Space man standing sprite (now with walking!)

[Trafflesby]

Hi! This is my first post on the AGS forums, so if this isn't appropriate, please just let me know.

Anyway, I'm trying my hand at pixel art and I know a little about shading, but I'm at the point where I need some direct pointers.
I've been working on a (possible) main character. He's supposed to be wearing a spacesuit and the thing on his chest is a chestplate/insignia thing. I added it to make him a little more interesting to look at. I'm kinda happy with the design, but he looks flat and I'm not sure where to go next.

[AnasAbdin]

Welcome aboard Trafflesby

Your spaceman looks fine to me. But in case you want a little change you may revise the helmet. If the idea is to keep the facial feature of the characters hidden then I'd say reduce the amount of the whitish area of the helmet by adding a few darker pixels around. Or add a face! A face would definitely give opportunities for depth IMO.

Generally I don't go for outlined sprites unless I see the background they'd be in. So I'm not sure about that yet

[Mad]

Made a quick paintover:

[imgzoom]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/Mad1978/Mobile%20Uploads/Spaceman.png[/imgzoom]

The only real issue with your sprite, I tried to address, is that it looks like it's standing on tiptoes. The rest is just cosmetics, I guess.

I like the overall look of the sprite. Simple, clean, and therefore effective.

I would like to see it in a background of yours, to get an impression of how well the black outlines work...

Hope this helps.

Edit:
Don't know if this is still relevant, but I found myself with some time to kill.

[imgzoom]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/Mad1978/Mobile%20Uploads/Spacemen.png[/imgzoom]

[Hobo]

Here's a small edit:

[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/MchBwkH.png[/imgzoom]
I reduced the white area of the helmet as AnasAbdin suggested and changed the angle of the feet a bit. And this no visible face approach is a actually a good way to go.

If you want him to look more interesting, then I suggest you play around with shading and contrast a bit, just like Mad did. For example, make the shading less symmetrical in some places or use an imaginary light source. You could also try using a different pose, like putting a hand on the hip or something and if your going for a cartoony look then exaggerated poses can add a lot of character.

Some other designs I did for fun:

[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/thfUYBq.png[/imgzoom]
Also, I'm talking purely out of personal experience, I have no academic background or any real knowledge of drawing basics, so take it all with a grain of salt.

[Monsieur OUXX]

The thing with Mad's sprite is that the arms don't look rested enough. They did look rested in Trafflesby's original sprite, because the shoulders were broad, so the arms were just hanging vertically. But it doesn't work with Mad's sprite. They should be slightly bent or something.

As for the feet, it's indeed better if they are drawn horizontally (like Mad did) rather than slightly inclined (as in Traffleby's original sprte), but I wouldn't make that a universal rule. It depends on your backgrounds, and how you drew the perspective.

Overall, Mad's edit are better for color scheme and shading, while Hobo's edit is better for body and feet position.

[Trafflesby]

Hey, theres some nice advice. Thanks! Sorry for not replying sooner!

Totally agree with Monsieur OUXX. I'll be doing the mixture of this. The feet are something I was unsure of and the dual colour scheme of Mad's is nice. Makes his limbs pop out and read better.

*edit*

Here's what I've come up with:
[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/g9KUav6.png[/imgzoom]
I changed the feet. Flat feet look much better and grounded.
I've changed the helmet so it isn't just a block of color. It's more of a gas/firefighter mask type thing now, but it looks more 3d. I should mention it's important to the plot that his face is hidden, so it has to stay, in some form or another.
I nicked Mad's colour scheme for now (hope you don't mind!) for the reasons I mentioned above. Most importantly, I've changed the light source to the upper left. I was a little unsure of how this would work in game, but I doubt players really notice if the light sources inconsistent with objects. That's something I'll have to think about when I draw bgs... It certainly looks more 3d though.
With you guys' advice, I've managed to make something pretty good, I think.

[Mad]

Great edit!
Leaps and bounds away from your first version. I think lighting a sprite from the top or top/side is a good choice. That way it doesn't clash with the BG too obviously.

I think you could be more consistent with the lighting (something I didn't manage with my first edit, either). Also, the hands are a bit awkward,  imo. In sprites this small I tend to blur finer details such as individual fingers.

[imgzoom]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/Mad1978/Mobile%20Uploads/Trooper.png[/imgzoom]

My second edit addresses minor things which may be matters of personal preference: The arms and hands are quite big. I think one has to keep in mind, that the large helmet and boots might distort the overall expectancy concerning the latter. (Hope I made some sense just then).

Either way, hope this helps a bit. Take or leave what you want, that's what c&c is for.

[Trafflesby]

Hi again, Mad! I'm posting here to be critiqued, not complimented, so don't be afraid of throwing your advice this way!

On to your post: the hands are something I'm not sure of. I gave him little claw hands because I felt it made his arms less squished into his body. But yours is something to think about...

Anyway, I've started attempting some animation! The new color scheme is something I'm trying, since the ship he's going to be wandering around will mostly be blue/white for a sleek clean look. (I've been looking at retro sci-fi paintings for inspiration, like this: http://50watts.com/filter/space%20teriyaki) Still not entirely set, but it's another idea.
So, here's his walking animation:

This one is approximately the same speed as in game.
[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/ICOkXGW.gif[/imgzoom]
This one is a little slower, for your perusal.
[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/2ZIg0zI.gif[/imgzoom]
And finally, the sprite sheet.
[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/kYaN7G7.png[/imgzoom]
Now, one thing that bothers me is on the frame where he kicks his foot forward, his arms snap quite abruptly. I think the snap looks fine on the legs, but I'm not certain. Also, his hands turn into blobs rather than the detail he has on the standing sprite. So, maybe I'll go with blobby hands after all.

[Mad]

Great start, but I think the walk is a bit too exaggerated and therefore comical for your sprite at least. Also, the constant highlights at the knees give the impression of the sprite having bent legs throughout the whole cycle.

I guess, the best way to have a somewhat realistic walk cycle for such a small sprite, is to mostly just work with the lighting.

[imgzoom]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/Mad1978/Mobile%20Uploads/TrooperLoop.gif[/imgzoom]

[imgzoom]http://i845.photobucket.com/albums/ab12/Mad1978/Mobile%20Uploads/TrooperRow.png[/imgzoom]

My version is quite messi (edit: meant to write 'messy'. Not football related at all) and looking at it now, the arm swing is also too exaggerated,  but maybe it gives you an idea, of what I am getting at.

Maybe you should look at some fate of Atlantis walk cycle for reference. Those sprites are of simular size to yours.

Edit: again, it is best to ignore the arms in my edit. He really does look like a Bee Gee using his walk...

[Monsieur OUXX]

Wow, Trafflesby, very nice walkcycle, a lot of personality. Mad's one is nice too but much more generic. Trafflesby, if you're not afraid of going slightly cartoony, stick to yours.