Rpg Wizard [WIP]

[Kælaar]

Hey guys, this is my first post. Ive been working on little art pieces for a game idea ive had recently. I really love pixel art and want to improve my
understanding of it. Anyways =) here is my wizard guy that i started a while ago



this is pretty much my first serious attempt at pixel art, all feed back is very much appreciated
ill try to post edited versions as i go but i cant guarantee too much, pretty busy at the moment.
thanks all =)

[Gnarf]

welcome to pixelation :]

i think you really want to check your proportions on this.  it's obviously stylized, but even so, you want to base stylization off of reality.  i'm not sure if this is meant to be a sprite in profile, so i won't comment much on the pose.  it's very stiff though.  you have a lot of completely straight lines that you could really benefit from by breaking them up and adding curves, especially in the spine.  even in the head, add some curves for features instead of using a perfect oval.  you should really, in every aspect of character creation, try and get some life drawings done.  you will gain a better understanding of proportions and a balance in your designs.

the staff is too straight, i understand it's possible to hold a staff that way, but you really want to try and add weight to either side by giving it a slight tilt.  make the hand more readable as well.  it's a good thing when starting out to get some references, even posing your hand in front of you.  there are exceptions, but when working with organics like skin and cloth and wood (etc), i really try to avoid straight lines.  and again, i realize this is stylized, but you should have a good understanding of reality before going that route, in my opinion.

it's a boring process trying to get better at something, cause i would always look at someone better than me and think i'd never become that good, but you'll surprise yourself.  so keep it up!  hope this helps

also, one more thing: when i was starting out, this tutorial helped me out a ton.  coloring is a big problem of mine, but this is simple enough that anyone can learn from it.

[Kælaar]

Aye, its meant to be used as a character for a game, thanks alot for your post, i found it incredibly useful and i hope to get some kind of edit out shortly. The back part i noticed right when i posted it but your explanation of it will assist me in doing so. thanks again im very appreciative =)
also the tutorial i have seen before but i didnt use it as much as i should have before. Ill definitely give it another run through and bookmark it.

does c&c mean critique and comment? or something? i know that is probably a really lame question >.<

[Zoggles]

It's certainly better than many 'first attempts' I've seen. You have avoided common pitfalls such as 'stepping' and 'pillow shading' however, as Gnarf said, it is very flat and there are a few too many straight lines.

My main concern though, is if this is for a game, it is very big. and any animation of it would be very tedious or look very choppy from lack of frames to smooth out any animation.

As well as checking out the tutorial Gnarf linked to, you may want to consider making things smaller. Even if you end up making every thing looking obviously pixelated by displaying everything at a 2x zoom in the game. Reducing the size of the sprites somewhat will make it much easier to colour and give better depth to. One of the hardest things I find is to colour a large area that lacks lots of extra small details. If you do want/need to keep him this size, then perhaps adding some subtle pattern onto his hat and robe would help - as if both were embroidered with some kind of ornate design. Maybe even just a whole load of stars or something. Either would help break up the large expanse of a flat grey.

-Z-

[Kælaar]

Hrmm i must say i like the stars idea, ive been toying with ideas as to what little details i could throw in and that is something i think i might try. Thanks for the tip Zoggles =) as for the size, im aware that it should be smaller in fact i started him out about half the size he is now, but i just like the size its at now, sure drawing all the frames will be rough but im willing to give it a go and see if itll work, ill probably make a smaller version eventually. does anyone know of a decent tutorial for drawing cloth? like drapes and robes? much appreciated thanks all =)

[Accident]

I'm an Accident. I am your friend.   

Here's what's going on. If one wants to pixel something believable, one must be aware of how it's actually-shaped.
As some posters above me have mentioned, even if it's obviously-stylised, it doesn't mean that you won't benefit from an anatomy study or two. Heads are not so round, eyes are not so big, we have knees, some barely lock 'em. We have elbows, and our skin creases. It heightens with cheekbones, it may sink with the actual cheek. Noses have nostrils, they're much more complicated than a wonky L. Bby, grab that pencil and draw your life away~

To me, it looks like you worked with each and every pixel. Perhaps used the line tool. That may be fine and dandy, but it's /not/ a good way to go about doing this if you're a newbie. When I began doing any form of graphic, be it pixel or PS'd, I would sketch out the basic shape, how the character looks like, and overall its feel. Most of my bodies are actually made out of random squiggles I jot down at first. The beautiful thing about the human eye is that it sees the 'lines between the lines' and leads you to thinking in different ways, different perspectives.

Okay, so, about your piece. Is he an old man, or a young man with a long, achromatic beard? He has no wrinkles, no fold, no distinction from a younger person. Why give him the Beard of Rasputin if he's not Rasputin himself?

I attempted to construct an old wizard the same way I suggested for you to.



Old men usually crouch. Their limbs are distinctly bony. I'm not... really good at describing much. But with resizing (no anti-alias, mind you), colouring, and fine-tuning, you can eventually get this:



It's POTION TIEM!

C: Welcome to Pixelation.