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Teim posted:I am doing an absolutely terrible job with this hair. I think you'll be helped a lot by determining where the light is coming from. Right now it looks like it's coming from dead ahead, which is only useful if the viewer is a headlight. 
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Jan 3, 2013 22:05
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Imaginary Friend posted:Thanks, man. Too lazy to start a blog >_> It's a stylized bear, but it's definitely a bear! (I actually don't see the warthog at all!) As for the motion, poemdexter's right that the left front foot doesn't look like it's moving at all. The motion of the feet depends on how fast the bear is moving. At a slower pace (anything up to a trot), the bear's feet will move in alternating directions - when front left and back right are moving forward, front right and back left are "moving backward" (actually staying in place and pushing back, but that's functionally moving forward in a looped animation like this). At a run/gallop, the front and rear feet move more in unison; here's a (famous) gif of a horse galloping, which seems to fit my recollection of bears running - it definitely matches my dogs running, anyway - and here are some of the still frames, for reference. (Pay attention also to the motion of the head and neck - I'm not as sure about this applying to bears, since their spines don't have the upward bend and I can't find a good bear-running gif, but notice the stretch-and-squash in the horse's spine and neck.) The happiest corgi mount. 
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Jan 19, 2013 03:20
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Quetzal-Coital posted:Thank you both, and I think I see what you mean. Better! However, the front feet are still hanging in midair at the farthest-forward point in their cycle. When a foot moves forward in a walk cycle, it should follow a semicircle: forward along the top arc, beginning and ending on the ground, and then staying on the ground back along the diameter. (This is less true in a run cycle.)
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Jan 31, 2013 13:23
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Jewel posted:I think it's the arms. The walking seems fine. Walking upwards looks a little goofy but not too bad. Also super neat sprite! Agreed, it's a great little sprite! Also agreed that it's the arms that are causing the wonkiness. They look like they're bouncing because they're returning to the "stand" position in intermediate frames rather than an intermediate swinging position. I've done a quick edit to demonstrate what I mean: 
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Feb 22, 2013 19:55
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First: these are super improved even from a few weeks ago! I think you can probably get rid of the third frame, or shift it so your archer is nocking the arrow. quote:The last frame of this animation shouldn't have the sword at the same angle as the "rest" pose; it implies that there's no follow-through. (This is true of the two-handed sword below too. Both of them look to me kind of like they're bonking people with their swords instead of slicing.) quote:This guy's sword is going back into its scabbard between swings. Is that what you intend? Two general thoughts: What sort of reference are you using for these? Typically, people - even professional models - are really terrible at posing statically for what's supposed to be an action shot. If you're using photographs of posed models swinging swords and drawing bows, they're not going to look like people who are actually swinging swords and drawing bows. Try finding a video and freeze-framing it to get key frames from action shots. One thing I've noticed through your posts is that you're using shading as shorthand for perspective/distance, and while it is a useful shorthand, it needs to be paired with shape. This is something you've been getting much better at! But you might consider removing the shading entirely - maybe even dropping down to two colors - and seeing if you can get the shapes of the sprites to communicate the same effect.
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May 26, 2014 22:22
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Two things. First (I noticed this most in the bottom-right sprite in the first image, so I'm including it here): make sure you're angling the chest in the same direction as the body. Especially in the sprite I mentioned, it looks like the chest is facing us directly, which makes the body feel skewed. Second: quote:Both of these guys are resting with their sword in their off hand and rested on their off shoulder, and then bringing their sword around their head to swing them. That seems unnecessarily dangerous (and feels unnatural to me, when I do it myself); make sure that real swordspeople do this (I'm not one, so I may just be overly cautious), or consider an alternate resting pose.
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Jun 16, 2014 14:56
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Chipp Zanuff posted:Do you mean something like this? Not quite. Look at the edges of the clothes. The sprite's V-neck is directly facing the viewer despite the sprite's posture pointing its body 3/4 to our right. The bottom of the shirt and waist of the pants do the same thing. A quick edit; original is on the left: 
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Jun 17, 2014 15:51
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The problem is that the spear is going too far (or your spearman's not going far enough). You've got it sliding through his grip, which will definitely increase its range but will diminish the force behind the blow immensely. You want to be getting the body's mass behind the spear thrust instead of letting it slide around. (Also, looking at it more closely, he's bringing the spear between his body and his shield. Keep it on the far side of his body.) Here's an example of what I mean:  Bonus: this is what folks are talking about when they mention a more stylized slash for the sword (this is quick and dirty):  As far as sprite movement, I know the gameplay you're focusing on doesn't work this way, but try putting an opponent sprite on the same platform as your hero sprites, positioned appropriately for the range of your hero sprite's weapon. That'll help you get a gauge on how far your sprites should be moving during their attacks.
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Jun 22, 2014 18:11
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Chipp, I think at least part of what's going on is that you're animating based on how you think the human body moves, instead of how it actually moves. (Please don't take this as talking down - this is a really common problem for beginning artists and animators, and it's really hard to get rid of, especially if you don't know it's happening. My suggestion is to take a break from the pixel work and put the book down, and go spend some time - at least an hour, preferably a few - watching clips of Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone fencing. Pay a lot of attention to their footwork and how their bodies move. (I'm suggesting cinematic fencing rather than actual fencing because it's more dramatic and exaggerated - closer to animation than to sport - and will be easier for you to successfully mimic.) Once you've done this, pick a one-second clip that's got some decent action in it - preferably an attack extension seen from left to right, like the ones you've been animating - and animate it in your style, using the number of frames you've been giving to your sprites. (Use your sprite base if you like.) Match the film movements as closely as you can without tracing/rotoscoping. This isn't quite as good as, say, turning a drawing upside-down to replicate it, but it should give you a better idea of what's actually going on.
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Jun 27, 2014 23:55
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This is looking way better. But while having a walk cycle nailed down is a good tool, it's not the problem you're encountering in these animations. This guy: quote:doesn't look like he's attacking; it looks like he's fooling around with a sword while he's walking along. quote:Also im aware the hop looks weird/impossible. Im not sure what to do with it atm. Here's the thing: you don't need it. I know it feels like this is conflicting advice, but now your guy's moving too far forward. Set aside the walk cycle and animate this sequence; I'll try to describe it as best I can. When I say "left" and "right", I mean your swordsman's left and right (he's holding his sword in his left hand, etc.). 1: Swordsman (SM) is standing ready (your current frame 1). His left and right feet are planted. The ball and toe of his left foot will never move throughout the entire cycle. Put a red line under those pixels so you can be sure. 2: SM leans forward, putting his weight on his left (forward) foot, and raises his right (back) foot to move it forward. He also raises his sword in preparation to attack. 3: SM moves forward. All of his weight is on his left foot. His right foot is moving forward, knee bent. His sword is above his head in preparation for the attack. 4: SM plants his right foot a full stride forward - not a step, but a stride, about two and a half body widths. His weight is now on his right foot; his right knee is bent and his left leg is fully extended. (Be careful not to over-extend him! His legs should never change length, just bend.) The heel of his left foot is off the ground, but the ball and toe are still planted exactly where they were in frame 1. His sword is coming down for the attack. 5: SM's feet don't move. His sword comes fully down and finishes the attack. 6: SM pushes back with his right foot and starts moving back, pushing the left heel back down to the ground. The left toe is still exactly where it was in frame 1. His sword is pulled back as well. 7: SM returns his weight to his left foot, pulling his body and right foot back and pulling the hilt of the sword back to his waist. 8: SM plants his right foot and sword back where they were at the start, legs slightly bent and body slightly lowered to stabilize himself. This leads smoothly back into frame 1. Also: are you working at 64x34? That's really difficult. Try increasing your sprite size to 256x132; it should be much easier to work with, and since that's a multiple of your desired size it's easy to shrink it down to production size.
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Jun 28, 2014 17:58
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Yes! This is excellent. Four tiny adjustments, but you're absolutely on the right track: 1: Lift his left heel (but not toe) off the ground while his body's in front of that foot. 2: His right foot (and the rest of his body) could go a little farther forward, but it's okay where it is. 3: You're lifting his body when he steps; bring it back down as his foot lands. 4: Make sure he's got follow-through with his sword; the tip of the sword should point at the ground in the last attack frame. (Right now it's angled up.) e: To see why I'm giving these notes, grab a stick (or, hey, a sword if you've got one) and try that movement. You'll feel your back heel come off the ground as you press forward (it's actually kind of hard to keep your heel on the ground in that position!); your body will drop to give power to the swing; and the follow-through means more weight in the swing (because you're not holding any back). Your spearman's going to have a slightly different step; it's the same basic motion, but he'll be pushing off his right foot instead (because he's stabbing, not slicing) and moving his left foot. SneezeOfTheDecade fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Jun 29, 2014 |
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Jun 29, 2014 00:35
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Chipp Zanuff posted:Thanks so much for the comments! I really appreciate them! I do feel like I've improved since those last two months, but i don't want to rest on my laurels, so i am going to keep trying to improve. You really are improving by leaps and bounds! It's impressive. I don't think you need to worry about the clothing or the arms; they look okay to me. But I do have two thoughts: first, the frame with the sword (etc.) straight up feels like hesitation rather than a natural part of the swing; and second, your guys are moonwalking again. I've made a quick edit of the guy on the upper left to illustrate what I mean. I dropped the "vertical sword" frame, increased the "swing" frame's duration to 240ms, and planted his feet more solidly. (Remember, the back foot's toes shouldn't move at all!)  
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Jul 13, 2014 14:59
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Chipp Zanuff posted:It's no problem, especially if it's an issue. I don't think anyone has specifically? I could be wrong though. Just use a darker shade of the main color instead of black; it makes the sprites look more natural. In a perfect world you wouldn't need an outline at all (objects in the real world don't have them, after all), but they help to make important objects stand out. This: is excellent. Well done! (My only thought is that lower-right axe dude's axe head goes funky right before the swing. Is that on purpose?)
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Jul 13, 2014 20:04
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This is where the anatomy work is going to come in, but there's a temporary, quick shortcut you can use. Do you have a webcam or other video camera? If you do, take a video of yourself swinging a sword like that, and use video editing software (I don't have any suggestions there, sorry) to pick out key frames in the positions your animation frames are in. Then sketch a skeleton over your own body, and use that to guide your animation. This isn't a long-term replacement for serious anatomy work, but it'll at least help you figure out how you can improve your animation in the short term. e: basically what I'm saying is "work from reference", except that in this case it's easiest to make your own reference!
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Jul 15, 2014 23:52
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Zackarotto posted:I actually like the high step. Unless you're fully committed to realism, I'd keep it. Or I guess you could keep the step and try not bringing the sword as far back. I think that's supposed to be part of the idle animation, and it's just included for demonstration.
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Jul 24, 2014 01:26
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I just noticed that this horse has some crazy back legs. It's easy to misinterpret how animal legs work because many animals have joints that, from the outside, look like they're part of the torso. But horses (and cats, and dogs, and bears, etc.) have four-jointed limbs just like we do, with the same basic ranges of motion - and they're in the same configuration ours are in, too! A horse's "upper arm" and "thigh" look like they're part of the torso, but do move when the horse walks/runs. They rotate from the hip and shoulder, respectively. The "forearm" and "calf" are the first part of the visible limb, and rotate from the elbow and knee. The "hand" and "foot" are the second section, opposed in direction from the forearm and calf; they rotate from the wrist and ankle. And the hooves are, functionally, "fingers" and "toes", joined to the hand at the knuckle.  All four parts of each limb move when the horse moves, and the joints only bend one way. Look at your own limbs to see how the joint-bending works; it's exactly the same. This is more of a trot (I used Skiant's reference image - with the orange hindlimb - from earlier on the page), and I reduced each limb to one pixel wide for clarity, but it should give you an idea of how to proceed:  (Spear Guy stabs a lot because I had to double the length of the GIF to get a full walk cycle.)
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Aug 1, 2014 00:51
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Chipp Zanuff posted:Do you mean something like this? Sorry if i misunderstood: Here's the thing: why is he carrying a buckler if he's not using it? This is, unfortunately, a fundamental limitation of the pose your characters are in; they either need to be using whatever's in their right hand (toward the left side of the image) to attack, or it's just decorative. Instead of bringing the buckler up only when he's swinging, try having it up in the idle pose and bring it back when he's swinging; that way he's defending himself all the time when he's not attacking.
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Aug 24, 2014 21:42
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Chipp Zanuff posted:Thanks for reminding me of putting practicallity over style, i was sort of going for a flashy stance, but i realise it wouldn't be realistic in battle. I didn't mean to say not to go for style or flashy poses! Just that if he's going to have the shield he might as well use it. The sprite you posted looks good for that purpose, although I might have him pull it back when he's doing the flashy little low cut, so he's not moving his arm through or over the shield to do it.An alternative, of course, is just to not give him a shield at all, which I see you've done in another pose. In that one - with the sheath - make sure that the sword goes into the sheath tip-first and comes out tip-last, but otherwise it looks good to me.
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Aug 26, 2014 16:22
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Is this a drawing that you did, or someone else's drawing? Either way, it looks drunk, like the person's wobbling on their feet. Really, I'd be remiss not to repeat the recommendation that you set down the pixel art for a while and focus on drawing from life. Getting better at pencil-and-paper drawing will help you move forward immensely in ways that worrying about finicky pixel-positioning details won't. Creative Convention has a very good Self-Taught thread, and if you can't get to a life-drawing session in person, there are many sites online that offer posed models similar to what you'll find at a life-drawing class. You won't be able to walk around them and get a feel for their three-dimensionality and weight, but it's at least a start. If you absolutely must continue right this second with pixel art, I have two suggestions: first, work at least twice as large as this image (in both dimensions); you're currently working so small that the details you want to incorporate are getting lost in the pixelation. Work larger and then figure out how to reduce your work to the size you want it to be; that will give you a better understanding of how to work details into your smaller work. (If this makes you uncomfortable, good: you will not get anywhere by staying where you're comfortable.) Second, don't trace over drawings, unless they're done by masters of the craft. In fact, what I'm going to recommend you do is start out with copying photographs of marble statues - again, from the masters. An excellent marble statue is still going to be a guide to the human form, and you'll get two advantages from using them instead of photographs of real people: they're usually in interesting poses, and since the marble is grey and white, you'll have what's essentially a monochrome source, meaning that you can focus a lot more on light, shadow, and gradation across a single color range.
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Sep 10, 2014 21:32
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An E/N parable (I can't find the source) posted:OP: "Help! HELP! I'm stuck in a well!!!" Chipp Zanuff posted:I asked because i genuinely didn't understand why it would be useful in terms of creating and depicting characters. Fundamentally, the difference is that the wireframe method tries to ensure that you're starting your character design from the correct base so that your designs can be more right, while your method starts with a deliberately-incorrect base and tries to make it less wrong. Beyond that, if you're familiar with the proportions of whatever it is you're trying to draw/pixelate/whatever, the wireframe method is almost certainly faster and easier - and if you're not familiar with the proportions, no amount of smudging a blob is going to make it look right except by accident.
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Sep 29, 2014 12:19
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Exclamation Marx posted:
Are these actual typefaces? If not, I can make them so, if you'd like.
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Dec 21, 2014 04:33
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This is going to sound repetitive, but here I go again: I want you to get a stick (and, for the sword and board example, hold your arm like you have a shield) and swing it like your characters in these animations are swinging their weapons. Don't just look at how they look; feel how they feel. If you're holding a shield and swinging a 1h sword, does that feel the way your sword-and-board animation looks? (I bet it does not.) If you can, set a camera up to film yourself, and then reduce it to 8 frames. The bottom line is: ignore what animations do. Look at what actual humans do. (There is no shortage of actual humans using a sword and board. Search YouTube for SCA combat.)
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Jan 25, 2015 03:31
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Shoehead posted:I eyeball everything, to my loss TBH. How do you get the pixels into the syringe?  quote:This looks great, although I wonder if it's bouncing a little too much. I feel like the legs aren't straightening enough to produce such an exaggerated lift in the rest of the body. (I could be wrong, though!)
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Feb 19, 2015 12:13
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I'm not sure your intent is coming through with this guy. The animation is fast enough, and the color change in the plants is subtle enough, that it's not clear that they're not just a side effect of what he's doing. (Also, there are a few frames between the yellow "magic" flash and when the plants die.) Try starting the plant animation in frame 1 or 2, and have the magic flow from the plants to the staff, with the plants going brown immediately. (I hope this makes sense. I didn't get much sleep last night.)
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Apr 24, 2015 12:07
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Shoehead posted:Dumping some stuff, not to happy with those grids of brick on the left side of the building but there you go. I'm surprised you didn't alternate them like you did the bricks on the front.
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May 11, 2015 01:11
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Xibanya posted:I applied what was said about colors to this character select portrait of one of the other characters: I'm gonna get poo poo for this, but: this reminds me a little too much of one of Scud's palettes, and not in a good way; you've got BROWN and BLUE and not a whole lot else. Unless this character is a zombie, I really recommend you at least reconsider the base skin color.
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Jul 12, 2015 00:43
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Shoehead posted:
Fig Leaf Man wasn't even supposed to be here today. (Looks good! I like the little floating leaf at the end.)
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Jul 26, 2015 22:00
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Imaginary Friend posted:Haha cheers, I'm having a hard time getting it as I want in my head though >_< If you can, you might want to emphasize the ampersand-ness of the &; I read it as "BARBCAR" for a bit before I figured it out. Otherwise, I love this aesthetic. You're doing a great job of making a couple pixels do the talking. And the burned-out A is great! I also really like how tall the image is compared to the detail.Is this for a phone game?
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Jul 28, 2015 02:31
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Scut posted:I think so, how do you feel about it? The torso bob seems to be coming one frame too soon. Imagine that the shock of the foot planting on the ground takes a moment to transfer up to the torso, so it will 'lag' a bit. Of course I'm assuming this thing is large and very heavy. Perhaps it is not intended to be. I actually have exactly the opposite impression: it needs to be a frame earlier. The torso bob isn't shock traveling up, it's the front leg landing on the ground and then the torso correcting for the difference in height. (If it were shock traveling up, the torso bob would be upward, not downward.) Coordinate the torso bob with the foot landing, and it'll look right to me.
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Jul 29, 2015 02:15
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Shoehead posted:So I was supposed to do super secret client work today but then I found out there is going to be a collage of Bartkira covers and I figured I should try get in on it. I don't know what Bartkira is, but I like this! (And I hope your hands settle down soon.)
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Jul 31, 2015 00:38
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Aneurexorcyst posted:Yeah, I've had a few people mention the white outlines method, it's been a bit of a trend for modern takes on games with the 4 colour palette as of late, but not one I particularly like. Forgive me for asking, but is the game available anywhere? (e: never mind, it's in your first post in the thread: Jack B. Nimble for iOS) There's a lot of stuff that looks odd in non-interactive GIFs but actually works in the context of a game. (For instance, I've been meaning to ask if the high foreground density and trees passing in front of the play area were deliberately planned to increase the game's difficulty, but it might not be all that big an issue in play.) edit: Having played the game: At least for me, this is one of those situations; when you can actually take the time to look at the whole picture, like in the GIFs, it looks busy, but it works really well in-game and doesn't interfere with player perception at all. I was always able to tell where the jumping platforms were, and the background did a good job of fading out when I was concentrating on timing jumps and whips. (And the trees flashing by in the extreme foreground absolutely do add to the difficulty, although I'm not sure if it was deliberate.) SneezeOfTheDecade fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Sep 5, 2015 |
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Sep 5, 2015 20:54
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Aneurexorcyst posted:Yes, the foreground elements are intended to add visual noise and difficulty For the record, I can't stop playing, and I'm really looking forward to the update where the new characters are added. Also for the record, gently caress single-character-width platforms that I don't notice until it's too late to hit them. 
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Sep 6, 2015 02:56
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Chipp Zanuff posted:I actually went and did the life drawing session and here's a link to them (all in one image gallery for conveniance, also because they're not pixel-art): http://imgur.com/a/UJpf0 A piece of advice: focus on drawing what's actually there, not what you think is there. This is weirdly hard. Betty Edwards has a good exercise for it in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, where she has you turn some existing line art upside down and copy it, so you're copying the lines, not the art. Related: don't wait for another life drawing class. Go outside and draw a tree. Draw a car parked at the sidewalk. Draw a really close detail of the intersection of three of the bricks in your building. There are many, many everyday things you can draw, and every one of them will improve your art.
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Sep 22, 2015 22:53
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Additionally, two threads you might find useful: Self-Taught Thread: Let's Steal an Art Education! [NWS]Daily drawings & doodles Sept 15 : Aquatic Affinity (thread restarts monthly)
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Sep 22, 2015 23:09
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Chipp Zanuff posted:Thanks for the support, im just sorry i ignored it for so long. Commit to five minutes, and do more if you can. It's often hard in a busy day to find an hour to devote to a hobby, but you can always set aside five minutes. And if you have more time, do more drawing! But that's not the important part of the advice; "every day" is. The habituation is key. It's way too easy at the beginning to say "eh, I'll do it tomorrow", especially since "tomorrow" has a tendency to become "next month". Make drawing a part of your life, not just something you do at life drawing classes. You should reach a point where it feels weird to go through an entire day without drawing something.
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Sep 23, 2015 13:27
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_jink posted:haven't drawn any new portraits, but here's the old a little further along: This might sound weird, but your work reminds me of that of forums user Mjaulm - any connection?
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Oct 31, 2015 04:57
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Count Uvula posted:We can only have one person drawing fat people on these forums at a time!! Trying to pull a fast one, huh!?  Those aren't the best examples, but I couldn't find the thread I was looking for where Mjaulm posted some of his pixel art. The use of line and shadow feels similar to me, but I guess it's just me. 
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Nov 2, 2015 13:52
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...I really want to play this game. Also, thanks for the Pixen rec - I was just about to ask for Mac app recommendations.
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Dec 11, 2015 22:08
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Scut posted:I got a new plane done. It's largely inspired by the Super Tucano. I'm not happy with the character standing next to it yet. Her upper torso is wrong and I should probably simplify the hands to leave less pixel noise. I feel like the propeller's hub cap is shifted left a few pixels (it looks like it's pressed against the starboard side of the plane's nose rather than being centered). Is that on purpose? Agreed that the character's neck is too long. I feel like her body should be bigger, leaving the head in place so that the body comes up to meet it - I know "big head, little body" is your style, but right now she looks like a bobblehead that's about to tip over.
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Mar 4, 2016 13:05
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Scut posted:
I get a serious Beyonce vibe from this little guy.
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Apr 12, 2016 17:18
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