need help with female character

[MashPotato]

Here is a paintover, I tried to change as little as possible:


Mostly, I shifted things around, but I also added/took away some pixels here and there.Ã,  Hope this helps ^_^

[Shade]

well this is nearly exacly what i had in mind MashPotato! Thanks!
I just finished the 3/4 view from behind. how is it?

x1:
x2:

[MashPotato]

I'm glad my paintover helped ^_^
I think you have a little bit of adjusting to do to make the figures consistent across the views.  For example:
-the shading and level of her chest changes between the front/side/three-quarter views (particularly the side view)
-the detailing on the front of her pants in the front view doesn't match the three-quarter view
-the back view shows a lot of butt definition, the 3/4 behind view does not

In general, I am not too keen on how the back of the shirt shows so much of her muscle definition--to me, it looks like her shirt is wet and is plastered against her skin.  I would suggest removing some of the detail, but that's just my personal prefererence ^_^

[Shade]

i hope i followed your suggestions well.
and well as i read that her shirt looks wet i changed it because it shouldn't be wetÃ, 

x1:
x2:

[Damien]

Here's some advice for making the face:


x2:


-If you connect eyebrows like that and color them black your characters will get a 'cavemanish' look. Seperate them and try reusing the hair color instead of adding another.
-The makeup color stood out too much so it got replaced with the darkest skin shade.
-The eyes are a bit smaller now and pure white was replaced with the shirt's grey color.
-I see you've added another color for the lips, I've remade them using the hair color again. Also, 2 tones are used so the edges look a little smoother.
-Since the lightsource is above the character, the face got shaded this way too with highlights on the cheekbones and on the upper side of the nose.
-Made the ears smaller and lowered them down.
-Dark lines on her hair got softened with the hair's midtone color.

I think that's all.

[Shade]

wowÃ,  :o, the new face looks great! thanks for your advice!
i changed the face in the other views. heres the result:

x1:
x2:

but i still dont get why Bush is against evolution...my sprite looks better than at the beginning:

"caveman" -----> "normal" personÃ, 

[Fizzii]

She looks a bit hunched over in the front view.Ã,  It's partly to do with her hands hanging down not doing anything, and the symmetric pose. It might be better if she leaned a little on one leg, as standing symmetrically is not a natural pose.

Also, her crotch should be higher still. (should be moved up such that the crotch is located at the middle of her height from head to toe). And I reckon her body is now rather on the narrow side give the size of her head (whereas before she was a bit too broad), but she could be malnourished .

But she's looking better than before.

[Andail]

She's improving nicely! She hunches a bit and her shoulders are too high and tense; try to lower them a bit and she'll turn out more relaxed.

Her breasts are awkward; they look like apples growing out of her keybones, and the stuff on her chest suggesting a cleavage (I guess) is just wrong. Also not that she is extremely thin, with very girl-like proportions. Except for the breasts. And hm...her bottom? Is she wearing a diaper?

Good progression anyhow, keep working!

[Shade]

well i have a problem...i don't know how to go on.
sure i will follow your suggestions and i know how i can change the proportions and the pose but i don't know to do the shading or how to make it look right.
probably someone can show me how to do it right or give me a hint.
thanks.

[big brother]

There only "right" here pertains to your vision for the character. Doing this for you would merely be guesswork on our part.

[Helm]

You have to study anatomy a lot. I mainly suggest a subtle contrapost to the still sprite, avoid mirroring. This is probably one of the stills the player will be looking at the most, so you have to make it interesting and give it some character.

[Minimi]

i think the arms are still a little bit too long. Maybe 5 to 8 pixels too long... but maybe im wrong

[Haddas]

i think the arms are still a little bit too long. Maybe 5 to 8 pixels too long... but maybe I'm wrong

Not really. I mean, if you let your hands hang, how low do they reach?

[big brother]

The latest edit is a good direction to go, although I would raise the crotch of the pants slightly and shorten the arms in relation. I would also try to make the feet look less like flat bricks. The desaturated colors are visually pleasing, but I'd be afraid they'd blend in too much with a background. I'd give the contrast and saturation a little bump.

Ultimately, you need to pick a style you're satisfied with and can easily replicate.

[Misj']

Hi Shade,

Well, the main problem with the character is, that it is lacking...character that is. Which - logically - is the whole basis of character design. It's not about how well you draw (sure, it helps), it's all about how well you are able to present a persons character. So I won't give you any comments on drawing style etc. It's all about character this time.

I've read the entire thread (actually, I've been following it from the beginning), so let's get back to the beginning. My first impressions of the girls character - and what I could deduce from her pose, looks and clothing - were the following:

From Reply #17 I could see, that she's putting her shoulders forward (3/4-th body view). This most likely indicates that she tries to hide her breasts. While not uncommon, this is often associated with girls who grew breasts at an early age - before their friends - and who tried to hide them to avoid being teased. It's often considered a sign of insecurity (not being proud of your body). The insecurity is also exemplified by her skinniness: she's most likely anorexic (referring to the picture in the first post). Moreover, she uses way to much make-up (if you compare the faces in Damiens edit (Reply #24) you'll see what I mean).

So my first conclusion is: she's insecure about her looks (pose, build, make-up). However, considering the clothing she's wearing (showing her shoulder, the bands of her top, and trousers that show the fact that she shaved her legs) indicate that she wants to hide this fact (by spending a lot of time on her looks)...most likely because she's also ashamed of her shame. To be honest, I very much doubted that was the intention you had with this character.

Now, you've changed many of these thing: she's standing a little more straight (reply #21), she's a little less skinny (reply #13), and she's lost some of her makeup (reply #25). And all these things might make the girl prettier...but it also changes the character the girl represents. The question you'll have to answer is: is she now closer to the character you want her to represent. I can't help you with that, for I have no idea what her character is (that's why I say she's lacking it).

However...all this sounds quite negative, so let me try to be a little more constructive here. Below, you can see an image (A-E). It's not a paint-over (don't like them...they ruin your own creativity), and i'm merely working with silhouettes. They are great for setting up a characters pose. A is your own image, and B is a smoothed-out version. From this I deducted a simple schematic representation (that I can easily edit): C. Now image the girl is talking to a boy. What can we tell about her pose in C? - Nothing. She's neither presenting herself, nor rejecting him (or herself). There's no pride, no shame, no dynamics. She's not interested in what he's saying, nor is she bored. She's just standing there (as if she's a wooden doll). So we go to D. A few weeks ago I was walking near my work, and this girl was standing there, talking to two boys. She had quite a powerful pose. She was self-aware, secure, and - yes - attractive (although not at all my type). She knows what she wants. She knows what she's worth. And she's not afraid to show others. In E I went the other way: she's ashamed again: making herself small. She's got a very submisioned pose, is a little afraid, and is hiding in her 'shell'. She kinda hopes the boy doesn't see her while he's talking to her.




Now remember: C, D, and E are the same girl. She has the same posture in each picture. Still, who do you think the boy will ask on a date (the answer is D)? - Now, that's creating a character.

I hope I'm not being too harsh...but adding character to a character will greatly enhance your work. Just write down some keywords of what she likes, hates, is afraid of, wants to be, and then try to present that in her pose and looks. And don't be afraid to exaggerate.

Misj'

[big brother]

Still, who do you think the boy will ask on a date (the answer is D)?

Depends on which one puts out.

[Krysis]

I wouldn't ask D on a date. She looks like she's would kick me in the B's.

[Dr. Scary]

And A would chafe something awful.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Stay on task, people.  This isn't The Dating Game.

[Snowflake]

Well, it's not a dating game but as a girl I fully agree with what Misj' wrote.

First of all, Shade, let me tell you that she is very pretty and that the clothes seem to fit a somehow 'renegade', independant character! I hope that's what you aimed for. However, it's a fact that she hunches a bit and that as I see it she is a bit too thin for my tastes. Finally in hy humble opinion her face expression isn't the best; she seems sad and I don't think that's what you want. Anyways, I hope everyone's advice as well as my own will aid you in making a truly nice character.