Backgrounds

[WeeklyJournaling]

I made a pixel background, but since I just started pixel art ( except for the lighting from the window) I was wondering if I'm on the right track and if there's anything that could improve future backgrounds I will make.





New version after feedback




Final version




Newest

[Snarky]

Nice work!

I wouldn't call this pixel art, but that's just a technicality. I like your color palettes: they are bright and vivid, giving a nice cartoony look. The perspective construction in the second image is also not bad (although you've screwed up the connection between the stairs and foundation, and the house looks very shallow). Of course, there are always things to improve.

One thing that sticks out in the second screen is that you're not properly considering your light source and how shadows are cast. You have the "camera" facing the sun more or less directly, so things should be casting shadows towards us, but still the shadows of the trees go off backwards to the left. Similarly, the front of the house should be in shadow, but you have the left side lit up, as if the sun was in front of it – or as if sunlight was a kind of glowing fog. All the smaller shadows are also wrong. (If you're only thinking in 2D, it can be easy to assume that shadows should just face away from the point in the image where the sun is, but you need to keep in mind that the sun is immensely far away, and if it appears at all in your image it is not really to the left or right of anything, but behind everything.)

(On that note, you have one of the trees on the left covering the edge of the roof, even though it must be much further away.)

I also find the hatching (the lines you've drawn for shading) too rough: they look like a drawing more than a full-color image, especially the cross-hatching with two very distinct colors in for example the red foundation of the house. When you use hatching, you should be trying to convey the texture of the material, and it doesn't look to me like you're doing that, apart from on the planks to create a wood texture.

Finally, although I do like the colors, I think you would do well to think through the scenes a bit more. In the first screen, the pillars should take on the hue of the green light (the way you've airbrushed in the light actually does this a little bit to the ones behind the cone, but the others are not affected); that way they'll look more like they're part of the same room rather than Photoshopped in. In the second screen, the sun is on the horizon, but the colors of the sky and scenery look like mid-day.

Despite some imperfections, I find the style appealing and charming, and very workable for a game. Keep practicing!

[WeeklyJournaling]

Thanks Snarky, that was really helpful and I will modify the second picture to match the sunlight. You made some excellent points about the importance of the light source and I'll look more into it. As for it being pixel art, I just found out that if it has brush strokes it doesn't really qualify. Thanks again.

[ThreeOhFour]

It looks like you're doing your light with a soft light/overlay/similar layer - and that's a great way to work. But it's also worth cleaning up a bit, because at the moment the glow flows too much into the parts that should be in shadow. But also I think it's good to start with a clearer understanding of "value"*.

In your house scene, you have the sun defined as a light source, which is yellow, and clouds surrounding it which are white. This means that the clouds are lighter in value than the sun, which is not realistic for most scenery. The light source should almost always be the brightest thing, with everything else in the scene the same brightness (if directly lit by the source) or darker. Clouds should take shadow from a light source by the sun.

The other issue is that the sun appears to be in front of the clouds. This will never occur, and so the sun should be considered something we see where the clouds aren't!

If you post a version without the glowy light layers I'd be happy to show you how I might light a scene like this for comparison.

*lightness/darkness

[WeeklyJournaling]

It looks like you're doing your light with a soft light/overlay/similar layer - and that's a great way to work. But it's also worth cleaning up a bit, because at the moment the glow flows too much into the parts that should be in shadow. But also I think it's good to start with a clearer understanding of "value"*.

In your house scene, you have the sun defined as a light source, which is yellow, and clouds surrounding it which are white. This means that the clouds are lighter in value than the sun, which is not realistic for most scenery. The light source should almost always be the brightest thing, with everything else in the scene the same brightness (if directly lit by the source) or darker. Clouds should take shadow from a light source by the sun.

The other issue is that the sun appears to be in front of the clouds. This will never occur, and so the sun should be considered something we see where the clouds aren't!

If you post a version without the glowy light layers I'd be happy to show you how I might light a scene like this for comparison.

*lightness/darkness

Thanks ThreeOhFour, I appreciate you taking your time to explain these things
I'll also make a version based on your explanations in the meantime.

[ThreeOhFour]

Here's some more feedback, and a suggestion for where you might move the sun angle to. Basically, having the whole front of the building in shadow like this kind of makes it hard to make a lot of depth. Can be much nicer if you have it a little more directly overhead.



If this isn't "dramatic" enough and you want the sun really low again, then check out sunset photos and see how much difference there is in colour!

[WeeklyJournaling]

Here's some more feedback, and a suggestion for where you might move the sun angle to. Basically, having the whole front of the building in shadow like this kind of makes it hard to make a lot of depth. Can be much nicer if you have it a little more directly overhead.



If this isn't "dramatic" enough and you want the sun really low again, then check out sunset photos and see how much difference there is in colour!

Wow! Thank you! These are some excellent breakdowns :O

[ThreeOhFour]

I hope it helps!