This is a sprite I have created in Maplestory Style; I'm fairly happy with lines etc. some of the shading and highlights are off, particularly the closer leg. Pretty happy with the palette and size in general but It need's AA;  I dont want to apply any externally (i.e; outside of the lines) but inside the lines would be cool; I was wondering if anybody could point me in this direction?

How can I make my art look more professional such as the sprited you see in Maplestory? Is it a simple case of palette/shading?

Thanks for any help,

Mars.

You are doing ok but yes, its a simple case of palette/shading + coloring in your art for the most part that makes your pixels look unfinished. There is no hard rule you simply have to play and experiment with a mixture of colors + techniques to elevate the overall quality :/

That's the general idea...but...the belly, for example is still very much in the yellow ramp. That area could/should be more in shadow and seeing as how the overall color of the creature is a blue/grey then those yellows should reflect that more so those colors in the shading should lean to green (yellow+blue = green).

The eyes are also in the whites. No need for that as the blue'grey would reflect of the eyes as a light blue/green ramp not a true white/grey.

This reflection of color affects everything so every area should try to do this.

The lineart should also reflect colors and blend in organically as opposed to 'lines' so it reads better.

One last thing is that the blue/grey ramp could look nice if the shadow colors lean to purple so it makes things 'pop'.

The darkest brown and blue/grey on the top of the mouth are heading to the 'banding' mode...watch that.


Edited by jalonso - 22 October 2010 at 9:50am

Exactly! see the difference it makes to have your colors harmonize 

For the eyes I meant the whole ramp. Tone it to green and blue and see which looks better. Your 'black' seems pointless. Try a dark purple/blue instead. Whatever shade your lines are will determine the shadow hues and later on help you shade in the lines. You can always at the very end have a true black outline for design purposes.

Once you have these basic tones ironed out you can then move into blending, texturing and detailing stuff. Concentrate on your palette first since

EDIT: Please show a Maplestory piece you are going for. Most found on google are not pixelart.


Edited by jalonso - 22 October 2010 at 10:44am

Well, your pixel is pretty much equal to that already. If that's what you want you've done good. It can, however, be better than that and I think you can do it.

The eye color ramp looks wrong to me. I don't want to edit to show you anything as it may sway you and I think you'll be better off if you keep trying. If you really want visual edits then say so...but try not to ask.

Later on then, goodnight