The VG Resource

Let's just say that it's been a while since I've sprited anything. But my drawing techniques in general has improved drastically, so here goes nothing.
[attachment=5935]

Just a succubus I made up that kinda evolved from a character that I created based on myself. She used to be a plain human, then all of a sudden...This. I already kinda know my potential with spriting, so I'll take all the critiques I can get o3o.

(Yes, that is a sitting pose)
(She does have elf-like ears, just forgot to draw them onto the smaller sprite)

[attachment=5936]

I do standing poses better than floating/flying . I'm trying to go for a classic Game Boy platformer style of character sprites. Maybe not traditional platformers like Super Mario Land 2, Kirby's Dream Land and Castlevania Adventure, but the games like Kid Dracula, Megaman Xtreme, Ranma 1/2, Shantae, and Star Ocean: Blue Sphere.

And I'm not saying I want the same sizes and resolution, because I do not enjoy limiting myself with this stuff . But I mostly want the colors, style and atmosphere.

[attachment=5937]
Based on this girl: http://fav.me/d9cp1ph
I plan for these sprites to resemble those of old NES/FC platformers and RPGs.

Your sprites in your second post remind me more of Tiger Handheld graphics than gameboy, which is okay even if that isn't what you intended.
The crouch pose needs some work as the legs bent over are much the same length as the legs standing. But you're doing good so far, so don't give up!

They look good so far.

Personally, I prefer the succubus character more.
Not really sure why.

Other than the smaller sprite missing the elf ears, I don't see anything that seems wrong.
I do kinda like the larger sprite since there's more detail to admire.

I'm not gonna nail you on the not conforming to limitations EXACTLY. I kinda see that as stupid and pointless unless one intended for the sprites to be used on the old system. I also hate limiting myself to that degree. Color limits are much easier to make the best of than image dimensions.

That's the best I got for a 'critique'. Being that you're specifically using a style/theme that is simplistic in nature, I do not see anything much to analyze other than proportions, anatomy, and consistency. other than that issue with the ears in the smaller sprite, everything seems fine. (also, i'm not great at critiques)

As for the usage of the sitting pose, though, THAT does look odd since there should probably be a bench or table or bed or something usually. Not saying that should specifically be part of the character sprite, itself, but perhaps some examples of what that might look like? Last I checked, most people don't sit on air. Ofc, if she rides an invisible horse/dragon/motorcycle, well...that changes things. Do what you may with that information. The sprite is fine. It's just that sitting poses don't work well without some idea of what is being sat on.

GL
I will be checking back for more.

Thanks guys . I think I'm finally back in the swing of things with this spriting stuff.
[attachment=5938]
Started messing around with level design and HUD. I don't have much experience with them, so they look really simple for now.

i can't understand the character design, adding another shade of gray would help

(12-29-2015, 04:10 PM)Gors Wrote: [ -> ]i can't understand the character design, adding another shade of gray would help

Well said...To be honest I was trying to give the impression given by sprites such as what's seen in these games, in which it's difficult to see what the character actually looks like (this may not have been your perception of the sprites, but it was mine back then):


(Link's sprite, specifically the thick shade of black on his head. Made me wonder if that was his hair or not. Probably is though. Also his ears which look very rabbit-like, and the hat that looks like a plain beanie.)

(It was a bit difficult for me to tell what the angle of their heads were. When you look closely, you see a dot which marks their nose, so it would appear that their head is facing a slight angle towards the front from a side view, rather than a downright profile.)

But I understand what you mean. Which is why I decided to add some color to this character and give her a name:

Her name is based on the words "jasmine" and "lavender," and sorry if she looks a lot like Amethyst from Steven Universe ^^;. But to be honest, that happened by coincidence - I was just messing around with colors and found a palette that I thought fit best.

It's good to note that while official sprites looked weird back then, this was not the main goal of the artist and notice that they did their best to keep those confusions to a minimum. Link clearly has eyes, clothes and belt; And even if the head angle is different, you still can see where the facial features are.

Definitely helps with the color.

and lol....funny when that happens.

this is another do as you may thing, but when I think of 'succubus' , i would expect little to no clothing. not saying what you have here is bad, it's fine, it is cute. the demonic element is there, but when you think about what succubi are most commonly associated with/known for, yeah... this one seems a little modest in her clothing choice. Still works, though. Don't feel obligated to like, re-design that whole element or something. More just a FYI. I can think of plenty of reasons a succubus might choose to dress that way. It just wouldn't be expected.

That is all...
I am still extremely tired as mandatory "LET'S GET UP EARLY" this morning...
As I type this, it has barely turned 7.
I feel weak, and almost like I'm gonna throw-up...

i will check back again later.
i cannot function like this...
(or rather an tired of forcing myself to)

(12-30-2015, 09:14 AM)DarkGrievous7145 Wrote: [ -> ]Definitely helps with the color.

and lol....funny when that happens.

this is another do as you may thing, but when I think of 'succubus' , i would expect little to no clothing. not saying what you have here is bad, it's fine, it is cute. the demonic element is there, but when you think about what succubi are most commonly associated with/known for, yeah... this one seems a little modest in her clothing choice. Still works, though. Don't feel obligated to like, re-design that whole element or something. More just a FYI. I can think of plenty of reasons a succubus might choose to dress that way. It just wouldn't be expected.

That is all...
I am still extremely tired as mandatory "LET'S GET UP EARLY" this morning...
As I type this, it has barely turned 7.
I feel weak, and almost like I'm gonna throw-up...

i will check back again later.
i cannot function like this...
(or rather an tired of forcing myself to)

I'm just kinda sick of the typical tropey succubi who only focus on (sexual) deviousness and tormenting others...Not that I'm a prude or nothing, but I just wanted this character to break tradition in a few ways. I gave her more of a young moe charm instead of one that's dark and brooding (not sure if I used that word correctly, but I'm on my phone so I can't check). I suppose her personality would be best compared to Flonne's after she becomes a fallen angel - she has a sweet side that is very prominant for the most part, but she won't think twice before punishing someone who deserves it.

But thanks for the input . And take care of yourself, alright?

(12-30-2015, 05:48 PM)JazzGW Wrote: [ -> ]

(12-30-2015, 09:14 AM)DarkGrievous7145 Wrote: [ -> ]Definitely helps with the color.

and lol....funny when that happens.

this is another do as you may thing, but when I think of 'succubus' , i would expect little to no clothing. not saying what you have here is bad, it's fine, it is cute. the demonic element is there, but when you think about what succubi are most commonly associated with/known for, yeah... this one seems a little modest in her clothing choice. Still works, though. Don't feel obligated to like, re-design that whole element or something. More just a FYI. I can think of plenty of reasons a succubus might choose to dress that way. It just wouldn't be expected.

That is all...
I am still extremely tired as mandatory "LET'S GET UP EARLY" this morning...
As I type this, it has barely turned 7.
I feel weak, and almost like I'm gonna throw-up...

i will check back again later.
i cannot function like this...
(or rather an tired of forcing myself to)

I'm just kinda sick of the typical tropey succubi who only focus on (sexual) deviousness and tormenting others...Not that I'm a prude or nothing, but I just wanted this character to break tradition in a few ways. I gave her more of a young moe charm instead of one that's dark and brooding (not sure if I used that word correctly, but I'm on my phone so I can't check). I suppose her personality would be best compared to Flonne's after she becomes a fallen angel - she has a sweet side that is very prominant for the most part, but she won't think twice before punishing someone who deserves it.

But thanks for the input . And take care of yourself, alright?

yep
makes sense
although i don't understand the last 75% of what you said...lol

np
and i'm fine.
just didn't feel like getting up at like 5 or 6 this morning.
thanks for the concern, tho

These are sprites for my shmup that's still in conceptual stages, more or less. Just wanted to doodle down what I have in mind. Doesn't look to bad, considering I'm not the best with sprites. Many of you all know better than me, so critique away! 

(12-30-2015, 05:48 PM)JazzGW Wrote: [ -> ]I'm just kinda sick of the typical tropey succubi who only focus on (sexual) deviousness and tormenting others...Not that I'm a prude or nothing, but I just wanted this character to break tradition in a few ways.

Changing the tradition for the sake of change is almost always a bad idea. It's better to change it due to having a good idea that can compliment the way it's usually done, not for the purpose of changing the concept but because you think it would be cool and interesting. If you're changing something just to change it, most forget to actually have a good idea to change it with. Not saying your idea doesn't work or isn't interesting, just that you may have had the wrong motive to consider changing the formula.

Now, from what I see in your newest post, the colors are pretty dull looking other than the purple and you went really overboard on the blending, giving it a kinda fake prerendered/glossy look. Not a fan of that.
The heart and devil/angel have unusually thick outlining with really boring colors.
Is the heart meant to be rotating? Looks like it's flattening out.
Beams look like they were made with a gradient tool of sorts so... nothing I can really say about them. Maybe try and make them more interesting.

(02-07-2016, 02:55 AM)-Ash- Wrote: [ -> ]Changing the tradition for the sake of change is almost always a bad idea. It's better to change it due to having a good idea that can compliment the way it's usually done, not for the purpose of changing the concept but because you think it would be cool and interesting. If you're changing something just to change it, most forget to actually have a good idea to change it with. Not saying your idea doesn't work or isn't interesting, just that you may have had the wrong motive to consider changing the formula.

Now, from what I see in your newest post, the colors are pretty dull looking other than the purple and you went really overboard on the blending, giving it a kinda fake prerendered/glossy look. Not a fan of that.
The heart and devil/angel have unusually thick outlining with really boring colors.
Is the heart meant to be rotating? Looks like it's flattening out.
Beams look like they were made with a gradient tool of sorts so... nothing I can really say about them. Maybe try and make them more interesting.

Well, now that you bring it up, I will confirm that I've done more development on the character and that I am genuinely interested in creating someone who's not your average succubus. I have a soft spot for stories about underdogs and fit the format of "not your average ___," and I think my art style would bode well with a story involving female demons/monsters. Just wanna clarify that I do have my motives straight for this little project .

Funny thing, actually: my intent was to blend a lot so that it would look pre-rendered xP. I've been playing to many CAVE shmups lately, and doing so has really inspired me to make my own shmup . But to be honest, I should probably revert to a simpler NES-esque style just so I don't have many issues with the simplicity of my designs. That and I want to use a style that's more unique to myself, of course.

Generally-speaking, these sprites we're talking about are just mere concepts and are 100% likely to be completely redone. Felt great to show you all some recent work of mine though, thanks for the critique!

BTW: The beams were hand-drawn, then resized. Still looks pretty lazy though, I admit. But I don't use gradients unless I'm trying to find a clever background or something .