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Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - Printable Version

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Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - Zapchu25 - 01-19-2017

Hey! 

I'm trying to get my pixel art to the next level.

I feel like I have problems with colour palettes and some other bad habits. I haven't been on here forever but I remember the Spriters Resource to have a good feedback culture. 

So I was wondering if I could get lambasted for some more recent work to help me improve and any other forum skulkers who care to read the thread.

[Image: 15_critsyo.png]
^Just made this one, having issues with color, inner line work, draw-strings. Probably more.

[Image: output_ager5r_by_zapchu25-danwc24.gif][Image: she_loves_me__she_loves_me_naut_by_zapchu25-dadw00e.png][Image: birthday_girl_by_zapchu25-dameqhb.png]
^ Megaman: I tend to have trouble with eyes, halp?
^ Love me Naught: Color and environment/non-character objects?
^ Birthday girl: Problems with colour and selout

I would love the feedback and I promise I won't be a dick or anything! Please tear me apart, I really need the help to learn. Big Grin

RE: Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - DioShiba - 01-20-2017

You know, the one thing that I like about you right off the bat is that you're not afraid to be your own critic when it comes to identifying issues in your work, which I think is a huge plus whenever you're doing any medium of art.

The recent one I think could benefit with anti aliasing in some of the inner line work, It's only a gut hunch so I could be wrong on that.

As far as the eyes of megaman are concerned, I think that the perspective they're in works so I have no complaints in that. Although I'm not quite sure if the shine on his right eye looking in relation to my left works with the animation of the helmet bouncing up and down.

RE: Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - MoneyMan - 01-20-2017

Megaman's eyes could prob be improved if you did a little bit of subpixel animation on the shine so they dont look as static and copy/pasted. I also think it looks kinda weird how he's flapping his arms, it's at a stronger intensity than the rest of his body and as such doesnt look like a fluid, logical movement to make.

RE: Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - Zapchu25 - 01-20-2017

Quote:The recent one I think could benefit with anti aliasing in some of the inner line work, It's only a gut hunch so I could be wrong on that.

I think I know where the hunch is coming from. Some of the inner lines have too much contrast with the surrounding colors so antialiasing can smooth out the harshness a bit. I added some selout in some areas that looked like they popped out too much cause I'm worried about muddying up the line work. Also taking away some of the lines like the one between the two legs seemed to help a bit.

[Image: Changes.png]

I also think some of the outside curves looked like chipped knives, so I smoothed 'em out. What inner lines in particular are looking like they need the aliasing treatment?


Quote:Megaman's eyes could prob be improved if you did a little bit of subpixel animation on the shine so they dont look as static and copy/pasted.

I hadn't even thought about something like that! I'm not sure if I'm familiar with the concept, do you have any references or examples?

RE: Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - MoneyMan - 01-20-2017

http://2dwillneverdie.com/tutorial/give-your-sprites-depth-with-sub-pixel-animation/

Here's an article on it, p much the long and short of it is you dont animate the actual outline, but rather the shading.

RE: Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - Silversea - 01-21-2017

Ok, I can be a harsh jerk, so let's begin.

Firstly...the important thing about eyes is you need to have the same impression from both eyes. That is unless your character has two different eyes, which in most instances is not the case. The reason I point this out is because your first sprite, the little dude with the white helmet and gold decorations, has slightly inconsistent eyes. The left eye's highlight blends in with the outline, which gives the impression of a different style. Try and "balance" both eyes so they look even. Your megaman sprite has quite well balanced eyes, so take that as a reference point. Sometimes it can be difficult to get the effect necessary, and you may have to get creative.

I don't quite understand your shading -- some sprites have shading in places but in other areas they do not. The birthday girl does not look shaded at all. In sprites that you have shaded, you have shaded only some of the areas that need it, while other areas are left unshaded. I am making this judgement based on the style it seems you are trying to go for. Take megaman for instance. The left part of the chest is shaded(?) but the left arm and leg is not. Your opening sprite (with the helmet) is shaded on the right side everywhere but the face, where shading may be most important (given curvature of the face).

Birthday girl's background is a bit too bright, try a paler pink. I would also recommend anti-alising the cake stripes as they look a bit jagged otherwise, which doesn't match the clean lining style you have elsewhere. Just pick an intermediate colour between the stripe and adjacent colour and put a couple of pixels at the end of each "step".

Besides that, you have a really good grasp on shading and the style is good. Just need a few tweaks here and there (as we all do!!).

RE: Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - Koala - 01-23-2017

Megaman's limbs are twinning pretty hard. Is it supposed to be a kind of idle stance? I guess he is a robot, but I feel like making the pose more contrapposto might make his animation look a bit more relaxed/natural.

There's some minor twinning going on with the birthday girl as well. Her toes also come to a point at a right angle, and I think that is contributing to them looking rather flat. 

Perhaps upping the contrast of the sunset in the bg of the astronaut would make it stand out a bit more, I didn't really notice it until I zoomed in real close. I would also make the red of the petals a bit more saturated as to make them stand out more. I also wonder if making another petal or two still be falling in midair might add to the rhythm of the piece.

RE: Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - Chris2Balls [:B] - 01-23-2017

dude

dude

just

what the fuck is up with the hair and the hat? what am i even looking at? also are you going to leave those arms dangling uselessly? idk man the design isnt very inspired, the high/puffy trousers are overused *looks at own avatar*and what is it with tiny feet? everybody does it but why??

what happened to megaman, yo is he on speed or sth? hes a bit creepy without eyelids or eyebrows, and yeah his 1px black nose is just not right
oh yeah and why is he humping the air and waving his arms like that? idgi man

how can the spaceman pick petals, he doesnt have fingers
not very spacey, plus it doesnt look like hes actually sitting on the rock but floating

that cake is off balance, yet shes looking pretty stable so im pretty confused

/tsr2009
Your technique has really improved, these are decent pieces nevertheless. Keep it up Smile

RE: Need Some Harsh Jerks to Crit My Stuff! - Zapchu25 - 01-23-2017

Thanks for all the feedback!

For the astronaut I increased the palette saturation and added some petals in the air, gave the floor petal outlines to make them pop out more, and attached the spaceman a little more solidly to the rock.

[Image: she_loves_me__she_loves_me_naut_by_zapchu25-dadw00e.png]

For the birthday girl, I made her pose more asymmetrical to alleviate the twinning issue, but something's off about her legs and the right side of her pose is unbalanced. Not sure what to do there. I also made her background a little lighter to make her stand out a bit more.

[Image: birthday_girl_by_zapchu25-dameqhb.png]