Rate my pixels!

[IceColdBeer]

Hi all

Just curious how my pixel drawing skills are looking so far _/10 (Honest please), and if you can please tell me how I can improve if it's less then 9, thanks 

The background is unfinished but here's basically what this particular scene is gonna look like



A character in the game, i keep stuffing up the boots

[vertigoaddict]

I think I'll give it a 6 (then again, if you finish the BG it might change my mind)

The thing is, it's not finished so I don't know how you would 'touch up' the image. But as it is right now...

1) The huts need some work, what is it made of? if it's something like cloth, you should add a few folds at the base of the cone-shape. If it's rock, (like it looks right now) you just need to add a few darker shades.

I think you should finish this first before asking, it's a little difficult to say.

i like the path and grass btw

[Tuomas]

3. You know why? Because you've got characteristics. But first of all, as a sprite the dude is pretty useless. First of all, you should take a look at the size of both the man and the background. The character is 4 times taller than the huts, and though scaling would help, the bg is still a custom size and would not work. Also, ditch the thick black lines fromt he character. If you want it pixelly, make it low res, tops 150 pixels high, and lose the double pixels. One line should be thick enough to be an outline. Also, please don't ruin your pictures with gradients and you've done in the boots. Lose colours and you'll find hima  lot easier to animate, and a lot better looking. And while you're at that, make his hands a tad longer. Sorry to sound rude, but 622 x 341 isn't really any kind of a resolution.

[vertigoaddict]

Wow! now that's a crittic (I feel like I'm to lenient {sp?}) ...Okay now for more crits...

Black outlines are okay in some games (eg. Nelly cootalot, he used black, didn't he?) but it depends on the background style.

I'm not much of a crittic because I believe in 'experimenting'. Play around, look at your work in a different point of view, see if you like it, etc.

Well yeah, I tried to edit your sprite, but after I saw how 'gradient-full' it was I just couldn't be bothered.

remember less is more!

[Paper Carnival]

It's not so bad, but it's not "pixel" art. It seems to me like you just used a spray tool. I suppose it could work for some limited textures, but not for the dirt path.

[IceColdBeer]

Thanks people

I'm actually having most of the trouble colouring/texturing. The lines I can eliminate if I get good at filling in from the outlines

[Sparky]

Wow, what a cheerful response! If I got squished like that I'm not sure I would bounce back in such a springy manner. What you may lack in experience you make up for in temperament.

The shape of the path is really quite nice, though the dirt texture is a bit too regular and intense in color to really say "dirt" to me. Saturated colors are all well and good, but mix in some more faded and natural looking ones as well.

Regarding the outlines- You might like the results if you play with non-black outline colors. For instance the path could be outlined in dark green, to go with the grass. Or the rocks could be outlined in a darker greyish brown color. That's especially true if you're working on characters- for instance skin often looks nice if it's outlined in brown instead of black. People will say this again and again, but it's good advice so I don't mind being unoriginal.

Anyhow, if you're interested in improving your texturing you might want to try this for the grass:

• Choose a few green colors that look nice together. You might want to mix in some bluish greens or some extremely yellowish greens depending on what you're going for.
  
• Start at the back of the picture, and begin filling it in with little tufts of grass. Switch colors as you go. Don't worry about the individual blades of grass, you wouldn't really be able to see those at this resolution. Just sketch in the overall shape of each clump of grass.
  
  
  
  

[IceColdBeer]

Heh I just got photoshop, so started using the 'grass brush' instead of just spraying around with ArtGem

Ne ways here's a remake... it looks inconsistent a bit, still WIP


Just wondering how I can make the yurts stand out a bit more? Rocks and the cliff are annoying me a bit as well. Background is surprisingly harder then I thought to make it look good. Hell I have heaps to learn

[Buckethead]

That looks pretty good. But the rocks just look horrible with those textures. And why did you put a line between the water and the sky? It's better to let it fade into eachother.

[vertigoaddict]

1) The horizon should not have a black outline

2) The coastline (is it called that?) shouldn't be like that, you should make 'layers' sort of lighten the colous each layer to make the sand 'go into' the sea (there's a word for it, but I can't seem to remember.

3) The huts are a little bit blurry, it should be sharper.

4) you should ade a few shades on the mountains to make it look like mountains and not like a stone wall.

[Dualnames]

I really can't rate the background more than 5/10. About improving try copying another's game art style. That should really improve your skill.
I know you've put a lot of effort on those. I was making once art like this and worse. And I know from first hand how it feels when you've put a lot of effort on something and nobody likes it. But it's a truth that you have to face. The grass looks good the tents look bad and the rest. Try coloring the outlines of each object. Don't leave them black that should help you  reach an easy 6/10. Without much effort.

[IceColdBeer]

Thanks for the criticism peoples, its cool, I'm new so I have to be able to accept that no one likes my drawings...  :'(
heh at the moment the only thing that looks good is the grass really tbh

The thick horizon outline is temporary, and was actually to get rid of the black outline I used before. The cliffs are hard to visualize to render, the rest as well. I'll be putting this project on hold I guess until I get more experience, and write/draw a modern-themed game first.

I guess I had way too high ambitions as soon as I got AGS and starting playing ATOTK as an example haha. I'll post some new drawings of much simpler art (more suitable for a beginner like me) for some C&C later.

Cheers!