Background style in need of 'kick'.

[Chicky]

Okay, it's been a while since i've put somthing here for you savages to rip apart. But hey, why not.



Now this is one of the backgrounds for my current project, more of a mockup really. But yes, the style stinks. It deff needs somthing it looks too simple and dare i say 'noobish'.

Any comments on the style are welcome and of course paintovers. 

[Sam.]

I would:
Make the wall look less like paper and more like stone (definatley not scissors)
Give the rocks more texture, make them believable rocks.
try and be a bit more consistent with shading. you have shadows on diffeerent sides all over the place, not sure where the light source is.
the sea is nice but it looks a bit jaggedy, i would have the sea more smooth, so intead of those jaggedy line from the light to the dark blue, make it a curvy one.

[Damien]

A nice BG, and a cool style.Ã, 

What bugs me:
-judging from the tower, the lightsource is located at the right source of the picture, but if you look at some of the rocks, you can see that some shadows are at the right side when they should be on the left
-IMO, the clouds don't fit in the BG very well, try using cell shading on them like you used on the rocks
-if it was night time, you could color windows yellow like there's a lightsource inside the lighthouse, but in daytime the windows would reflect the sky color
-no matter how the perpective is warped, the horizont line should be, umm... horizontal (where sea meets the sky)
-you could add some simple texturing, just a few lines here and there so it doesn't interfere with your style
-the shaded color of the tower blends in with the sky (on my monitor at least)

That's all.

EDIT:
Here's a quick edit:

[Developer]

I just too a whirl for the sake of it, changed the style a bit though. 

[TheYak]

Most of the rest have given some very astute suggestions.  My thoughts were just:

That the color needed to be saturated or desaturated - currently, the colors are (more or less) the default windows 16-color palette.  If you're going for a dramatic feel, I'd suggest making it darker with deeper hues and higher contrast (if you're using MS-Paint then just double-click the colors and adjust them from there). 

Pay attention to perspective, remember the flat horizon and keep the fenceline consistent (either by keeping the corners straight or by using the diagonals to show depth).  Unless the lighthouse's leaning is part of the plot then I'd suggest straightening it.  The overall style isn't quite warped enough to accomodate it so it serves as a distraction.

Remember where the light source is coming from.  The darker shade on the grass gives it more depth than a flat tone but it should be used as a shadow unless you're doing more -- 

texture.  Texture would add a lot of depth and interest to the picture as well as making it less 'amateur'.  You don't have to get super-detailed, just some spikiness or something to the grass, some brick or line look for the lighthouse, and some 'noise' on the path. 

I like the image quite a lot, it's simple without being boring and keeps everything nicely prioritized..  a little consistency and it would serve nicely.

[Chicky]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Some nice paintovers too

Yak, i think the problem with the colours was that i drew the picture at college, where they only have m$paint and the moniters are really cheap.

I'll give textures and a little aa a shot and see how it goes.

Expect to see an edit later tonight.

[Pod]

I like it. The only extra thing I can say that no one else has said is this:

Where is the lighthouses shadow?
Also, the railing not being straight is an off-putter! I really like the style though, very 'vector'.

[Evil]

Yes, the lighthouse could use a cast shadow. I like the dark outlines and it would be nice to see them on, maybe, some rocks or tufts of grass.

[Chicky]

A little later than i expected, band practice went on a bit longer. Anyway, its still tonight with 4 minutes left to go .

Here's the (hopefully) final edit, i tried to cover all points raised and i think the overall picture looks pretty nice. I'm happy with it and i like the textured shading on the grass, has a nice paper look to it.



Comments?

[[Cameron]]

Nice

[Flippy_D]

It looks much better than the original, but you could use some more shading around the left side of the white imo. Also, the brick highlight on the white (middle-bottom) is too straight, needs curve. A touch of light grey to the clouds is optional. The front of the wall looks a little flat still. Grass is cool. Bend the road slightly to account for the roll of the hill, and you're done.

/imo

[Iwan]

I love the texture at the bottom of the light house around the door and great job with the grass. Only things bothering me are the windows. They arn't quite at the same angle as the the door, so we shouldn't see as much of the inside of the window as we do.
Nice job !

[TheYak]

Looking sweet and not as MS-Paint bland.  I'll parrot Alpha and Flippy but remind you about the fence.  It goes with a quirky style but in this image it just detracts.

[stuh505]

Noobish?  I dare say not.  It looks fantastic.  Simplicity is not always bad.  The only problem you open yourself up to is that key items will be easier to spot and hence puzzles easier to solve.  But in terms of looks, it does look nice.

The clouds I would suggest not having darker at the top....this comment has already been made in one of the edits.

The extended detail with the hint of bricks and cracking in the lighthouse and wall are aso welcome, yet not necessary.

I think that your original was much better than your second attempt or any of the edits.

[Janik]

Simplicity is not always bad.Ã,  The only problem you open yourself up to is that key items will be easier to spot and hence puzzles easier to solve.

That's true - but if a puzzle is made difficult only/mostly because an item is hard to spot, then that's not a very satisfying puzzle.

[Developer]

Good work on the grass.  8)

[Pelican]

The windows look a little funny - like they're stuck on. The shadows should be on the opposite sides to show them to be set in to the wall.

[n3tgraph]

It's amazing what colours can do to your picture!

The first you posted gave me an impression of a funneh game with bright colours and idiot characters

The second you posted gave me an impression of a serious game

As for your latest pic,
I don't really like the textures on the rocks and the grass, they make the image a little flat but then again, I was never fond of textures in ags-games.
One thing left: I think the wall has a very strange colour and should be a little darker red imo

for the rest great image! I really like it

[InCreator]

Though I tried to keep your simple-color style - starting bravely with these rocks... I failed miserably, ending up with self-made brushes and overcolorizing.Ã, 

The main problem with your final version is that grassy land is shaded - and therefore looks like - a big chunk on sharp steel!
Jus like a big green knife in the sea.

In first version, sea horizon was.... not horisontal. I remeber gettin kicked by someone (darth mandarb, probably) some time ago for making same mistake.
In final version, sea horizon is not visible at all! This may sound logical and even look pretty, but in nature, it isn't so. Google for random beach photo and see yourself.

And I just don't feel that someone would care to build a paved road to the lighthouse in the middle of nowhere.

Other things are good, pretty enjoyable bg to edit over a loo-oong time.... Looks pretty too.

So, though my edit failed,Ã,  I'll post anyway, just for ideas.

[Chicky]

to be completely honest ... i love you edit

Is ok with you if i work on it a little and use it in the final game? I really like the shading on the grass and the lighthouse glass, its excellent. I'll give another edit a shot now and see how it goes. Thanks!