Pixel Joint Forum: Running animation (4 directions) for top down RPG

Message

   Hello folks!

first, I'm excited to be here. I'm loving pixel art and am more or less trying to become a pixel artist myself. I just discovered this forum and was very happy to find a central place with many great artists to share this passion and to look up to! (this was naughtily copied from my Meet and Greet post)

I'm currently working on a player sprite for a top down RPG:

I'am aware of the color and size differences for the character and especially cape in the standing and running sprites, i just not got into the shading and refining part.

I am also aware, and this is my main problem, that the front and back sprites/animations look very weird and static compared to the sideview.

Do you guys have any advice on the front/up views of top down RPG sprites? All the resources im finding for that dont really fit my sprite (e.g. RPG maker like charsets an so on)

Again, I'm happy to be here and thanks in advance!

Cheers

Pikaychu

Author	Message
Pikaychu Seaman Joined: 22 August 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Topic: Running animation (4 directions) for top down RPG Posted: 23 August 2018 at 9:19am
	Hello folks! first, I'm excited to be here. I'm loving pixel art and am more or less trying to become a pixel artist myself. I just discovered this forum and was very happy to find a central place with many great artists to share this passion and to look up to! (this was naughtily copied from my Meet and Greet post) I'm currently working on a player sprite for a top down RPG: I'am aware of the color and size differences for the character and especially cape in the standing and running sprites, i just not got into the shading and refining part. I am also aware, and this is my main problem, that the front and back sprites/animations look very weird and static compared to the sideview. Do you guys have any advice on the front/up views of top down RPG sprites? All the resources im finding for that dont really fit my sprite (e.g. RPG maker like charsets an so on) Again, I'm happy to be here and thanks in advance! Cheers Pikaychu
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eishiya Commander Joined: 04 August 2022 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1109	Posted: 23 August 2018 at 10:46am
	You said your RPG is "top down", but these sprites seem to be side-view. The running-north sprite is the closest to top-view, but even so, the camera appears pretty low. Put your character into an environment from the game, and edit some stills of them to make sure the perspectives/projections fit together. Only then should you work on the animations. The main thing that makes "top down" sprites look like "top down" is the upper body parts overlap the lower ones, and everything is foreshortened. Look up drawing tutorials for foreshortening and drawing the figure in perspective, that should help you more than pixel-art-specific tutorials. Loomis's figure drawing books (available online as PDFs) have big sections on this, as well.
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Pikaychu Seaman Joined: 22 August 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Posted: 23 August 2018 at 11:08am
	To put the character in the environment he will move inside of is obviously important, dont know why I didnt take that more seriously. The Figure drawing book you recommended seems to be exactly what I was looking for. I knew perspective and foreshortening were a big problem. I just skimmed through it a bit and it seems very promising. Thank you for your anwer. I just registered and already got some good help :)
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Limes Commander Joined: 15 September 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 683	Posted: 07 September 2018 at 4:48pm
	There are games out there that potray a top down layout, with characters who are from a sidescroller perspective.
	I use GraphicsGale
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