Need Some Pointers

Started by MischievousGameDev, Wed 27/03/2019 14:01:43

Previous topic - Next topic

MischievousGameDev

Hello all,

I am rather new here and I'm not a really good artist but I was curious if I could get a couple of opinions on some character art for a game I'm making. First off though, I have tried to create a few AGS games recently but all of them had huge issues with either the art or the coding, so all in all it has been a huge learning experience. :-D I hope my fourth project(current one) will turn out better with the knowledge I have gleaned.

And now for the art:

[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/xvM6VkW.png[/imgzoom]

I mainly need some pointers for making the arms and eyes better, but any help with the art is greatly appreciated.

EDIT: Image has been updated and I fixed the link.

VampireWombat

I can't think of too much given the size. I'd personally make the eyes darker and give a different skintone. Maybe make the mouth closer to the skin tone. As for the arms and hands, can't think of anything really to change. The hands are fine, they just look a little like lego minifig hands. But it's hard to do much more at that size.
And I assume he's wearing a gun holster?
Anyway, here's more in line with what I'd do.

[imgzoom]http://ags.pics/0Dkn.png[/imgzoom]

MischievousGameDev

Thank you for the critique, quick question, how did you get the zoom to not blur the picture?

VampireWombat

You're welcome. Hopefully someone else who does low res sprites will be of more help, though.

The blurriness is probably because your image host converts the image to jpg. I used to have the same problem when I used tinypic. I use the AGS image host. But I haven't heard anything about it since August, so I'm not sure if new accounts can still be created or not. https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=56292.20

Hobo

#4
Unfortunately, I can't see the original images at all. They show up as broken image links for me and when I try to open them in another tab, it asks me to log into google.

Edit: Working fine now.

Jim Reed

[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/Yrr7c7L.png[/imgzoom]

I adjusted your pose slightly and edited the hands and face. I recommend not drawing on a pink background but a medium gray one as it will help you pick your colors better.
I included a palette for you to work with in the upper right corner, arranged by brightness. Try to not go overboard with the number of colors, usually 3 is enough for one material (shade, base and highlight). This will help you out later when you need to animate or edit graphics. Keep drawing you can only get better with practice!  :)

Hobo

First of all, if you're simply planning to make a game, then make a game, your sprite looks already fine enough for that. Don't let the lack of artistic experience hold you back, there's plenty awesome games with more simplistic or minimal art, if it's got decent design and lots of heart, it'll be welcomed in this community.

But if you're aim is to improve as an artist and create something more complex in the future, then Jim Reed has already started with some really good advice. I agree about the background color, that pink has max saturation and strong burning colors like that have a way of affecting the colors next to it. And what looks good on pure pink or white, might not look good in an actual game environment. Medium gray is a good neutral choice and I've seen some pixel artist use more saturated tones of blue or green, for example. If possible, then I'd also recommend using your game background as a reference to set the final colors and shading, to make sure that the sprite actually looks like it belongs in the game.

As for poses, then Jim's base is again a good example and a solid foundation you can build upon. Your original sprite probably feels a bit too stiff and Jim's done an excellent job of creating a more natural and interesting pose. When you're shading and coloring your sprites, then I know that it's very tempting to mirror some of the stuff and make both legs and arms look exactly the same, but occasional non-symmetry, even a few pixels, can sometimes help to make the character look more varied and organic. Your original sprite could also use a little more contrast between the colors, especially in the face area. In pixel art, you don't have a lot space or options to add small details, so contrast and clever color use is sometimes a good way to create more distinct shapes and features.

The type of shading you used for the arms is usually not recommended, since it bands the colors and lines together in a weird way. So, I personally try to avoid it if I can.



Links to the tutorials, where I took the images from:
http://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299
https://medium.com/pixel-grimoire/how-to-start-making-pixel-art-4-ff4bfcd2d085

I do recommend keeping the sprite as simple and comfortable to draw as possible, since I assume that you will eventually need to animate it and when you go overboard with the polishing and details, it'll be a nightmare to animate.

And finally some edits, one with very slight changes and then a complete redraw:

[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/UA2IXr4.png[/imgzoom]

VampireWombat

I think I should probably say that the pink background is my fault. The original images had a white background and a more yellowish skin. The pinkish background just happened to be one of the random colors left in my colors which I used for removing pixels.
But thank you to both of you for being more helpful than I was able to be.

MischievousGameDev

First off I want to say you guys are rockstars for helping me out.

Now on to the art! Jim Reed thank you for the palette choices and redraw of the character pose, I know this is going to be a great help when I redraw. Also those hands are amazing looking! I see how you made them look like real hands, not nubs or lego minifig hands lol. The stance is also a lot more what I wanted the character to look like.

Hobo, you're tips on having the drawing look organic, getting rid of the banding, changing up the pose, and tips on shading/highlighting are absolutely spot on with what I needed. Your tuts and the info you provided was invaluable. I also have to say your redraws were excellent and showed me yet another way to do arms and hands which is oh so helpful. Your third redraw though is so good it gives me vibes of Leon Kennedy from RE2.

I don't have time right now to do some redraws as I have to go to work soon, but the first chance I get I will try my hand at it again and also finish up the first background so that you can also check that out.

Thanks so much everyone, I really appreciate all of your help.

MischievousGameDev

#9
Alright I had time to rework the character but I haven't finished the room but I will post the *unfinished room* as a reference. I used Jim Reeds hand model I hope that's okay, the look was too good and I can't think of a better way to do hands. Just to let you know this is set in a futuristic sci fi world where overpopulation is an issue as well as groundbreaking technology at everybody's fingertips. The game itself is about a detective and his hunt for a killer.

Without further ado here is the redrawn main character and also him in the *unfinished room*:

[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/Q7jtGJk.png[/imgzoom]

[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/Faf9INj.png[/imgzoom]

Please let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions or critique I will be glad to hear it.

Thanks in advance for everybody's help, critique, and tips!

SMF spam blocked by CleanTalk