Trying to Improve, some critique please?

[Arcosi]

I've made two sprites with Gale. What I've been doing thus far, is trying to make sprites, if I need to know how to draw something, I examine a sprite from Final Fantasy 4 or 6 (it mostly boils down to looking at a sprite of Cyan or Adult Rydia). If they suck (which given my level of experience, they probably do), maybe you could give me some advice?

Heres my first one



She was referenced to Rydia while I was making her.

Next, I wanted to make a mage, so I came up with this



I mostly referenced Cyan from FF6 for this one, this is most evident in the arms and legs (shape wise), I also referenced Rydia to help improve hair sheen, and also I referenced back to the last sprite to help with the hair too. Granted, it ended up looking more like a general or a baron than a mage.

The reason they are so small I used the sized FF4 used for it's sprites for the first, and the same sprite size FF6 used for the second.

[triptych]

UHHHHHHH I'm sure someone else will explain this better but
a huge problem with both of these is the general lack of fluidity or dynamic-ism(this is now a word) in the poses; they're incredibly stiff and lack any sort of life

[Cobalt Blue]

i'd rather not use FF4-6 sprites as a reference, specially if you're just startiong into spriting. the reason is that these work under rather complex mechanics that you're suposed to understand when you already got some experience due they somehow "distorted" proportions.

now as the guy with the gay colored username said(i was about to say the gay guy above me) the main problem with these sprites is their overall lack of naturality and/or dinamism. right now they look really stiff, almost like lifeless dolls cut from paper. what i could recomend you to start drawing people is to first draw a stick figure who wou.d act as a skeleton, then gradually add a shape, then add colors over it(kinda like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwHZtYpxUEM)

dont be afraid to post again if you got any doubts.

[Arcosi]

Thanks, I'm assuming you don't mean a literal stick figure, right? Is there a game you would recommend using it's sprites as a reference for?

And honestly, I expected to get slammed a lot harder than this XP

[Nindo]

Copying a post from my "trying to improve" thread.

The main problem with the sprite, from what I see, is the anatomy.



I drew a stick figure over what you sprited...

As you can see, not necessarily a literal stick figure, but something that gives you a general view of a skeleton for your pose.

[Arcosi]

thanks!

[Cobalt Blue]

And honestly, I expected to get slammed a lot harder than this XP

we kinda like the people who prefers to risk themselves with a custom sprite rather than edit one.

[Arcosi]

And honestly, I expected to get slammed a lot harder than this XP

we kinda like the people who prefers to risk themselves with a custom sprite rather than edit one.

I think you misunderstand what I mean by 'reference'

When I mean 'reference' I don't mean edit an existing one. I mean if I need to know how to make, say, an arm, I look at an existing sprite and see how it's arm was made. The reason I used Cyan for the second one is because it seems simple compared to Setzer or Strago, but more complex than Cecil from 4.

Granted, since I'm such a novice, I had to do a bunch of referencing for the second one, since at this point I'm just trying to learn the ropes. The first one actually has less referencing to it.

[Cobalt Blue]

i was giving you a compliment. we "didn't slap you harder" because "you prefer to made a custom rather than an edit".

if that makes it any clear.

[CeeY]

Maybe you should consider fixing something?

[Arcosi]

o, lol, sry, misunderstanding