[WIP] Cowboy Character

[ProblemOfficer?]

I'm designing a character for a game I'm making and he's cowboy-ish so I decided to make some pixel cowboys... Here's my first attempt.

[ProblemOfficer?]

Also, some suggestions and criticism go a long way... thanks

[HughSpectrum]

Is he leaning against a wall?  If so, then the jacket needs to press against the currently non-existant wall.

If not, then his left foot needs to be placed behind him to give him more balance.

[ProblemOfficer?]

cool, thanks will try it out and post results

[bengo]

Ahhh not jpeg!!! I suggest you change your save format to either .png or .gif, it will preserve the pixels instead of add artifacts, making it harder for people to make edits as well as making it look rather weird looking.

[ProblemOfficer?]

will do with next update, but right now... work

[ProblemOfficer?]

Done with my work so...
Here's the first

Here's the redone version

[xbogx]

you need to shift the hues and saturation a bit, not just lightness. Colors are more towards yellow when lit and closer to blue/purple when in the shadow. Look at your favorite games or whatever pixels you like and see how those colors are picked. If you're using paint you probably can't see the HSL for picked colors (from what i remember) so try some other programs.

also black outlines don't always look good, especially if the sprite is small and you outline everything

[ProblemOfficer?]

Yeah I kinda remember that from the cursory explanation of 3D graphics and normal maps I got from a kid I go to school with... Will try that out and also will try to use less black outlines on next update. 

PS I was actually using graphics gale as I heard it's a boon to pixel art, although I'm still very new to pixel art and that program

[ProblemOfficer?]

Here it is without black outlines...

And here it is with a bit of a color shift towards blue for shadow and orange for light...

[Atnas]

You realize you made you made it sooo much better? It looks great!

You should measure each segment of the arm and see if they really add up to how long the arm should be. At the moment it seems a little too long. The lower part of the trench coat looks out of place because it's so flat, the first image has better shading. I think it might look more stable if the back foot was on the ground and the front foot was the one in midair, simply because you have his weight resting on something not under him.

[ProblemOfficer?]

Thanks, will try moving the feet a bit. What do you mean by measuring the arms?

[ProblemOfficer?]

Ok, here's the revision without the arm thingy ... I shaded his coat again and I moved his feet so he's standing on his back foot.

[Chrispy]

This looks an awful lot like Kaisetos character...
http://pixeljoint.com/pixelart/42015.htm

[Photocopier]

no it doesn't

[ProblemOfficer?]

This looks an awful lot like Kaisetos character...
http://pixeljoint.com/pixelart/42015.htm

Well, I've never seen that before... what is it from? A game? If so, can you link me to it cause it kinda looks like something I should get acquainted with if I wanna make a cowboy character.

[ProblemOfficer?]

So I got him walking... please any criticisms and suggestions as before. I'm new to this and need all the help I can get. Thanks   

[twodayslate]

He is walking very fast and his arms should be swaying a little bit.

[Chis]

I for one can't bend my knees and take small steps so fast. I shall refer you to the walk cycle which you should totally study and learn.
He's also bobbing too much and his body is stiff. Have his coat flap out behind him a little so we can kinda see his legs. If he needs to look all suspicious and no arm swinging, at least have his hat bob a little too.

[Ultimaodin]

That walk reminds me of loony tunes... Just note the arms do need movement and if his legs move at that speed so will his arms, which will look a little awkward. Add a couple more frames to his walk to smooth it off and make it less well loony tuney. If your aiming for the whole holding the belt while walking then you will find the entire upper body usually rotates. (not sure how to explain it. Someone else here may be better at it.)

[baccaman21]

You need to begin with the underlying form and anatomy. It's not fooling anyone cutting and shifting pixels around on a timeline to give the impression of motion. That said, It can work, but you have to know what you're doing.

Having an idea of the final rendered (static) image is all well and good but you need to go back to basics.

Have a look through some my old posts... I've got a few tutes on walk cycles and so on that may help you.

Enjoy.

[Jad]

Haha, initially I thought he looked a bit like michael jackson, but now that he's moving in a way that a normal human would have to excercise great control over his body to accomplish, he really looks like he's dancing!

[Sherman Gill]

Have a look through some my old posts... I've got a few tutes on walk cycles and so on that may help you.

For convenience:
http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=5381.msg64068#msg64068
http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=5424.msg64494#msg64494
http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=5201.msg62325#msg62325

And another one vaguely related:
http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=5387.msg64165#msg64165