now.  Sort of.  I obviously got carried away from it, but I'm like that.  And it'll look the best when I let it be what it is instead of classifying it.

About your logo rant:
Part of the point of making this my avatar is changing my image.  For me, I joined when I was like, what, 11?  I lurked until about 12 as Coran, realized I sucked at it, tried hard to improve, and when I changed my alias to Shike, I thought I was better.  I was, but now, again, at 13, I'm better.  It's another phase.  Time for a new image, as I'm not the same person.  Also my old avatar is not even 32x32 pixels..  It's not that interesting or grand and doesn't merit itself to new ideas.  It could somewhat easily be done, but I want an image change.  I agree with you completely; I want to change my image.

Thanks for the thoughts.  I always like talking about stuff like this.  C:
Not to be rude, but any separate thoughts on the art itself?  I don't like the dithered tail thing so much as it is now, it's boring.  I'll work on something better.  Also I just noticed a huge AA problem on the top right of his head.   :huh:  *fixes*

Thanks for comments,
Shrike

Offline Mathias

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Re: The Living Sketch

Reply #5 on: April 30, 2009, 04:09:14 am
Mathias, every thing is correct but that's not a very reader friendly post, it's a wall of text.

What's up, Emtch. Unfortunately, I intended for my post to be hard to read, in order to pull the unsuspecting reader deeper into it, forcing more concentration to read through it, setting up the ideas for a deeper impact. Ridiculous isn't it. The title of my previous post says it all.



Shrike, so you see my point at least. Along with the obvious truth to branding is, yes, it's ability to transform the entity it represents if completely changed.

So, I agree with both you guys. If you want a complete change, yer new av should be totally different.

Onto the sprite itself then, now that we've determined it is the right thing to do hehe, you're not being rude at all in re-focusing conversation back on-topic.
I much prefer the latter dither trail version than the hatchwork lines. It's cleaner, more refined, nicer to look at. Even though you're attempting the "sketch to polished art evolution" thing here, the hatchy lines were a little abrasive, and I don't think they really captured the evolution concept well. I think more of formless clay gradually taking on discernalbe features and eventually becoming a face. Also, the dither trail version totally loses any trace of the evolution concept. Just looks like a face flying through the air now.
Wouldn't it be awkward if the face was facing the other direction? You most likely subconsciously decided to face toward the forum. But if you faced him away, do you think that would have sort of implication?

Offline Tourist

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Re: The Living Sketch

Reply #6 on: May 02, 2009, 04:43:53 am
Minor anatomy crit of the version in your second post.

The top of the head is roughly a hemisphere, from the brows to the back of the skull.  In the second picture I think you've got the topmost point too far forward.

Here's a reference from Andrew Loomis for drawing the head:
http://fineart.sk/show.php?w=23

In the first version you postede, the head was flatter and looked better.

Tourist

Offline Shrike

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Re: The Living Sketch

Reply #7 on: May 04, 2009, 01:03:00 pm
Hey all,
 
Been busy.  Last weeks of school are always hectic.

@Mathias:  Yes, the lines were cool in theory, but jarring.  I'm going to redo the back, and I'll aim for something in between the two versions I have now.  Should be interesting without being too noisy.  I'm not too happy with the head flying through the air either...    :y:  :P

@Tourist:  Sweet, anatomical problems!  Gotta love 'em.  Thanks.  I think the first one was too flat, so I'll go for something in between.  You're saying it's too far forward as well?  oks.

Expect updates sometime this year, my attentive and expecting crowd of aficionados!
Shrike