Comic Background Thingy: New Shading

[Darcness]

Ok. I've decided to remake all my rooms with a new shading technique.

Here's the old shading:



and here's the new:


As you can see I've also fixed up the perspective. All that still needs to be done is to add the brick patterns on the walls and the candleholder shadows on the floor.

Please tell me which technique looks the best.

[Oz]

I don't think the candle lighting is that bad, but now you have a dark spot in the ceiling and a light spot on the floor, it should be vice versa. The perspective is wrong. Check all angles in relation to the vanishing point. I like the overall style though!

[Darcness]

I KNEW there was something wrong with those dark spots, I just couldn't put my finger on it. But it's all so logical.  Thanks for pointing that out, Oz. As for the perspective, this might sound weird, but I'm going for a bit of a warped perspective look in-game where spaces seem a bit bigger than they actually are, this being a confused wizard's casle and all. Thanks for the coment on the style, as I said, I'm no 2D artist, and this is my first try.  I just hope I can improve a bit on this stuff.

[InCreator]

The black door holes are waaay out of perspective.

A bit wacky perspective sounds good. n00b one not.
So here's what you did wrong... make straight lines curvy or whatever, but you have to make door's top line more horizontal if you want to improve this bg.

Overall, It's good. Even if you're not 2D artist, you have enough talent to become one.

*admires color usage*

Yes, definetly.

More tips:
-------------
* There's some problem with the little fence in front of fireplace: put all planks' lowest points to one horizontal line to improve this ( hope you understood)
* use different pattern for bricks in the wall, instead of copying just same one.
* put brick patterns onto opposite walls too
* make light spots blend into each other.

[Darcness]

Thank you very much InCreator.

I'll definitely fix up the things you noted. I really appreciate the critique I'm getting from you guys, since this is a bit of a new frontier for me. It's rather daunting, and I'll need all the help I can get to make a good-looking game.

[Khris]

Nice bg, but the perspective is so off, for a moment I thought you did it on purpose. As a 3D artist you should see how off it is.
I don't mean to be rude

[Darcness]

Actually, the perspective IS way off on purpose. As I said earlier in the thread, this room is supposed to have a weird perspective because of the many spells that Gimbal the wizard caused to backfire here, therefor space itself is a bit warped, making the room seem bigger than it actually is.
The effect would be most easily explained if I could show you what I'm trying to achieve in this room with the walking areas making your character scaling seem out of proportion as well at stages, but for that I'll have to actually post a demo of some sort.

And krishmuc, I really don't think you're being rude, you're doing exactly what I wanted people to do in this thread: Give me constructive critisism, which I highly appreciate 

[Oneway]

Oh man, he made the perspective that way on purpose..

* throws his lifes work on the table and starts sobbing*




I know it's a crappy paintover, and that this isn't what you want with your bg, but maybe someone else may find it usefull:

1: old background
2: old background + old vanishing point(s!)
3: old background + new vanishing point
4: new background + new vanishing point
5: new background

[Darcness]

Thanks for the help and critiques once again everyone.
Oneway, I'm sorry I made you do all that work for nothing, but I'm sure that it will definitely help some other people with their stuff, and I highly appreciate the help you guys are giving me here.

[theyak]

Since you've done 3D stuff before, doing a mock-up shouldn't take very long.  Why not set up a room with similar conditions and check out the lighting? 

If you'd rather not use a reference, keep in mind that the end of the light's casting is going to be spherical around the light itself.  Imagining where the sphere might intersect the walls puts your upper and side light-circles not too far off but the back wall's light should meet the other walls light without dipping in much.   On paper, I'd find it easiest to do the perspective (warped or not) of a large cube around the light, then use it to guesstimate arcs of light. 

I don't think I described that adequately at all.
From this distance, the fireplace would be lit a bit differently as well, if nothing else, it should be more equally lit across the chimney so that it appears less cylindrical. It occurs to me that my living room is set up close to this, I'll have to check a reference.   

[DragonRose]

I'd advise that if you're going to make the perspective purposefully off, make it REALLY off, with nothing going to the same vanishing points. If you make it only sort of off, it just looks like you made a mistake.

I DO find it interesting that the perspective lines you have created look sort of like the masonic symbol


Conspiracy, coincidence, or too much sugar and not enough sleep? YOU MAKE THE CALL!!!

[Darcness]

*Has a good laugh* I have never, nor will I ever be affiliated with any secret societies.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for a lodge meeting...

[Darcness]

I'm using a new shading technique. Please view top post for example.

[danclarkenotloggedin]

looks quite nice, although it takes some of the 'rustic charm' from the previous effort.

Id also suggest reducing the size of the shadows on the side of the fireplace, as their length reflects a lightsource that seems to come directly from the side, rather than the middle of the roof where your lightrs are situated.

[DragonRose]

I like the shading on the new one- it's much more realistic. But the colours are really weird.

Linework and shading from the new one+texturing and colours from the old one=TEH WIN!!!

[Indie Boy]

personally i like the first one more if the perspective was right

[lo_res_man]

I have no idea what peple mean by the colours been weird. im just a lowly lo res pixel poppe,  but I think the colours look better then the ones in the first edit. i like how they look gloomy.. o and i agree. if your going to make sqrewy perspective, make it WAY off.

[Paper Carnival]

The first one was awesome, but the second looks way too "plastic". I think teh gr@di3n7 should get removed from all graphic designing programs.

[Miez]

I think teh gr@di3n7 should get removed from all graphic designing programs.

And I think people should just learn to use them properly. Gr@di3n7 4r3 t3h R0xx0rzz!