Every now and then I try my hand at pixel 'art', but I'm clearly not very good at it :P Can any pixel artists tell me what I'm doing wrong or point me toward some good resources for learning?
>>7975610No light source and this looks very low effort.
>>7975610Try sketching things out first in a non-pixel format
>>7975610Looks like modern indie game garbage. Imho, it’s the same as learning how to draw and paint. Draw what you see, in pixel art. Like try it now, something in front of you. A laptop, mouse, monitor, book, etc. It’s a waste of time to read tutorials, books, etc. about jagged lines and other nonsense like that. It’s like reading loomis and thinking you can draw manga afterwards.
>>7975692>Heh buddy, too bad your first attempts at pixel art don't look like this masterpiece from the golden age of Japanese pixel art.Why are you like this?
>>7975610is this based on a reference? if not i suggest drawing the character you're imagining normally first. then make the pixel art. I would say she looks a little too thin, but in the same pic, her arms are too big and her shoulders should be a lil higher. not sure if that's valid tho since idk what she is supposed to look like, just forming an opinion on a regular female figure. i'd personally make the dress poof up more too.
>>7975610Got that Daggerfall look going on. Nothing wrong with that just felt like mentioning it.
>>7975610you want my completely honest opinion? if you want to get actually good at pixel art, and not just modern indie dev stickmen, you should learn regular art. the best pixel artists were just traditional artists who were given a computer and left to figure out how to transfer their skills over to it and work within the limits of early computers.
left side is my first attempt at pixel art, right was my second attempt. I tried to make a PS1 memory card save icon style thing. What I did was first try to draw normally with a one pixel brush, then adjust colours pixel by pixel trying to get a good read. It's pretty difficult working in such a low resolution, one can't just outline stuff for example. The pixel artist also has to know all the same things like colour theory and values like any artist. So just do more art I guess
>>7975610Go to the spriters resourcedig out some games you like the art style from, and just try and make sprites in that styleAlso - look up an art pallet for colours rather than using your own just yet.It's honestly the best way to improveThen try taking some media you like, a game, an anime, whatver, then try drawing that in the same style as the one you picked from spriters resource.This will give you a finished piece and something that might inspire you to make morealso I'd recommend using Aseprite, it's probably the best pixel art tool out there.Pic is something I made forev er ago
I really want to make some pixel adoptables for my website, which will probably only mean something to 40-year-old women, but I'm having trouble with the degree of abstraction necessary. Back in the day people did a lot of sprites based on sanrio and sanx characters, which is maybe a little easier to start with because it's all round shapes
>>7976084That's very unnecessarily complicated unless it's a full resolution CG.
>>7976135These would look a lot cleaner if you reduced the number of colors in the palette
>>7975610your anti-aliasing looks horrid, proportions are something that would have not been used during pixel art days, there's certain traditions in each type of pixel art from 8 bit to 16 bit to 32 bit, you should first learn by copying the style you are going after, remember to layer your colors going from base to shading. Characters were generally 16x16 in 16bit art, 32x32bit also had the same thing since they were locked to a pixel limit, palette was also limited to 4x3-tone colors usually.
>>7976084Asians did some funny shit regular people in the west did not regarding art transfer, most people just filled in their art on a grid paper first to get the pixels look exactly how they want even back in Ultima days.
>>7975610Ooh I pixel let me run it down.First with your outline your doubling up in some places and really you don't need the outline across the full body we know it stops because it stopped.Second we want to make a point to work with our limitations by using a limited palette we stress our muscles and help grow while with this it seems you made extra colors just to shade differently in some areas.Try this one again but do away with any outline not touching another color.Seen here is me creating 30 or so images with just four colors
>>7978161Wait no this was the so so month.Here this was using 2 colors
>>7978078>people in the west did not>For loading screens, I would create a basic outline on clear acetate, which was then taped to the TV screen.You're right though, that using the grid paper was probably more common, but taping a transparent cel on the screen was an elegant solution (before scanners) and it seems many people came up with it independently around the world.This book (Sinclair ZX Spectrum: a visual compendium (2015)), which someone dumped on /vr/ a while ago, shows people had all sorts of quirky techniques, there was no universal one best practice, how could've there been, there was no internet to share ideas on.
>>7978161>with just four colorsThat's six colors. White and black are absolutely counted.4 color sprites normally really means three colors and one for transparency.
>>7978334Yeah I miscounted been a minute since I did it.
>>7978056Seconding. I think a lot of the colors blend together but the broad-strokes palette is really nice!>>7978165This I really love. Will post some of my own work in a bit!
>>7980881Not if I post some of my own first
Can i have some advice please? I have been trying to make final fantasy brave exvius and octopath traveler like sprites but as a beginner i dont know what i am doing.
>>7978056NTA but I'd argue that PS1 memory card icons aren't really supposed to be seen at such a large size, it looks perfectly fine in the thumbnail.
>>7982104Have you tried copying them? Then modifying them? Change colors. Change hair styles. Add horns. Stuff like that.
test
>>7983031honestly i havent. i only am doing those to base megaman sprite
Just finished this drawing>>7975610Pixel art is more like 2D sculpting, I uploaded the only tutorial you'll need to read, you are too much of a beginner to really point you in a direction, you'll pick up what you want from this tutorial I uploaded for you: https://limewire.com/d/bZ7bH#BjmJj013tW
>>7975610Brother this would pass as early game graphics in 90. It's absolutely okay... don't be discouraged draw more and try your hands on more details.
>>7983164Good book i downloaded it however from libgen.
>>7983164>>7983192any other books, tutorials(besides known youtube ones)? i want to learn more i am lacking every single information as a beginner i wont lie
>>7983231There are but this one is the best for pixelarti would say it truly sums up everything you need to know into details with explanations.
>>7983231Genuinely, the tutorial book I posted covers all the pixel art fundamentals you need to know, after which is literally up to you to pick art styles and practice
>>7983353>>7983291can we like have a pixel art thread going on already. i want to see what people are doing for their games, or general in pixel art form. i have not seen anything here. where do people share their stuff? pixeljoint? i don't know if i want to share my stuff as a beginner at pixeljoint i wont lie.
>>7983231there are some, but like most good art things, they're in japanese
>>7983661>I want to see what people are doing for their gamesMy games/art is not for you to consume.
>>7983661I'll make one tomorrow
>>7983661Do it for sure it's important to post even worse work and have portfolio so people will see your improvement. When somebody look at it and will try to hire you they might see something in it and like it. Pikat for example got into Riot for exactly same reason they liked her old art because it have it's own specific style and they asked her to do that.
>>7983769why did xey/xir lied...>>7983883made a 'gram account will see how i developed within like a year or something
Amateur game designer/programmer and all-around idea guy creating a unique first-person action search game in the dimensions of DOOM and with a terribly fun but underdeveloped aesthetic, looking for a collaborator. Hoping to start a studio and make some real classics - and hopefully a bit of money too! discord: airsun0520
>>7975610looks fine, like a point and click flash horror game
>>7984843Please make one on artstation too... i wouldn't trust anything on x.
>>7976084That manga was super interesting, gave me the itch to make my own game.
