(ΦωΦ) pixel critique please~

[Lord Citron]

hey! so I don't have much experience with digital art, as I mostly do sketching and watercolors and blah blah. I really enjoy the look and just majesty that is pixel art, and so I thought I would try my hand at it and do one of my old mayor. (I don't have a tablet, just my mouse and paint)

I've tried a few times and I can never really get it where I want so I thought I would ask for some constructive criticism, specifically comments on the shading and head. I keep creating the base and being okay with the way the head is shaped until I put hair on it. I know she doesn't have a face, that's something I was also hoping I could get help with. Just ideas and the like, should I do a more anime/chibi face or more close to the in game face?

Spoiler:

 

[Hyoshido]

I'll try to give an in-depth explanation tomorrow, it's late where I am and I don't wanna do a 10 minute post before I have to go, heh.

I'm by no means a professional but I'd like to help you out if I can.

Just an example of my work just so you're not like "wow he could be BS'in me!"

 

[Lord Citron]

I'll try to give an in-depth explanation tomorrow. I'm by no means a professional but I'd like to help you out if I can.

Thanks, I appreciate it ^.^

bump!

 

[Lord Citron]

bump ^.^

 

[nostrils]

i think develop a more coherent colour palette; what you've got so far isn't too shabby but i think if you used a dark tinted grey instead of pure black and a light tinted grey instead of pure white, the whole piece would come together more nicely (try a blue tint)

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the overall outline and shape is really great tho, and the shading isn't bad at all!

 

[Lord Citron]

i think develop a more coherent colour palette; what you've got so far isn't too shabby but i think if you used a dark tinted grey instead of pure black and a light tinted grey instead of pure white, the whole piece would come together more nicely (try a blue tint)

- - - Post Merge - - -

the overall outline and shape is really great tho, and the shading isn't bad at all!

Thanks! Paint is really awful for color palettes, I might have to find something else to use ^.^

 

[Lord Citron]

I fixed a few things and gave her a face. I made the head bigger, which I'm not sure was a good decision, since her hair seems to take up most of it. I just want some feedback, whether you know pixels or not. Just would like to know if it looks shop-worthy, since I would like to open a shop making pixel mayors. Any comments would be appreciated!

Spoiler:

 

[The Hidden Owl]

I fixed a few things and gave her a face. I made the head bigger, which I'm not sure was a good decision, since her hair seems to take up most of it. I just want some feedback, whether you know pixels or not. Just would like to know if it looks shop-worthy, since I would like to open a shop making pixel mayors. Any comments would be appreciated!

Spoiler:

Hey! You've got a good start.

One thing I noticed right off the bat is that the pixels are not all the same size. Having consistently sized pixels a definite must.

I do like your shading though, very well done. c:

 

[nostrils]

Thanks! Paint is really awful for color palettes, I might have to find something else to use ^.^

i think it's good to have a more limiting colour palette to start off with and develop your own from it because this prevents you from choosing colours that are similar to each other. the problem with having colours that are too similar to each other is that i think it gives off a more soft shaded effect than a contrasting pixelated look. it's kind of difficult to describe and it took me ages to finally understand but i'll attach an example here to show you what i mean:

the art style and way of shading depends on the artist's interpretation (though i think dithering helps smooth out harsh lines) but the main point to take in here is that the less colours you use, the better your overall piece will look. i hope that helps!!

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it's also helpful to sketch out an idea of what you want to draw before you pixel outline everything because it's easier to fix a sketch than fixing pixel art in progress

the main steps i take when i work is to start off with a large-scale sketch, and once i'm happy with how it looks, i scale it down to the correct size and do a 1px width outline using the pencil tool. after that i lay down my flat colours and paint over everything with the shading, highlight, and details.

 

[Lord Citron]

i think it's good to have a more limiting colour palette to start off with and develop your own from it because this prevents you from choosing colours that are similar to each other. the problem with having colours that are too similar to each other is that i think it gives off a more soft shaded effect than a contrasting pixelated look. it's kind of difficult to describe and it took me ages to finally understand but i'll attach an example here to show you what i mean:
View attachment 85733
the art style and way of shading depends on the artist's interpretation (though i think dithering helps smooth out harsh lines) but the main point to take in here is that the less colours you use, the better your overall piece will look. i hope that helps!!

- - - Post Merge - - -

it's also helpful to sketch out an idea of what you want to draw before you pixel outline everything because it's easier to fix a sketch than fixing pixel art in progress

the main steps i take when i work is to start off with a large-scale sketch, and once i'm happy with how it looks, i scale it down to the correct size and do a 1px width outline using the pencil tool. after that i lay down my flat colours and paint over everything with the shading, highlight, and details.

Thanks for all your great advice! I'm re working it right now, and I'll definitely have to use some of your tips!

 

[Lord Citron]

so I did some updating, and basically scratched the whole thing and then did it over in smaller pixels, so I could put in more detail. I feel a lot better about it, and would love feedback/critique from anyone ^.^ I have had lots of fun making her so I was thinking of opening a shop when I get good enough. You don't have to be a pixel expert (I'm certainly not) just someone with eyes and an opinion. Especially how the head and dress look. I had some issues with the moon detail, since I was trying to get the shadows into them but they don't really show up and it looks pretty stark, like they aren't apart of the clothes. The head looks a little too big, but that might just be me. Anyway, besides those things I'm pretty happy with it.

Spoiler:

 

[Lord Citron]

bump ^.^

 

[kelsa]

i'm not a pixel expert (or anything artsy for that matter) but i think it looks rly good! your shading looks rly nice. i'd definitely buy something if you had a shop :]

 

[inkling]

I'm not a pixel art expert (I've been practicing myself and way behind you) but I think it looks nice. I've read some tutorials with really strict rules from purest which is fine, but I've seen a lot of diversity and pixel art styles as well. In my opinion you don't always have to have the best craftsmanship in a certain medium to make something aesthetically pleasing or interesting (though its more difficult and sometimes like bashing your head against a wall). But I guess if you're not to self-critical and keep practicing and being true to yourself you'll come up with something pretty great! Like I said before, I really like what you have so far.

Ya but I wish I could give you some examples. I have an ouya and pretty much anyone can get their game on there so there's lots of artsy type indie games with really neat pixels that just do whatever they want and I find them pretty inspiring. I wish I could name one and recommend some art but I can't off the top of my head, sorry.

 

[deerui]

poctures are broken

 

[Lord Citron]

poctures are broken

oh! they show up for me... here is a direct link if you still wanna take a peek (^.^)

http://i.imgur.com/wehxdqh.png

 

[Lord Citron]

so I've been working on my stuff for a while now, and I wanted to do another update and get some more feedback. Anyone with anything to say whether it be detailed or just something short, it's super helpful. Like I've said, no need to be someone with pixel expertise, just someone with eyes and an opinion ^.^

I got rid of the nose, because I thought it looked cuter that way, changed the eyes, and I'm actually really proud of the clothes, but she still just looks flat and weird. I have no idea how to fix this. I think it might be the shading on her body, which looks a bit too hard and not so blended, but if there's anything else you can think of that could help I'd love to know.

I'm also going to animate her, which I think might help give her some life. So wish me luck on that! I'm sure I'll post the finished product once it's done.

Spoiler

 

[Kammeh]

Awww, that is sooo cute~
I love the details in the hair, but it looks kinda like she's wearing a stiff wig.
The right leg looks shriveled up. I'm not sure if you were trying to make it look bent or if it was just an accident, but, yeah, try working on the legs and hair!

 

[Lord Citron]

Awww, that is sooo cute~
I love the details in the hair, but it looks kinda like she's wearing a stiff wig.
The right leg looks shriveled up. I'm not sure if you were trying to make it look bent or if it was just an accident, but, yeah, try working on the legs and hair!

I see! Thanks ^.^

The leg is a bit weird because I was trying to make it look smaller, for perspective, like she's turned to the right a little bit. But now that you mention it it does look odd, and I'll fix it! The hair is stiff because most of the hair in the game is that way, but I'll do my best to make it less so (〜￣▽￣)〜

 

[Lord Citron]

bump!~