[WIP] Some sprites for a game. Help needed, please!

[Izze]

Hello, everybody. I'm new here, and I'm also quite new to pixel art.

I've been working on a game for some time. You play as the chicken LM Papap, wich wife's eggs has been stolen. It's up to LM Papap to get them back. His weapon against the enemies is seeds, that he shoots at them. he will also learn new skills throughout his adventure, and you will be able to collect some power-ups. There's also coins that you can buy stuff with.

All the sprites are made from scratch. I'd like to get some C+C on my sprites, as I'm not happy enough with them. I don't know what's bugging me about them, there's just something wrong.

So please, could someone look at my sprites, and tell me how to improve. I'd be very grateful!



(That isn't an in-game picture. My graphics card is weird, so I can't print screen)

[questseeker]

The most obviously wrong thing about your rather decent sprites is that they are incompatible with your equally decent tiles and background images:

• Cute stylization vs mildly simplified realistic style
• Thick outlines vs very low contrast shades of mild colours (and even haze!)
• Flat colours vs 1-pixel scale foliage textures and prodigal proliferation of shades of green, brown and azure

The floating pumpkin seeds (?) in front of trees and the cliff tiles having light brown outlines are the worst instances of this incoherence.

Did you draw everything or recycle existing graphics? I'm asking because you should decide what assets can be least painfully replaced or adapted to the rest. Personally I admire the trees but I find the sprites more promising for use in a game.
I suggest you look at the chicken-oriented freeware platformer Pekka Kana 2 (http://www.pistegamez.net/) for inspiration; the backgrounds are somewhat similar to your style.

[Izze]

Thanks for the good criticism!

I see what you mean, but I don't know how to solve some of the problems.

I want the game to have a simple and cute look, but I don't know how to achive that. I've tried to make everything look simple, but I think I failed at making the trees simple, and I think my ground tiles maybe look a little bit too simple.
I don't really want to just throw away my trees, as I'm very satisfyed with them, but if I were to adapt the rest of my graphics to the trees, it would be too much work for me. Maybe I could "simplify" the trees a bit?

I like my sprites with that thick outline. I think it looks weird without it. What to do?

I drew everything for this game when I had already started it, so no recycled sprites or tiles or anything.

Sorry if I missunderstood you. My english isn't really at it's best.
I really appreciate your criticism, but now I need some more help. Thank you! I'll start fixing tha things you mentioned whenever I have got time.

[Izze]

An in-game picture this time. I'll change the font as soon as possible. How does it look?

[Izze]

Ahhh, still need help, guys! Sorry for tripple post, but I really need help.

I've got a new problem this time. I have to make a sprite when this little guy is making a karate kick!



Any tips?

[EyeCraft]

Hey, welcome. Big piece here, lots of things. A lot of the issues relate to core game graphic needs. In games you need very clear readability of things important to the gameplay.

You need to be able to spot places you can and cannot go at a glimpse. Same with the player and interactables like the seeds and spring. They really need to stand out from the background. This is what people usually mean when they say things need to "pop".

Your level is very flat and difficult to read mainly due to contrast. The things that stick out to my eyes immediately are the dark trees. They are the darkest thing in the whole picture, and are sitting against the brightest thing, the sky. In other words, your highest point of contrast is in the background!



This is a quick and messy edit, but reducing the contrast in the background and adding more blue (cooling the temperature), and upping the contrast in the foreground and adding yellow (warming) helps to improve the readability. The eyes are forced to focus on the actual playable part of the game. The trees still stand out, though. You need to simplify the background:



If its meant to look cartoony, that means simplifying detail and exaggerating proportions (usually).



This is perhaps taking it a bit extreme, but the concepts are there: low contrast, simple shapes, lots of soft edges. Keep it impressionistic, no need for detail in the background, it will only really distract the eye.

The other thing about the piece is a complete lack of shadow! Shadow is your #1 tool for describing form. Check out some literature on shading.

Also I suggest having a look at games like Mario, Zelda, etc (theres tonnes) that use a very cartoony style, but read well:

http://www.playright.dk/screens/superfrog_ami_01.png
http://www.onehertz.com/portfolio/wordpress/smw/schemes/
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_AUMtcbXDbUI/SsGvJ-Fe97I/AAAAAAAAAuQ/vpbz9lc1VBU/s400/Picture%20191.png
http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2002/gba/yoshi/yoshi_screen001.jpg

As for karate kick... I don't think it really suits the character. He has tiny legs. Something more like pecking would suit.

[TVboyCanti]

For the karate kick, you should think about making the characters foot much larger at the moment of the kick, the cartoon characters sometimes have huge fists when they punch someone comically. This would remedy the problem of kicking with those tiny legs and would also match the lighthearted feel of the game.

[Izze]

Ahh, thanks EyeCraft, I see what you mean. I'll start editing all the background objects ASAP.

And TVBoyCanti, thanks for the tip! Now it will get a lot easier to sprite it. I've tried before, but I just couldn't get it to look right.

Thanks to both of you!