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JayAldred
Account closed
Registered: Jun 2017
Posts: 9 |
Khaos Sphere Marc Bell bitmap - feedback pls
Hey guys, I thought I would post here to show results from working on the pic. Looking for feedback pls. I am not really an artist, but wanted to try a bitmap. Hopefully I can get one of the games artists to work on this if they have time before release.
https://i.imgur.com/ddePGKZ.png |
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Compyx
Registered: Jan 2005
Posts: 631 |
As others have mentioned, it looks very wired (converted from an existing picture).
The dithering needs a lot of work to make it look 'proper', and the face seems tacked on somehow.
Background looks really nice though with the interleaved colors instead of dithering. |
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JayAldred
Account closed
Registered: Jun 2017
Posts: 9 |
Aye, I'm struggling with it, trying to get a uniform feel, the scanned face is kind of awkward. I have hand shaded all of the outfit, but tried to make it work with the face. This may well be a bit too ambitious for me! |
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Deev
Registered: Feb 2002
Posts: 206 |
The reason the face looks dropped on is because it has less contrast and a different light source.
The light source on the face is coming from the front/left. On the suit, your light source is actually a little inconsistent.
As the face is the hardest bit to get right, you might want to stick with the face you have, then re-do the suit around it. Don't do any detail initially though, just sketch it out in chunks of colour, thinking about where the light is coming from the whole time. Even with a rough version, if you get the lighting right, the face and the suit will start fit together. |
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Hend
Registered: Dec 2003
Posts: 6 |
I have a suggestion.
Replace all the black on the armour with dark grey and then use black to put the shadows back in properly. That would get rid of all the black outlines (At the moment the face looks like a photo stuck on a cartoon). This would also allow you to make the light source consistent. Don't give up, come back to it with fresh eyes :) |
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Digger
Registered: Mar 2005
Posts: 437 |
What's your wiring tools Jay? |
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JayAldred
Account closed
Registered: Jun 2017
Posts: 9 |
Cheers guys, some solid advice here. Art class 101, thanks for the suggestions, roughing out the colours/lighting sounds like a great idea, I will give it a go! Tools used - composite created in Photoshop, exported as 320x200 PNG then imported to pixen.
Ok, had a quick play with it, removing some of the black outline, darkened (our view) right arm, light from shoulder, rifle etc..
Better or worse?
https://i.imgur.com/xXh4dUL.png |
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Deev
Registered: Feb 2002
Posts: 206 |
The darker right shoulder is a step forward, as is the reduction in black outlines. I prefer the darker gun as well. You've added some black outlines with the face gadgets though! These would be affected by the same light source that's shining on the face. I like the lighter section in the background (top left), but is it supposed to be lit from the thing on his shoulder? I'd just keep it in the background. If it was lit from his shoulder, that's not really how it would look, and you've also introduced another light source that would be partially lighting your character! You need to continue to try and make the lighting consistent.
Like I say, I think it's easier to get all this right before adding detail.
I respect your attempt to make something original though (even if it was wired at the start :) ). It demonstrates why it's far more difficult to create an original composition. The people who pixel another person's artwork to the c64's colour/resolution have it so easy because they're not worrying about any of this. |
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ChristopherJam
Registered: Aug 2004
Posts: 1409 |
Definite improvement.
The suit and weapon look more menacing in the darker colours, too. |
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JayAldred
Account closed
Registered: Jun 2017
Posts: 9 |
Cheers again, the face gadgets get pretty muddy without any kind of black outline, I am trying with the lighting - I dont really have any art background, so I am winging it really. I will keep trying a little each day and do some research into lighting.
Not sure about the shoulder light either, trying to do it a 'cheap way' but as you say its not really how it would look.
Anyways, here is a little gif showing original source and really shitty, earlier efforts!
https://i.imgur.com/KoGEwUd.gif
Static version of current image only.
https://i.imgur.com/RZE214z.png
New backdrop with lights changed.
https://i.imgur.com/KBL4MWA.png |
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Deev
Registered: Feb 2002
Posts: 206 |
I've been winging it for years (or maybe my stuff is just lit badly :) ).
It's definitely got a lot better as you've worked on it. I think you have the right idea with just trying to tweak it over time.
It's better than a lot of game bitmaps from back in the day! |
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TheRyk
Registered: Mar 2009
Posts: 2249 |
Indeed great progress.
Background, armor, gun can be considered done imho.
Suggestion: Do some handpixeling with face/beard to make it look a little less realistic/wired, otherwise it does not fit the rest. |
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cadaver
Registered: Feb 2002
Posts: 1160 |
Great slideshow! It's a hard art to get just right (that's why I mostly avoid pixeling full screen bitmaps in my own games :)) and yes, definitely getting better. The dithering is quite menacing now, which fits. One fairly minor thing that jumps to my eye is that the character appears to be standing in an angled pose relative to the camera, yet the detail in the upper chest of the suit appears to have no angle at all. |
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Claus_2015
Registered: Oct 2012
Posts: 53 |
I actually think that the high-contrast version somewhere in the middle is my favourite, because the high contrast face looks similar in style to the background. But the background itself became better and better with each version. |
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JayAldred
Account closed
Registered: Jun 2017
Posts: 9 |
Tilting the body would be tricky and I think it would lose its clean lines, I will have a think about how to do it ;)
Some comparison gifs!
Tried to hand shade the background, too surreal?
https://i.imgur.com/KjBVBYO.gif
Reworked beard gif - removed most of the red from the beard+face
https://i.imgur.com/4mVJziG.gif |
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Compyx
Registered: Jan 2005
Posts: 631 |
The thing I have 'issues' with is the straight lines in the armour opposed to the face and the background. The breast plate could probably do with a little 'rounding', though I know how difficult it is to when using MC bitmap, color clash galore.
But maybe that's how armour looks in the Galencia universe :) |
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JayAldred
Account closed
Registered: Jun 2017
Posts: 9 |
Quote: The thing I have 'issues' with is the straight lines in the armour opposed to the face and the background. The breast plate could probably do with a little 'rounding', though I know how difficult it is to when using MC bitmap, color clash galore.
But maybe that's how armour looks in the Galencia universe :)
Rejigged the armour a bit, trying to get rid of the square panels, reworked the shoulder light to slightly mirror the opposite shoulder, new background, new beard, worked on face a bit.
https://i.imgur.com/EnlY8vt.png |
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Compyx
Registered: Jan 2005
Posts: 631 |
Looks pretty good to me. |
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Deev
Registered: Feb 2002
Posts: 206 |
It's progressed a lot since I last looked!
A few black pixels around the face might help (very rough example scribbling over your image in Photoshop!)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ie391slvcpwbjti/pixels.png?dl=0 |
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JayAldred
Account closed
Registered: Jun 2017
Posts: 9 |
Good suggestion Deev, I have added those shadows and a bit of variation to his beard. Also changed the floor, bottom left, to give a little depth to it.
https://i.imgur.com/rmxBw4T.png |
