Athena's Sprite Road.

[AthenaChanNyan]

Uhm... I think it's time I began posting what I make.. Which..won't be much since it takes me a long time to make something that should be very simple...

Here is my OC Eri the Alien taking a stroll.



It is very very very simple because I wanted to try making a walking sequence... But didn't want to make the character base too complicated that would be hard to animate. Recommendations are dearly welcome... Just..don't...tear me up apart, if you'd be so kind... >.<

Thanks in advance for your time! ^^

[Hoeloe]

The contrast is quite low, possibly boost that a bit. Also, is she supposed to have double-jointed knees? Last time I looked, people can't bend their knees forwards, you may want to fix that.

[Gors]

Just..don't...tear me up apart, if you'd be so kind... >.<

that depends on what you consider 'tearing apart'. We, tSR, are known for giving direct criticism, and we don't like to hold ourselves back when criticizing. Still, we're very honest on them, so probably 99% of what you'll be hearing here will be true problems with your work.

That being said, Hoeloe is right about contrast. You need to increase it, also I believe this is your first walk sequence. That isn't as terrible as most starters, but Hoeloe also stated a key criticism, which is 'knees don't bend forward'. Is your alien character capable of doing that, or is that a pure mistake?

I am going for the latter, so I suggest reading tutorials abour walk cycles. You got many of the basics down imo, but reading a proper tutorial might boost the quality considerably.



will give support later, I gotta go to work!

[Azure-Tranquility]

I have to say, for a first time effort it's not bad.

On the animation side of things, it's a little stiff. Try adding more frames(By that I mean make more sprites).

To be specific, the legs don't flow quite as well, and the tail looks like a flag waving. :p

Still, it's impressive for a first-time sprite animation. You're well on your way.

(inb4 people think I'm stalking :/)

[AthenaChanNyan]

Gors, I do not mean for you to hide your knowledge from me. It's precisely that why I'm here.

However, I think the way in which we say things can make different effects on people. But.. I know I am no-one to tell anyone how to be or act. I'll just try to steel myself a little.

Well, I've evaluated what you've told me.. When I saved it I noticed what you had told me about her thighs, but... Laziness got the best of me... And I didn't want to screw it up. So I put it up for evaluation. I increased the opacity, but I think I'm not yet accustomed to "selout". Here is the Edit, is it more decent this time?

[Hoeloe]

You've added an extra shade on her hair which wasn't necessary. Just use the darker one, you don't need the middle tone.

That said, it's a lot better than before.

[Azure-Tranquility]

The legds are working fine now. Tail is still wavin' though. :p

Try making it move side to side.

(Personally I think the extra shade on the hair adds depth)

[AthenaChanNyan]

I know Azure, when I posted that edit, I realized you had just made a comment. I'm working on the tail... I was doing so last night... But.. I fell asleep.. ^^;

So once I get home from my night classes, I'll get on it.

Hoeloe, do you mean I should use the colour I put in the lines as the shade? Hmm... That does remind me more of the selout technique. I'll edit it, and put both up for critiques. Perhaps seeing them side to side will make it easier to choose which is best. Thank you.

[Gors]

Once I get home, I'll try editing your sprite to give you tips on how to fix the sprite. The walk cycle is good now, but there are some mistakes that could only be explained better with a visual example.

[Thor]

There are several problems with shading, the most noticeable of which is on the clothes. The shadows on a top and a skirt such as those on your character would not "work" that way in terms of shading. It makes it feel flat rather than have depth, which you want to avoid. Clothing has folds; try to incorporate folds into your character's clothing using shadows and highlights.
On a colour-related note, you should try to hueshift your colours a bit; take the skirt, for instance. Rather than a simple step down in that particular hue of red, try to make it more purple as the colours get darker. Likewise, try to make it more orange as the colours get lighter. Here's what I mean: (Yes, I know the shading makes the skirt look more like shorts, but I think you get the idea)

I'm sure there's a better way to explain this visually (Gors will likely tackle it), but oh well. It's fairly important you fix the shading and palette, though!

PROTIP: Using a dark colour can help immensely with contrast issues: I highly recommend using something like an off-black or a dull blue-grey, as you can easily see the sprite (unless it's fairly dark) as well as pick out contrast issues. Hope this helps~

[Gors]

---

i'll be making a more in-depth criticism about walk cycles/animation in general when I got the time for it.

[AthenaChanNyan]

Thanks for the knowledge you've shared with me. I'll read this over a couple of times. With this sprite, my main goal was to get a bit used to animation and with making several frames for consistent and fluid movement, not as much with the quality of the drawing of the sprite itself. But it is all a balance, and should have kept it in check nonetheless.

Oh how I disliked her legs, but I knew the more complex I drew them, the harder for me to animate. I'll try not to be so cheap on the art from now on.

I thought at first walking would be a good way to start, but perhaps I should try to do other things? Would any of you have any simple movement suggestions for me to draw Eri in? Or.. Sally? (whom you haven't met yet).

So today, I've learnt the following:
-don't be afraid to add contrast, dark colours help liven up the sprite,
-don't be lazy and use black for dark things, look for tones that are dark,
-avoid "squaredy" forms on bodies, as shading becomes difficult and "ugly",
-avoid dithering, don't try to be smart, just don't,
-eliminate jaggy lines, use zooming in and out to test for jaggy lines, play around with the pixels to make lines smoother...

I have to go back to studying, now, everyone have a great night and an awesome day tomorrow.

[Koopaul]

I look forward to your progress. This should be quite interesting. I always have trouble with walking cycles myself but your improving with great speed, I'm impressed!

As for advice, the tail is a bit too wavy and moves more like a flag than an actual tail. I suggest you look at these:

http://spriters-resource.com/gameboy_adv...sheet/7146

You can use Tails'... tails as a reference. Good luck!

[Azure-Tranquility]

haha wow, Gors impresses yet again. :p

If I were you Athena, I would save Gors' sprite and use it as a reference.

[Frario]

Contact, down, pass, up.


Richard Williams is a bro.