A new challenger approaches

[Level 1]

Sorry for the double post.


I really want some critique on this one, a friend told me that she wanted to see me use a limited palette to create something, and this is the outcome. I am not really god with fire, so I used some references, I also want to try and animate this, so any tips on how to animate fire, would be very much appreciated

Also, I was fiddling around with a knight character.

I am trying to give it a unique look (nervous).

Edit
I forgot to show you guys this

This is part of a small project of mine, any critique here would be helpful, also, I could use some help with the trees, I am not entirely sure how to shade them, so any tips there would be helpful.

[hrafntinna]

i'm working and shawn is in class right now so no one is really in a position to make a longer post about this, but

admitting that you have stolen and edited the work of one person and saying you will change is not usually something you want to follow up by diving right into editing someone else's work.





(this one is mostly unique, but the fists are visibly stolen. i'd say the colors are too but i feel like that might be reaching a bit. that's beside the point though)

it is incredibly disrespectful to not only the artists involved, but to the people who took time out of their day to explain why what you're doing is wrong and to the people who are trying to help you improve. There is no magic trick for improving, and aping other peoples' work is absolutely the worst possible way to attempt to improve.

edit:
[9:56:48 AM] Quwrof Wrlccywrlir: "'d say the colors are too but i feel like that might be reaching a bit. that's beside the point though" i actully checked in graphics gale when i first saw the sprite
[9:56:58 AM] Quwrof Wrlccywrlir: bulk of the colours are from that set of dr sprites

[Level 1]

Oh about the first one, I actually forgot to give credit to the author, I did gave him credit over at my blog where I also displayed the piece, my sincerest apologies.

But about the other sprite, that one I can see a resemblance, but I have been editing that for weeks here on the forum, many people even saw the development I went with to making it. I see you saying that I "stole" them, but all I see there is that they have somewhat the same shape. I actually used references yes, to try and get them the way I wanted, some of them came from PJ, but most of them came from me lifting my fists and looking at them.

[Chris2Balls [:B]]

Bottom row looks like an edit of this.
Copying is good as a critical study to learn from, but it unfortunately doesn't seem to be the aim of your work.
It's one thing to use other people's work like prefabs, but it's another for it to work effectively. In most cases it ends up as a displaced splice because it's out of its original context, and doesn't work as well as where it was originally intended for.
Ask yourself questions like "why was it done like this?" "what does it express?" "how is this effective?" "how did this person do this" etc. and from there try to answer those with studies and work, which will lead you onto other questions.

[Level 1]

Bottom row looks like an edit of this.
Copying is good as a critical study to learn from, but it unfortunately doesn't seem to be the aim of your work.
It's one thing to use other people's work like prefabs, but it's another for it to work effectively. In most cases it ends up as a displaced splice because it's out of its original context, and doesn't work as well as where it was originally intended for.
Ask yourself questions like "why was it done like this?" "what does it express?" "how is this effective?" "how did this person do this" etc. and from there try to answer those with studies and work, which will lead you onto other questions.

The bottom row was already explained a few comments posts back in the thread. I scrapped the character in order to try and create a new and more original character, actually, the knight I posted up yesterday is the result of that. So the boxer is out, and the knight is in. I understand now that using references is fine, but copying the work directly is wrong, unless it's used for study purposes only, which is what I explained in the character with fire in it's hands, that was just a study on how to create a sprite with a limited palette, and I was also trying to learn how to showcase fire with an effective, and appealing look. As of the Scarf character, I want to try to use it for animation purposes (Battle idles, running, attacking etc.), the knight character, well like I said before I want to create a new character with something that I have never tried before, that being metal, for that, I used a metal pen as a reference (I know, it's not the best but it's what I had at the time).

[hrafntinna]

i went to go find where you supposedly credited shawn on your blog but uh

http://level1-pixels.tumblr.com/post/823...erent-here
stop

stealing

art

[Zac]

I'm pretty curious, do you really think people won't notice this intellectual property theft?
If it was just one instance of over reaching with how much you barrow I wouldn't have to ask, but after being told how this comes off by so many people I think we all want to know.
Or do you just not see this kind of behavior as being wrong, ever after the community has told you how they perceive it?

I'm not just asking rhetorically either. If you can explain your thought process, please do.

[hrafntinna]

okay no one last comment:

any of the people who were around in like.. 2006, 07, that period
going through his tumblr is like playing a game of "Wow, I Know Who He Stole That From"

[Untitled]

For the record many of us, including those who he's copied/stolen from have noticed this ripoff process for more than a year, you ain't foolin anyone kid.

You completley ignored the main piece of advice others were trying to give you in this thread, you're trying to progress in the worst way possible.

[Level 1]

i went to go find where you supposedly credited shawn on your blog but uh

http://level1-pixels.tumblr.com/post/823...erent-here
stop

stealing

art

Seriously? The main terrain looks nothing like the ones in the mock up you displayed, same for the bushes, the mock up doesn't even have any rocks like the one in my blog, and the trees, yeah I referenced them of that mock up, I am not claiming them as my own, it clearly states that I am making studies, meaning that I am practicing to from references to make my own. I never said I was using those in the final product.

@Zac: At first I used to try and imitate other's styles, to try and get a feel around pixels and feel more comfortable around them, yes I have over done it a few times, and yes I have flat out gone to leagues to even try and hide it. Like I have said before, I am trying to use references to create a base, something I can go back to and improve up with my own little details until it becomes something completely unique. It's not that I don't think anybody will notice, if anything people noticing means that they see me making my studies, and showing progress.

I am not here saying that what you are accusing me is incorrect, yes I am using references, that is what I was told, I am not claiming many of those pieces as my own. Honestly, I am just doing what some of you guys told me, to use references, and to learn from them. Did I get the message wrong or something? And I am not being sarcastic with that comment, I seriously am getting confused with that.

[Zac]

So reactions you got here on the subject, and the criticisms you've gotten in the past weren't enough to show you that this isn't respected?

[Level 1]

I am not looking for respect from anybody, I am looking for improvement, and I was told how to, and again, I did as I was told.I was told to learn from references, which I did, I was told to try and create an original piece, which I did (The animated knight character, which by the way, I have not gotten any criticism about, which is the main point of this thread). I was also told to try something new, which was the tile set I presented (Which also I haven't gotten any criticism from). Like I said, I am confused on the message that I was told, did I got it wrong or what?

You know what, somebody please close this thread, it has spiraled out of the main focus, the main messages have been completely misstated and wrongly used. So I personally am done dealing with being accused of doing what I was told.

[Rosencrantz]

Well, my two cents isssssss that you're confusing the definition of "reference" a bit.

See, the thing that was happening here is that you're carbon-copying your references rather than trying to scrap together something that's 100% yours. The idea of references is that they're meant to show you how lighting works, how the coloring works, how the thing's physically supposed to be formed, etc., but not how to make the thing itself!

The best way to improve is to try and do it without bases. Do it from a blank canvas and use your references to see how something should be shaped, how something should be colored, and all that. If you get it wrong, you get it wrong, no big deal. Learn where you went wrong and fix it! Then just keep molding your piece until you finally get something where you aren't catching the problems, and then bring it to some of the rest of us here to help you make it better.

Don't use a base sprite and build on top of it; that's going to result in this kind of stuff happening in this thread. Create your own base and go from there. You've gotten a pretty good grasp of how this stuff works already, so open up a blank MS Paint canvas and get to work!!






Also the knight's pretty grand so far; liven it up a bit with some additional rotations (make the crown rotate clockwise to continue fitting on his head, have the arms straighten out during the frames when he's rising, and have the upper legs bend some more during the falling) and you've got something good there.

[Level 1]

Okay, this, actually helps out a lot, and now that you explained it a bit more, I think I have a better grip on the idea of referencing. I will try and get a better piece next time. Though I still want this thread closed, I will recreate a new one showcasing the Knight in a more improved manner, and the tile set with a better, and obviously, more unique look. Thanks for actually straightening this issue out.