Quest for the Bathroom - My first little Game ;)

[JoelMayer]

Hi there!

After a loooong break i finally started working on a little three room game to start with. Thanks to some advice by ThreeOhFour, i've started drawing the little protagonist called Timmy. Pixel Art is something that really fascinates me but i would consider myself still a beginner, so any advice on my initial sprite would be appreciated, before i start to animate him. I'm also working on the first background so stay tuned for that.

I usually like to make a quick color sketch in Sketchbook Pro and use that as a guide for my Pixel Art. Its just easier for me.

Thanks and Cheers!

[Scavenger]

First, let me say that that's some really cute concept art. It's clear and easy to read.

[imgzoom]https://dl.dropbox.com/u/50882197/temp/boy_paintover.PNG[/imgzoom]
I'm not too good at explaining this, but:
All I did here was clean up the double pixels (the stair-case effect, it makes sprites look less refined than they could be), fixed the shading in places, and tried to make him look more like he is in his concept art. You're quite a good artist already, but I think you've fallen into some of the pit traps that everyone falls into at one point or another. The hair, for instance, is pillow shaded, when it would be better served shading across the hair rather than along it (I don't know the technical term - anisotropic, maybe?). Another thing is contrast - don't be afraid of too much contrast between shades, you can always add a median shade later. It's easier to have too much and tone it down, than have too little and spruce it up. You can see it especially on the hair and the eyes. I merely created a darker eye shade colour and hair lowlight, and removed the old dark middle shade.

The sprite itself is not that bad, it just needed some refinement. Keep at it, and you'll go far! :3

[Anian]

Not the best myself, but I tried to clean it up a bit as well (damn you quick Scavenger!  )


- cleared the double lines you had all over the place, it's pixel art, thickness of the lines matters on curves, diagonals etc.
- removed a shade from the hair, I think you had a few similar colors there so I substituted
- fixed the collar, again weird use of color
- fixed the feet, his left foot now looks less cartoony, but cleared, and his right foot now has actual fingers
- certain details around the bottom of the shirt
- tweaked the eyes (more like your sketch), nose, eyebrows, lips
- the colors on the hair might need a bit more contrast though

Anyway, now you at least have options/different perspectives dragontoad, hope it helps. It's not a bad sprite at all.

[JoelMayer]

Thanks a lot Scavenger! I really like your own pixel art actually! I think we both share a preference for the cartoony side of things

Yeah, i think there are just these beginner pitfalls in which we all step into at the beginning, i was pretty sure it would happen to me also

While we're at it, do you have some good tips for backgrounds? Im working at one at the moment but i'm not really a natural born painter i'm afraid even though i get the basic concepts...

Here's, just for fun, another drawing i made for a game which i abandoned (or put on hold) since it's too ambitous



Edit: Whoops, that was quick! Thanks Anian too! I'll have a look at it

[Anian]

While we're at it, do you have some good tips for backgrounds? I'm working at one at the moment but I'm not really a natural born painter I'm afraid even though I get the basic concepts...

Perspective, just watch the perspective. Even if everything else might not be to somebody's taste, perspective (if it's wrong) will be noticeable and it's the sort of thing most people get wrong.

And yeah I just started sketches for a game and soon found it was really a bit ambitious and on the large scale...so you know, happens to everyone.

[JoelMayer]

Thats the one thing i kept sure it was more or less correct. I used the path tool in Photoshop to draw perspective lines over a winged thumbnail.

Here's a very early WIP of my BG. I try to use a base color and just two light sources (a window and light that comes from under the door). The thing on the left is supposed to become his bed which is one of these children beds shaped like a racing car... The door needs some fixing when it comes to perspective... It's just hard to tell if i'm on the right track i get the feeling that it's already a bit too messy....


But i at least tried to concentrate on colors and value


[imgzoom]http://www.mayerfilms.ch/pics/room_1_wip.jpg[/imgzoom]

But i'm still at a stage where i wouldn't feel bad to start over again so any tips are appreciated

And: i took some of your suggestions, incorporated it into my sprite and did some things of my own. I think now i like him

[imgzoom]http://www.mayerfilms.ch/pics/anim_timmy_master2.png[/imgzoom]

[JoelMayer]

Naaah... Forget that first try at painting. I now did a more "detailed" sketch. I just need a crutch at those thing i'm bad at improvising with a brush

[imgzoom]http://www.mayerfilms.ch/pics/room_1_sketch.jpg[/imgzoom]

[Andail]

No, the coloured version is fine. It's not a bad approach to first set the colour scheme and the shading, and then add details.

Your sprite is fun and full of personality, but I think the posture is a bit too curvy - to me it looks like the poor kid's been twisted and rung like a towel.

[JoelMayer]

Yeah i think the colors are allright but it just got too out of hand without a good guide but i can still take it as a reference so its not for nothing.

I think the posture is a bit too curvy - to me it looks like the poor kid's been twisted and rung like a towel.

Haha yeah i know... but somehow thats something i like about it