you could always put something like a light on the top and a flower pot on the bottom. The light would also add another light source.

There's not too much to say now. The line art is very good and seems accurate, and you're still very WIP with the colors.

As an artist, probably for the same reason anyone chooses their medium--this is the one that speaks to me.  I think the combination of precision and relative simplicity is a style that suits me, and I really like the way good pixel artists use color.

In more practical terms, two reasons.  First, I mostly intend to market the fiction digitally, so it makes sense to me to use digital art; second, I write science fiction and fantasy, and I think that the very unreal subject matter of this story, for instance, is served better by digital media in general than by traditional ones.  When it comes to digital art, I think this is the only medium at which I stand much of a chance.  I'm feeling it out right now to see if it's viable--but I *like* making pixel art, so that makes me more willing to put in effort.

I appreciate the comments so far.  I'll wait until I've gotten as far as I can with the bugs before updating again.  Still a little lost on how to texture the walls.


Edited by A-Red - 30 October 2012 at 8:25pm

Those bugs are really nicely textured, well done. At the moment the light source is from the viewer, so all shadows on the bugs are head on and it leaves them symmetrical looking. Try and ruin some of that symmetry, move the light source and put a small tear or something in the moths wing. Also, the bug's feet don't seem to be attached to the window, and the moth seems further away but hasn't become darker from being further from the light source, so the illusion of depth is damaged.

Here's a draft with full coloring, and beginning to take into account some of the helpful suggestions you guys are giving me.

I agree that the center bug's legs don't look attached to the glass (I think maybe the other two are ok?). It's kind of hard to figure out exactly what's wrong with them, though--can anybody put a finger on it?  For instance, here is an example of a similar kind of bug on a glass window. It's legs seem to be similarly bent, but it has longer feet, so maybe that would help.

I know I'm open to pillow shading criticism with this piece, but the bugs are literally pressed against what from their perspective is the light source. I'm more interested in faithfully recreating the feel of bugs on a window at night (which, if anything, look even more flat and front-lit than this) than I am with creating dynamic lighting.  After all, there's something really inherently creepy about them, and that thing must not be dynamic light and shadow, because there isn't any.




Edited by A-Red - 18 November 2012 at 8:05pm