Pixel panic!

[Lasca]

Ok, so maybe the title was a bit dramatic, but I need help with pushing some pixels.
I'm working on a photograph:

[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/EdDYkR0.png[/imgzoom]

It's still a work in progress, and I like how the guy turned out, so I have no real problems with him, it's the girl that's causing me a headache.
Some things are apparent to me now after reworking this a couple of times: her head is too small. Also both arms look a bit weird, and especially the right one. Which also perhaps is a bit too long? Her posture makes it hard for me too decide, maybe it's just a question of refining and shading. Anyway, my biggest problem is her FACE! That bloody nose, those bloody eyes and that bloody mouth. I'm no pixel expert, and the angle of the head makes it real hard for me to make it look good. She's supposed to be around 16-ish, perhaps with a more round face then I managed, cute/attractive I guess but not with a lot of make up, and happy. I'd though of her doing some kind of crazy face - sticking out her tongue or grinning, but I can't make that look good. I like her hair, it feels like I got that covered. Overall I also have problems make her face the same style as his. She could be looking into the camera or at the guy. Either way is fine. 
Anyway, so this is what I need help with to accomplish. Any tips and tricks, especially regarding the face with features are most welcome!
/Lasca

[Frikker]

I think the hair makes her arm look really long as it creates the illusion that it is one long arm coming out of her chest.  At first I mistook it as coming out from almost the same point as the other arm and being very wierd and very long. looking at it again I can see that the dark shading just above her right elbow also emphasises the crazy bendy arm illusion. staying on the arm subject, it also looks as if his has been cut off and is just a stump but I think its part of the background playing another optical illusion. is his arm behind his back?
As for her face, I quite like it , the eyes are quite white and maybe look a bit scary but otherwise its cool Black and white always makes it hard to get things looking right I find. could you maybe try painting it on colour to get a range of values in and then convert to black and white? maybe to much hassle though.
He reminds me of a young George Stobart
sorry Im tired and going on a bit. Shut up Matthew.

[Martyn]

I tested to change a little on their arms and the size on her head!
Always good and start with few colors or color ranges.

[Mandle]

Nice couples picture...but...

Not matter how many times I look at it again it always looks like the girl's left arm is a tentacle growing out of her chest and going diagonally down to the right and then straight up and then across his shoulders...

I understand that the picture is showing her breasts poking out above his torso...But the shadowing under that makes it look like a continuous form to me...

I think the guy's chest needs to jut out just a bit more from just under his right shoulder and cancel out the girl's shadow there...

I hope this made sense...

[cat]

Yes, definitely a tentacle. I'm actually a bit disappointed that it is not supposed to be one

[AnasAbdin]

Not matter how many times I look at it again it always looks like the girl's left arm is a tentacle

Is not? 

[Frikker]

Mandle better explained what i was trying to get at , my attempt was futile compared to his "boob tentacle" explanation.

[Blondbraid]

I think the hair makes her arm look really long as it creates the illusion that it is one long arm coming out of her chest.  At first I mistook it as coming out from almost the same point as the other arm and being very wierd and very long.

Not matter how many times I look at it again it always looks like the girl's left arm is a tentacle

Like this?

I think it's the hair making that illusion. The guy's knees look a bit odd too,
but otherwise it's a fine picture and I really like their faces and expressions.

[Frikker]

yes exactly like that lol

[Lasca]

Hahahahahaa!
I didn't really get it until I saw the illustration! Now I can't stop seeing tentacles! Damn it! But you're right, I definitely have to do something about that. An idea could be to lengthen her hair on the left side to. in fact, it's a little strange that it's so much shorter than on the right side.
And thanks for the paintover Martyn! It's a good idea to make his hands more visible, although I'm hesitant to have his hand on her butt. They're supposed to be siblings And I can see why you would change the position of  his left arm, but I don't want to have him leaning on the rail, since she has to have room behind him. But that arm needs more work.
Regarding his knees - it's jeans. That's my only explanation
I'm glad to hear that people don't have a problem with her face, but I would still be very happy if someone would do paint another suggestion, because I'm not really satisfied with it and could use some new ideas.
Thanks again for all the responses, both tentacle related and not.  

[Mandle]

TOOOOO AWESOME!!!

[Kumpel]

Hello Lasca,

Beautiful pixel art you did there. But you were right: the girls face had a different style.
I did some slightly repainting on her face, hair chest and arms. I hope it can push your gem in the right direction.

Kumpel (The new guy in AGS-Town ^^)

[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/9LkcdZX.png[/imgzoom]

[Lasca]

Thanks Kumpel! That's very helpful! And welcome!

[Jim Reed]

If the underlying anatomy of a character is not correct, the whole finished image will look off for various reasons. Your anatomy has numerous small mistakes, which add up to a whole looks wrong. If you look at an image and you find it "off" for some reason, it's prolly because your eyes are seeing the mistake, even tho your mind might not understand it at that moment.

I made this quick edit, and even tho it's simple, I hope you can see for yourself the various tweaks I made. Most of the things are just proportion thingies, with a subtle poses shift here and there. Most of the time your limbs are too long so I shortened them some. The guy's neck is a bit too long imo, but it could be okay if the image is leaning more towards a cartoon style than realistic.

As for the tentacle arm, it's just a matter of shading, tho making her wear a sleeveless shirt, or something similar might help out with the problem. If super mario can do it, you can too! ^^

[Kumpel]

Hm. I'm agreeing with you at the boys anatomy. The knees are really off. But the way your girl is grabbing him, it looks more like gogo dance than funny positioning besides a sibling. Way too dynamic imo. But maybe it's just because of the artificial look of your suggestion.

[Snarky]

Those aren't his knees, though. He's wearing cutoff shorts. (And I think Jim's sketch has made him a bit smaller â€" and more buff! â€" than in the original. Scale him up so his crotch is maybe 3-4 pixels further down, and his limbs line up pretty well.

I know some comic book artists, when they have a panel like this, always make sure to sketch in the legs all the way to the ground, in order to ensure that the proportions and positions make sense. Otherwise it's easy to end up with a character who has to be floating above the ground or sunk down into it given the perspective.

The tentacle arm is a matter of anatomy (all the limbs here look curved and "floppy" in the first place), pose, shading and texture. Clothes have creases and folds, they don't form a smooth, continuous surface from the torso up the shoulder and down the length of the arm.

[ThreeOhFour]

A quick idea of what might help to allay the "noodle tentacle" arm thing:

[imgzoom]http://i.imgur.com/wMzGpyb.png[/imgzoom]

Shading her torso with some sensitivity towards depth and a light source that matches his arm in shadow helps gives the appearance of a more believable body, I think.

[Eggie]

Can you not just keep it looking like a tentacle and make your project an adventure game sequel to Freaked?
Please??