First attempt, Any Pointers?

[Smallio Productions]

 

Hi all!

 

So quick background, I've never done pixel art before and have always sucked at art in genial. I've always been envious of anyone who could do any sort of art and even more envious of those who could do it well. So Thought game design would be an awesome opportunity to start practicing.

 

So this spritesheet is my first ever attempt of doing pixel art. Took inspiration from heartgold and soulsilver sprites but tried to put an rpg spin on it. Not going to lie, this took me a lot longer than I am happy to admit.

 

So was hoping for you kind people to crack out the criticism whip and advice me on what I can work on and what it's lacking. Don't go easy. Oh! and any suggestions on what I can do/workon or where some good tutorials are where I can learn?

 

Thank you

 

Edit: Literally just found a board called "Design and Creativity" Sorry for posting in the wrong place. If this gets moved then all is cool!

[WereAlpaca]

http://www.andysowards.com/blog/2012/80-epic-pixel-art-tutorials/

Most of these are broken links by now, but literally read ANY tutorial you can find!

Deviant art tends to have some pixel art tutorials as well.

Also read normal art tutorials, ya never know what could be helpful.

Hair: I like the line art on your hair quite a bit! It's lovely, and a great first attempt. I would suggest adding more depth, you can take your darker tone and make them flow in the direction of the spikes, shadowing the lower layer of them, then put highlights on the mid of the spikes, just don't go too crazy. Play around with making the hairs shape a little more natural but don't go too crazy, always save a new version of it everytime you change something significant.

Person: I actually love the body, and I would leave it as it is. Although with the head, the shape is totally off, however that's not how I would start fixing it. I would start by drawing new more interesting eyes, and make them consistent through every frame, take your time drawing several different version till you're happy. Then move onto the ears, then the mouth. When you feel like you have those details correct I think it will be easier to  suss out the shape of the head. 

Tips: Always change one little tiny detail at a time, and repeatedly change that detail until you're happy with the result, then move onto the next one. That way you're always moving forward instead of making too many changes at once and feeling discouraged nothing is getting better. If you end up 5 changes down the line, all carefully thought out, and then something doesn't fit anymore, take the time to go adjust that as well. Really take your time with it.

I would also really suggest this guys palette:
32
http://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16247
16
http://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12795

 

[Guest]

 I like the look of them, but make sure they're the right height for your game before using them.

[Smallio Productions]

17 hours ago, WereAlpaca said:

http://www.andysowards.com/blog/2012/80-epic-pixel-art-tutorials/

Most of these are broken links by now, but literally read ANY tutorial you can find!

Deviant art tends to have some pixel art tutorials as well.

Also read normal art tutorials, ya never know what could be helpful.

Hair: I like the line art on your hair quite a bit! It's lovely, and a great first attempt. I would suggest adding more depth, you can take your darker tone and make them flow in the direction of the spikes, shadowing the lower layer of them, then put highlights on the mid of the spikes, just don't go too crazy. Play around with making the hairs shape a little more natural but don't go too crazy, always save a new version of it everytime you change something significant.

Person: I actually love the body, and I would leave it as it is. Although with the head, the shape is totally off, however that's not how I would start fixing it. I would start by drawing new more interesting eyes, and make them consistent through every frame, take your time drawing several different version till you're happy. Then move onto the ears, then the mouth. When you feel like you have those details correct I think it will be easier to  suss out the shape of the head. 

Tips: Always change one little tiny detail at a time, and repeatedly change that detail until you're happy with the result, then move onto the next one. That way you're always moving forward instead of making too many changes at once and feeling discouraged nothing is getting better. If you end up 5 changes down the line, all carefully thought out, and then something doesn't fit anymore, take the time to go adjust that as well. Really take your time with it.

I would also really suggest this guys palette:
32
http://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16247
16
http://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12795

 

 

Thanks for the feedback. Looking back at what you said, now I can really tell the head, face and hair needs a lot of work. currently working on the eyes and getting them to pop more. Thanks for the links as well, they are a huge help. Trying to rework the palette now to make it look more appealing  

 

7 hours ago, The Bunny Gamer said:

 I like the look of them, but make sure they're the right height for your game before using them.

 

Thanks a lot  yeah when I first put it in my game I was concerned about the size. Really didn't consider it when I was making it but now I think I'm going to work around the size of the sprite. It sort of grew on me on scaling of the world and how I can make certain enemies look more intimidating by making them bigger but not over the top big. Totally was not intentional though.