Help with template sprite (Contains non-explicit pixel nudity)

[Charity]

So I'm in concept stages on a new game, and since the story I have in mind will likely call for more characters than I feel entirely comfortable drawing and animating from scratch, I decided to draw one character and make a template (or templates) from it, so that I can more easily mix-and-match clothes and features, and save a ton of time on mass production (at the admitted expense of breaking the "Unique Silhouette" rule).

Anyway I drew a basic character (that I may or may not use in the game) at a few different angles and then "undressed" it to make the template:






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I was going for female, this time around, but everyone who has seen the character has automatically assumed it was male (I've edited it a little since showing it to anyone but I'm not sure it was enough), and the template has come out looking more like some sort of alien baby than anything.  Any tips on defining gender at this scale?  Or help with proportions in general, really.

Something looks off with the side view, but I can't place it.

This is also my first time working with eight (five) directions, so pointers there would also be greatly appreciated.  I will probably ask more specifically about them when I start trying to animate.

[Babar]

The side view has the shoulders looking too bulgey. Also, while you did apply some lines for shading, the overall shape of the body is a box.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

One thing you shouldn't do is draw a character and try to backtrack to a human form.  If anything, you should start with one.  This is why your template looks bizarre.  To fix this just draw a blank character to start with, like this.

1.  Drew a blank male in a smaller and more proportionate size.

2.  Tested how it would look by painting over with a generic guy.




I also drew an initial female pose, and after painting it over you can see that while it's not optimal the differences between the male and female are pretty obvious (wide shoulders vs wide hips).  I also differentiate them by making the female sprite smaller.  The point here is that by establishing a form to start with you can better control the result.  Hopefully this helps.

[Charity]

Hey thanks, ProgZmax.  I went and started over on the templates based on your examples, working back toward the original style.  I've now got male and female templates in all five directions, and they need some work, but they're worlds better than the old ones.




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I'm reasonably satisfied with the front and diagonal-front views on both sexes, though I think the male's arms are a little awkward.  Shouldn't be too hard to fix. 

The side views I'm less satisfied with, but I'm not sure what I'd do differently.

The back and diagonal-back poses look off to me (especially the diagonal-back on the female).  The overall shape should be -about- right, so I think the problem is mostly to do with shading and the smaller details.  I think this is where I need the most help.

I'm also not too sure about the shading on any of the heads.  I'm sure hair and headgear will go a long way toward making them irrelevant, but it still bugs me.

[pslim]

I think you're making great progress on these Lyaer.

I'd also say that if making a template means the difference between finishing a game and not finishing, more power to you.

I did a paintover of the female template to see if I could address some of your concerns. Whether I succeeded or not is up to you. 



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I wasn't going to alter the front views, but I found that in order to make the changes that seemed appropriate in the other views, I had to change them all.

- Lowered the breast hang by one pixel
- Removed the outlines in places where they seemed unnecessary
- Added  highlights to give the face a little more definition
- Altered the feet in the side and nw views to make it look more like she was standing flat on the ground
- Tweaked the shading a bit to give body parts more definition
- Widened her hips by one pixel
- Altered the hang of her arms to make them more natural-looking


Hope this gives you some ideas. 

The original template you posted was not bad at all and I would say totally serviceable. The revisions you've made and whatever you will make in the future can only make them cooler.