2x
(http://i46.tinypic.com/24xmdsx.png)
3x
(http://i46.tinypic.com/24xmdsx.png)
I'm sure there is room for improvement. The right-most one is pretty bad, especially the left leg =(
Can someone point out what my eyes don't see, please?
Wow, I really dig this style. Reminds me of old ZX Spectrum games like Skool Daze. Apart from the leg on the girl to the right, that you point out yourself, I can't really see anything wrong with them. You manage very well to convey the characters as individuals despite them not having faces.
I'm no pixel artist, but to fix the leg I would recommend getting rid of the double pixels on the thigh and try to soften up the bend at the knee (even simplify it to a straight line).
3x
(http://i49.tinypic.com/28kkaj7.png)
Like this? Is it any better? I'm to subjective to see.
EDIT: is it my browser, or this image now has grey pixels? (they shouldn't be there)
This is quite good spritework here, though I did do a little paintover to make the "black and white" element a little less ambiguous:
2x
(http://www.lumpcity.co.uk/~disco/unambiguous.png)
3x
(http://www.lumpcity.co.uk/~disco/unambiguous.png)
Love the black & white style, I think it works really well as it is.
As for the criticism - the bodies of two guys in the middle seem too barrel-like to me, a bit of variety wouldn't hurt. The same goes for women's breasts - they are too symmetrical, it's almost like they're pointing in different directions. :)
Otherwise, these are great, well done!
As you know, I love these.
Those look really awesome, you gave them a hell of a lot of character considering they are B&W whih blank faces. I can't see any glaring errors. Maybe tweak the leg on No.6 though.
3x
(http://i46.tinypic.com/9k7120.png)
Thank you all for the praise, you are spoiling me. ;D
Anyway, I need criticism, please. Nitpick a bit! Do some edits! (haha) Should I add colour? How to fix the breasts? I played with the breasts many times ;) but I couldn't make them look better. The leg is quite bad, I know, but after 20 edits you just lose perspective. =(
I'll try a few new ideas, maybe they'll work.
I was thinking of something along these lines:
x3
(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2159609/bw_chars.png)
Regarding colouring them - that depends on how they're going to be used, but I think they are perfectly fine as it is. :)
And the new one is Mr. Awesome :)
Thanks Ilyich, the breast look better, much better now.
On another note, pixelart without colour is really hard, because you can't have many lines and still have a easy visible image. Those brasts would be a piece of cake, if I could draw a shadow under them. My advice: doing b&w requires a bigger resolution, unlike with colour pixelart whee many pixels equals more time at drawing thus more work. Yes, you'll draw more b&w pixels also, but it's easier/simpler to do so.
Making the resolution smaller, b&w becomes almost impossible.
Offcourse, I'm learning all this the hard way.
This my version
I fixed the elbow.
I fixed The uh chest :)
But maybe llyich did that better
(http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/ca733fbf25.png)
I like the style the skin is colored and the body is black & white. that looks really good.
Gives them lots of character. ;)
I am not a great artist hey what the heck!
I wanted to tell previously but was too lazy too, anyway, last girl's right leg bothers me a little. I think you can add one extra white pixel to the shoe, either from left or right side as you did to girl number 5 (left leg there).
EDIT: Erm, Danman, you made her right leg.... like cut off. :S
And actually I believe Reed's original breast was nicer. This one looks like she has HUGE ones, and is naked.
EDIT2: Comparing Reed's and Ilyich, uh forms, I cannot decide which is better though...
I had a go at my interpretation if these sprites
(http://scarab117.webs.com/photos/B&WSprites1.png)
Changes:
- Added Eyes. I was thinking mostly about in-game usability, and just adding eyes can allow infinitely more expression to a character than blank faces. (No expression, however, can have its benefits also).
- Played around with the blonde girl's breasts (heehee). Added a cheeky bit of cleavage. (also part of the reason I added eyes... in an effort to subjectify her a bit).
- Moved Blonde's legs one pixel to the right and adjusted skirt to match.
- Modified far leg of girl on far right to have more of a subtle knee.
- Raised head of 4th from right (she looked to me a bit like she was lifting her shoulders up around her neck) , and made her jacket less puffy. Also Changed the hair a bit.
- Added a bit of shine to the 2nd from the right, to try and break up the solid blackness.
- Moved buttons a bit on no. 1.
Just trying to throw out some ideas..
Peace
Scarab
there I fixed the leg (maybe I should stop playing gory games) :)
This is how I would draw the chest of of it was my character. :)
and i probably ruined the shoulder oh well sorry.
(http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/4608606c71.png)
I have to say it is actually very hard drawing in b&w. and low res like this.
Anyway I suck at art this was just me trying to help. just giving an idea on improving this pic. ;D
Now it looks lke she has a sad face with eye-glasses on her body :o ;D
2x
(http://i50.tinypic.com/33lijra.png)
3x
(http://i50.tinypic.com/33lijra.png)
I mixed it all up, making it piece by piece from your suggestions, also added this tall, big, Jamaican b-ball player.
EDIT: #5 got a new shirt neck line, and I fixed some stray pixels on the baller. Also earlier, I gave some growing pills to #1 and a new cap for #4
I think I'm doing good for now. Maybe the ball could be better...
Looking good I like the new character too but I think you should make the shorts wider on him When I first looked I thought they were knees ( or maybe that was just me eyes :) ) .
(http://i48.tinypic.com/n1wjdv.png)
I'm posting way too many images here.
Aded some touch-ups.
In regards to the
second last guy, I think his head should be one pixel higher, and the highest row of
back muscle pixels should be deleted.
Apart from that, just remember that when you flip the sprites, the light source is reversed, so you may want to re-do the highlights on them.
Peace
Yesterday I made a few characters based on what you already had. Just remembered now that I hadn't posted them. Yours look pretty good, I just thought I'd take a stab. :)
(http://www.harryday.com/images/jimreed_bw.png)
(http://www.harryday.com/images/jimreed_bw.png)
Looks like you could be making a battle royale game Jim :=
Heh, I forgot to tell you, this isn't a game, but a game concept and practice of my line art.
Scarab: Elongating his head makes him look weird, but I fixed his back and it now looks better, thanks!
Evil: Bah, you fool, your characters are worthless! I would never use them or draw something similar myself.
You can all observe I made 4! new characters from thin air now. ;D
3x
(http://i50.tinypic.com/207xcba.png)
Though I like the girl in the middle of the bottom I think her legs should be longer.
Btw, the original version of Evil reminds me of a character of mine. At least with a few alterations they look rather alike.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/jrev_crop.png) (http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/lucy-ags1.png) (http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/lucy-ags2.png)
(http://i47.tinypic.com/f4n1b6.png)
Made the legs a tad longer. Added a girl admiring her fingernails.
It is quite amazing how many characters you made with just line art like that.
Are you from the 1980's or something ;D ?? But I think you shouldn't make the characters have
pointed elbows I just don't like it on the 4th last character.
I made something similar for a Sprite Jam back in March. Pretty tiny compared to what you're doing, but very similar in concept. Doubt that these will help, but I thought I'd share them anyway.
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=37013.msg487228#msg487228
As your characters develop and vary more, you might find it helpful to make standard height templates and adjust them here and there by a few pixels, that way you don't end up with a legs or arms that are too long or short. It's also not a bad idea to draw the resting stance of a character before posing them, this will also help arms and legs stay the same length.
Can't wait to see where this project leads you to. I'm curious how you attempt to tackle a background. :)
Edit:
Quote from: Mr Matti on Wed 16/12/2009 14:37:43Btw, the original version of Evil reminds me of a character of mine. At least with a few alterations they look rather alike.
For some strange reason, I frequently render women who like very similar to Chiaki Kuriyama. Hmm, I wonder why... ::)
Aye, Evil, those are some cute sprites! =D
This is not a game, just an experiment, but I did some b&w stuff earlier, and you need to have a while outline around characters so they can be ssen on a black background and such. That is really iportant.
Danman: Yes, some characters look a bit dated, must be all the afros flying around here. =)
To tell you a secret, the first guy looks like that man from Sin City (the movie) and the nail-admiring lady is a char drawn from memory from Wu-Tang: taste the pain/shaolin style (playstation1 game).
Maybe I'll do a background, who knows?
Quote from: Evil on Wed 16/12/2009 15:57:02
I made something similar for a Sprite Jam back in March. Pretty tiny compared to what you're doing, but very similar in concept.
I think I remember these... but wasn't there a tree or something with them?
Back OT:
Coming along nicely Jimbo, although these are going to be a bitch to animate.
The last one seems to be a bit confused on her left side though; the arm struck me first as a bicep flex before a 'looking at fingernails' although I don't know how one would differentiate at this low-res. Her left
Spoiler
boobie
seems to be a bit pointy as well.
re. backgrounds:
If it was good enough for them back then, then it's damn well good enough for you, get to work :P
(http://scarab117.webs.com/photos/happy/Untitled.png)
Haha Scarab, where did you dig up that? I'd be very glad if it was on spectrum, so I can play it on my mobile!
Animation is a pain in the behind, so I have an idea how to make it very less painfull. You see, the chars don't animate, They just fade in&out of the required positions (something like a comic), and have a few gestures for talking. It's hard to explain, but just magine them using only key-frames. I think it should make a stylish game, and as an added bonus, get rid of those hard to do and time consuming animations that I suck at. =)
Yes, the breast was an issue, I'm working on it.
/me goes back to tweaking pixels.
EDIT: Yes mr.Matti, I see the resemblance. I hope it's okay with you to use it anyway?
EDIT2:
(http://i46.tinypic.com/258tgsy.png)
The boots are...doubtfull.
Looking good so far. I really admire your pixel work here.
Here is a little personal tweak to your first 3 guys. (I might of done more, but I want to work on my game :P)
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/jimreedheressomecreetisim.gif)
I played with the feet, added eyes and noses. Also at your current angle I don't think you would see the left arms, so I've removed them and played with the torsos. I hope my little edit would be of use, but they are looking good and your idea for an Animatic game would be awesome. Like the stage between storyboard and actual animated frames, that some cartoons do these days?
Example- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6jhJhmw2u4
Also thanks again for the feedback on IRC.
(http://i46.tinypic.com/11kkow0.png)
Indy, I'm seriously thinking about your modifications on the arms. I'm undecided yet.
Anyway, presenting the mechanic (nice cap), the man from Texas (check out that moustache!), and the bad-ass vampire-hunting priest!
The new characters are great Jim. Make sure you don't add eyes, those blank faces make the pixel pushing in the clothes and body language shine.
I made a B+W game once and thought it was awesome, it's so much fun to work with. I ended up cheating and making the white on the characters a light grey.
(http://www.2dadventure.com/ags/rhscreengrap.png)
Thanks Chicky!
The eyes were a big issue....I'm still not decided on implementing details or not. I mean, if I add eyes, I might as well add fingers, shoelaces, noses, pockets, etc. and that is a long road there.
Why did you use light gray? I mean I used it on my previous b&w chars, but just as an outline.
Well the idea of low res. Is that it is super simple. So you can't really add any details anyway ;) .
(http://i50.tinypic.com/vqmu1f.png)
Tweaked a lot here, #1 and #2 lost the arm. Some new legs here also, many minor tweaks. Added a new character (sailor)
I was planning on using a darker grey and then using it again for a bit of AA.
I love that sailor character ;)
I love these characters, they are brilliant. On the subject of a matching background style, I think they would work on a full-colour background, even. Or if you drew full-colour then grey-scaled it, they would look pretty good...
Black and white backgrounds would be a challenge, but if you pulled it off it would be fab!
(http://i47.tinypic.com/f9dv02.png)
Nice stuff, Jim. ;)
I think they'd go well on a simple B&W background with only a small amount of detail.
The lady in the fur coat:
(http://i46.tinypic.com/r0347t.png)
Or this?
(http://i49.tinypic.com/2j4zfdc.png)
Edit: Added the girl from the beach:
(http://i47.tinypic.com/2eydo54.png)
(http://i47.tinypic.com/35he4br.png)
Quote
[23:39:26] <JimReed> I put th girl on the CL forum, maybe there will be some edits.
[23:39:33] <JimReed> I really hope there will
[23:43:06] * JimReed (JimReed@216CF9AD.190E1CA0.D8166D9C.IP) Quit (Quit: cheers)
(http://i46.tinypic.com/jf8di8.gif)
Here you go JimReed.
Hahahaha, I must change the topic now. XD
A mock-up background that goes along with the characters (courtesy of Google SketchUp) :
(http://i46.tinypic.com/o8x63o.png)
Lovely! can't wait for something to come of this! ;)
I also like the shadow on the ego. I hope that will be staying. :P
Yes, if I did this game without animation, the shadows would certainly be possible. But as I said, this is not a game I'm making, but just some lineart experiments.
I like the style of the background, but the vast areas of negative space aren't working in your favor. The black horizon looks okay, but I think adjusting the horizon line higher would lower the negative space, and also make the physical area of the background more realistic.
The building is really plain, and the design is making the perspective look funky. There definatly needs to be some detailing to the windows, like ledges, slight shadows, just something that gives the face of the building some depth. Dithering might look cool, but it may be too much of a distraction.
The cars look good, and that shadow on the ego really does look nice. Still not sure how I feel about the white ground, it's shouting "texture me!" but it may turn a great simple background into a disaster.
Damn, now I really want to make a black and white game... ^_^
This reminds me a bit at sin city.
3x
(http://i47.tinypic.com/2vkdk6e.png)
Had a lot of problems with this.
A man with crutches:
3x
(http://i47.tinypic.com/fv930w.png)
A cowboy:
3x
(http://i45.tinypic.com/rs6ka1.png)
Black and white YMCA? ;D
She looks...plain =(
3x
(http://i46.tinypic.com/a0gl0k.png)
Japaneese girl:
3x
(http://i50.tinypic.com/2dkjo61.png)
Have to confess, I only came here because of the adult content banner.
But I admit, these are some nice sprites here. Are you going to be posting all of them here now? You've got a nice style and it's working, maybe leave something to reveal for the game?
EDIT: Jesus, I sound like a freaking teenager! *edited*
There is no game, sorry. I'm posting it for feedback on my line art.
Unfortunately, feedback seems dead lately =(
Quote from: Jim Reed on Sat 09/01/2010 13:10:33
She looks...plain =(
3x
(http://i46.tinypic.com/a0gl0k.png)
She has a crab claw clamped to her camel.
I made an edit earlier, I just didn't post it.
Anyway, thanks!
(http://i50.tinypic.com/2lvxu2b.png)
Well, one thing I've noticed is that the leg length on nearly all of these characters is too short for anatomical consistency, so before moving forward you might want to have a look at some comic book or drawn art tutorials on the 7/6 heads rule. The other thing is that I've noticed your character's lower body has a tendency to drift to the right. For instance, the latest image of the fat lady looks off balance do to the position of her right leg.
Something like this will restore the balance without significantly changing your line art:
(http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr218/ProgZmax/fatbalance.gif)
Other characters to look at for a similar off-balance look: Japanese girl, cowboy (to a lesser extent), the bikini chick, the strongman (looks like he's hopping on his right leg), and the blond girl at the far left middle of the last group picture.
Composition-wise I think they have a lot of character for being essentially blank slates, and obviously some are more visually interesting than others (biker vs fat lady). Some more attention to proportion and character stance should help your work to look even better.
Thanks, ProgZmax!
(http://rghost.net/814781/image.png)
That bikini bimbo still has a crazy backwards lean to her, which Progz had already mentioned about her.
She looks like she's balancing on her right leg (the left leg). Poor girl is going to fall over. :-\
So Jim, are these going public domain?
I'm sure lots of people could use a bunch of random B&W character sprites... :P
Very well made character art, Jim. Looks like you've managed to put together a well-established character template and run with it. It's almost sad to think that you have no intention to use these in a game, but I'm sure that you'll put the skill you've gained in the process to good use.
Might I suggest one extra step that I use often in my own art? It's easier to notice when a character has a drastic lean or seems unnatural if you flip an image horizontally - It's best to do this frequently during the creation of a character. Another rule of thumb when drawing a human is to keep in mind that in order to maintain balance, a human needs to keep their feet on either side of their 'center of balance'. If a person leans forward, they compensate by pushing their bums out, bending their knees and otherwise making sure that the amount of weight surrounding their center is equal.
There are some ways to do this in drawing, and during action shots it can be harder with more weight being distributed to one foot or another, but if a body is too far behind or ahead of the feet, it will naturally look like a character is falling over. In an idle standing stance, you should likely be able to draw a straight line from the top of the head to the area between the feet.
Progz fixed the overweight character by changing the legs to a wide stance, the other option would be to draw the left (Right side in the image) leg in further, to create a sort of bowed stance.
And as a side note (With the exception of Haloa's edit), what adult content are you referring to?
Wonkyth:
Sure, anyone can use them, but if I used someone elses "exact" sprite, I'd give them credit. If you''d colour it add eyes etc. I wouldn't consider it my sprite anymore. Aye. on second look, they look like some nice templates.
SPC:
Well...I am thinking of a game involving theese characters...but it's all in my head for now, before it matures.
I accidentally discovered that flipping technique drawing the policeman, thanks for the heads up, though. =) I should probably run all chars through it now.
Aye, I know about balance (give me some credit), but I'm not a very good artist and often make mistakes. I fixed some balance issues with the last post, but I'll look into it further. Thanks for that also.
Haloa's pic is the adult content. I mean an animated girl self-indulging in masturbation falls in that category, right?
3x
(http://rghost.net/823808/image.png)
Quote from: Jim Reed on Tue 12/01/2010 12:53:25
(http://rghost.net/823808/image.png)
Heh, SPC: that'll teach you to question the adult content in this thread :P
Jim: these are coming along nicely, :) love your sig btw,
peace
scar
Thanks Scarab!
The signature is actually a room in FSi's game he's making, and I'm doing graphics for.
(http://i48.tinypic.com/2yn2v6g.png)
Nice work! Sprites and background fit perfectly together.
That's really impressive, you've got to make a game, now... ;)
(we aren't going to give up until you have!)
They look awfully familiar to some characters I stole from Ev....err drawn a while back.
Actually, your help is very much appriciated. I even used that link you posted earlier for thoose smalish ninjas and zombies. I based a few characters on them for FSi's game.
I'm trying to draw some more backgrounds, but I lack inspiration just now. Stay tuned, and thanks!
Meet Vince:
3x
(http://rghost.net/859108/image.png)
And the hallway in front of his apartment:
(http://rghost.net/859169/image.png)
Hi Vince! Will we get to play together soon? ;D
Aye, I'm making this a game, but I just started . Curently only two scenes...and a LONG way to go.
(http://i45.tinypic.com/v5lc3s.png)
The building where Vince lives.
I need to get back on this project, I'm leting it slip =(
The sun should be higher so the shadow doesn't run the same angle as the roof and.. other roof thing.
It makes the center building look as though it's made of glass and you can see the left building through it.
Other than that, looks nice.
Thanks, I also think the building looks like it's made of some kind of glass, but I didn't think of moving the sun. That should probably fix it.
Quote from: Jim Reed on Fri 15/01/2010 01:06:29
(http://i48.tinypic.com/2yn2v6g.png)
THIS LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE FARHENHEIT (A.K.A. INDIGO PROPHECY)!!!!
Very nice work!!!! :D
I'm back at it again:
(http://i39.tinypic.com/v49snq.png)
Vinces apartment
Suggestions are very welcome!
I feel insulted Jim :P
His apartment has a really good sense of depth! Is this all stuff from Google SketchUp?
I'm sure I've said it before, but I really love this ZX Spectrum look. The new background's excellent as usual. Only thing that doesn't read quite right to me in terms of perspective is the area surrounding the TV:
1) the lines of the desk come so close to the edge of the TV stand that I at first interpreted the TV as a computer monitor standing on the desk.
2) there's something very odd going on with whatever that is to the right of the bookshelf (window? poster?) - the top line crosses into the bookshelf and the right side merges into the right edge of the TV, confusing its shape.
NsMn: Actually, I made two different BG off your sketch, but....yeah I suck. I traced this. =P
Questionable: This is a traced pic (by hand) and moderately edited.
GarageGothic: Yeah, I think I fixed that now, thanks!
(http://i43.tinypic.com/r9kjzq.png)
Should I add more detail to the city skyline? Is there too much white currently (as a whole, in the BG)? Any ideas how to make that square on the wall look more like a mirror? Is the picture on the wall allright? Maybe I shold make it into something else? Does this apartment need a carpet?
Quote from: Jim Reed on Thu 25/03/2010 21:52:58
Questionable: This is a traced pic (by hand) and moderately edited.
Traced from Sketchy?
Quote
Should I add more detail to the city skyline?
No
QuoteIs there too much white currently (as a whole, in the BG)?
No
QuoteAny ideas how to make that square on the wall look more like a mirror?
(http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/3619/jimicusredicusretouchic.gif)
QuoteIs the picture on the wall allright?
Yes
QuoteDoes this apartment need a carpet?
No
(http://i43.tinypic.com/13zsx9c.png)
There, that should do it. =D
EDIT:
Also, I didn't get it. "jimicusredicusretouchic"
Jim I cursed, I curse, touch ic?
Quote from: Jim Reed on Fri 26/03/2010 00:53:41
EDIT:
Also, I didn't get it. "jimicusredicusretouchic"
Jim I cursed, I curse, touch ic?
No joke... I was watching "Rome" when I did that... =D
Jimicus
Reedicus
Retouchicus
He He He
P.S. I LOVE the mirror being a bit longer!
Wow is all I have to say, I love the style, have you thought about introducing a single colour to it? Sin City had extreme blacks and whites but just now and again there would be a splash of red which really gave it that stylish edge.
Marcus
Only two colours are going to be in the game. You will be able to change them though. No dihtering either if I can help it.
So you are actually making a game using this style? I must have missed that bit.
Either way, it's awesome stuff!
Once I have this 'Education' thing well and truly over, I have some ideas for some games that could use this style very well...
Quote from: Jim Reed on Fri 26/03/2010 13:46:29
Only two colours are going to be in the game. You will be able to change them though. No dihtering either if I can help it.
Sounds familiar :P