Queen of Hearts
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: Pixel Art
Forum Name: WIP (Work In Progress)
Forum Discription: Get crits and comments on your pixel WIPs and other art too!
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5101
Printed Date: 07 September 2025 at 1:05am
Topic: Queen of Hearts
Posted By: MashPotato
Subject: Queen of Hearts
Date Posted: 29 September 2007 at 5:37pm
Ai, it feels like so long since I've pixelled anything... anyway, I tried to break out of my slump today with the beginnings of a darker take on the Queen of Hearts from a deck of cards  That unintelligible blog next to her face? That's going to be a heart she's holding... and yes, she's supposed to look creepily insane  I know it's rather sketchy and perhaps too early to crit anything, but I thought I'd throw this out there now in case anyone had any suggestions. Much appreciated!  ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Replies:
Posted By: Metaru
Date Posted: 29 September 2007 at 10:20pm
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the only suggestion I could figure for this, Mrs Potato, is to start working on it. Your works never cease to amaze me, and can't wait to see how this one develops as well.
------------- I ate leel's babies |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 29 September 2007 at 11:28pm
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Because it may make sense, although it may not be your style/sensibility. Queens of Hearts by definition are slightly 'used' therefore I recommend either big hips or saggy/banana boobs. ------------- |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 30 September 2007 at 7:20am
Metaru: Thanks  Jalonso: ah, it was precisely for these types of general concept suggestions that I posted at this stage--thanks! While I had no idea about Queen of Hearts being older, I like the idea and think it will make this picture more interesting...------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: Doomcreator0
Date Posted: 30 September 2007 at 7:36am
That's really good, though I would really love to see some coloring going on 
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Posted By: leel
Date Posted: 30 September 2007 at 8:26am
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hahah banana boobs XD I'm excited to see how this goes :) (useless post) ------------- |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 30 September 2007 at 8:34am
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Not older, used.
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Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 6:19pm
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Thanks for the encouragement And yes, "older" isn't exactly what I meant... what I was picturing was a woman, who refuses to age gracefully--still dresses in juvenile trappings, wearing too much makeup, clinging desperately to a shallow definition of youth... hard to describe (and now I sound so pretentious, too! )But anyways, here is an update, hopefully I'm getting some of what I described across, though there's still a long ways to go in terms of defining the features. I'm kind of playing the colours by ear, so they're definitely not set in stone... I think I'm getting a little too close to my avatar for my liking!   ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 6:51pm
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Oh the eyeball is awesome. Is your pixel BG in dolling? Are you worshiped in the doller universe? ------------- |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 7:32pm
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Haha, thanks! But no, I'm not a doller, I only found out relatively recently what a doll even was . I don't really have a pixel background at all--I just started earlier this year (started more seriously, I mean--I had done some simple, non-aa'd stuff before) when Buloght encouraged me to try, so I'm still just a newbie, learning as I go along...
------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 7:36pm
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Yet another reason why you are sooooo cool :D I was really wanting you to enter the car challenge from last week and said so in the thread. Someday I'd love to see you try some 'boy-centric' pixel. i.e. car, truck, train, spaceship, etc. Your take on something like this with your unique touch is sure to be original, unique and most likely surprising to the boyz. ------------- |
Posted By: EnsilZah
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 7:37pm
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I think the eye sort of looks tacked on, probably because the hair is going so far behind it. Love your stuffs by the way. =) |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 7:45pm
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EnsilZah: thank you, that is indeed the case I need to fix the shape the hair; it's been a bit tricky because I want the eye to be clearly visible, but it's so huge it's blocking the hair and is creating even more a plastered look than usual. Jal: you're very kind... those kinds of things are not my strength (actually, I don't think I've ever drawn any of those things ), but maybe that's all the more reason I should try some time...------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: InnerRayg
Date Posted: 01 October 2007 at 8:12pm
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I think perhaps changing the angle of the bottom lashes a little, and removing one of them, would be nice. It's not a big problem, they just seem a bit unnatural compared to the top ones. I love the color choices though, very nice work. |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 02 October 2007 at 7:04pm
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Thanks, and I will play around with the eyelashes . I don't mind the unnatural look because she's supposed to be wearing too much makeup, but I agree the bottom lashes could have a nicer curve to them. Here's an update, it's starting to take shape : ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 02 October 2007 at 7:16pm
OffT: nice site Mash. The game won't play on a Mac  (latest Intel one)Oddly enough I thought you were Italian and in Italy. So much I've learned about you this week (stalker )OnT: Would some hair, like one strand over the eye help the area blend? Something about this dress seems too pretty. It must be me. I always see the queen of hearts as a bitter and mean dark hearted person at the core. A true queen of hearts would never say it, nor show it, she wouldn't need to. Pixel on. ------------- |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 02 October 2007 at 7:41pm
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On-topic: I tried adding a hair strand before, but I worried that it would take away the impact of the eye... however, it's worth trying out again, as the shape of the hair is giving me trouble . As for the dress, I'm going for the concept of a crone wearing a inappropriately girlish clothing--so lots of frills and things--but to show the decay the lace will be yellowing, the edges ripped, and things like that (think Miss Havisham from Great Expectations). The end result shouldn't be too pretty Off-topic: From Italy, hm? Not sure how that came about, though maybe it's because of my real name?I think you can play the game on a Mac if you download a version of AGS, but I'm not sure how that works... in any case, don't worry, with that screenshot, you've seen half the game ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 06 October 2007 at 6:24pm
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After taking a break with my flying cow, I'm back to this Update: I haven't really done anything to the hair yet, I'm probably going to leave that for last (procrastination ). I changed the lower eyelashes a bit, and I hope the decaying nature of the dress is more apparent and appropriate to the pic now. Crit welcome! EDIT: small update (these background colours aren't permanent, btw)  EDIT #2: I see her left arm is too short compared to her right, will fix. ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 6:18pm
I apologize for the triple-post, but since I'm mostly done the body (though there's still a little more detail to be added, especially to the heart area), I would like any crit people have so I can tweak things while I work on the hair, which will likely take me a long while. The crown and border are unfinished as well. Thank you  ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 6:22pm
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Oh the dress is great. I did like the black corset idea better tho. The heart will need lots of highlighting or a more purplish tone as it doesn't stand out much. Something about the lacy part on the skirt being so close to the fleshtones seems weird, maybe more of the greens you already have in there : / Your decisions are already correct so it will all look amazing but figured I'd nitpick it for you ; ) ------------- |
Posted By: eghost
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 6:23pm
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Must say it's an awesome piece... The bright white pixels on the skirting kinda throw me...specifically the ones on our right near the red skirt edge...But aside from that everything looks really tight... |
Can't wait to see the finished product...Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 6:27pm
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Those are tears in the pink frabric. Yes, Mash the lace colors are wrong and too blue/white. ------------- |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 6:33pm
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Thanks guys! I see what you mean about the lace, I will try to sort that out It's a bit tricky because I want the lace to look "yellowed" but not naturally yellow, if you know what I mean, but I guess it's still too blue and just looks weird . I rather liked the black corset too, but it seemed not girlish enough and I thought it would be a little jarring to have a large black area in the middle of the picture. Agreed on the heart ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 6:40pm
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Well you could have her hair black in the ends and greyer at the roots with some greenish-blond in the middle so as to balance a black corset and give you the needed yellow to rework the lace. w00t ------------- |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 6:50pm
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I'll be upfront with you Jal: I'm not going to change the bodice back to the black one I liked the black one as well, but I think this one works well with the fashion of the dress... the stripes make it look more French--or something--I don't know However, I do like the greying hair roots idea The difficulty is that already the hair is difficult to read against the skin... if I was going purely on aesthetics, I would probably give her darker hair, but I wanted her blond hair to look like a bad dye job (hence the rather dingy yellow I'm using). I'll most likely be adding an additional yellow like you suggest for the hair and lace. I've got 19 colours right now, which isn't too much I don't think ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 6:58pm
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Originally posted by jalonso ...Your decisions are already correct so it will all look amazing... I wasn't ordering or demanding nothing   ------------- |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 07 October 2007 at 7:03pm
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Originally posted by jalonso Originally posted by jalonso ...Your decisions are already correct so it will all look amazing... I wasn't ordering or demanding nothing Aw, I didn't mean to make it sound like I took it that way ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: M.E.
Date Posted: 08 October 2007 at 12:51am
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Hi MashPotato, GREAT stuff! The only thing that I can critize on this moment was allready mentioned. The readability of the heart is a bit difficult. A bit more red / highlight as previous suggested by Jal might do the trick. Maybe a bit more highlight on the front arm to make it better visible? It blends in too much with the rest at the moment. Hope this helps. Best regards from M.E. ------------- http://www.kunststukken.nl - KunstStukken.nl M.E. Art |
Posted By: InnerRayg
Date Posted: 08 October 2007 at 7:38pm
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What's going on with the red dot on her cheek? I also find the face to be quite a bit subdued...it's just a bit weird, since I had to search for the nose. The other parts are looking great. |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 09 October 2007 at 2:15pm
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Thanks ME and Inner Unfortunately I'll be away from my computer for the next couple of days so I can't work on this, but I will try to address those issues when I get back (I agree that the arm is a little difficult to read). Btw, the red dot is supposed to be badly-applied rouge In the meantime, here is the latest version. I hope I fixed the lace problem, and I removed the brooch for the sake of readability. Please keep the crits coming  ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: eghost
Date Posted: 09 October 2007 at 7:57pm
The lace looks perfect now...And I really like the direction you're going with the hair...
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Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 12 October 2007 at 9:41pm
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Thanks eghost I finally got a chance to get back to this... there may not seem to be too many substantial changes, but the shadows were deepened a lot (hopefully improving the contrast a bit), the eye was shifted down, and the border was expanded. It's pretty much just the crown and hair left, with a little touching up of the heart and general tweaking  ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 12 October 2007 at 10:19pm
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The lace is perfect now.The hair color choice is spot-on. Now that your colors have shifted the heart is not wrong and I see what you see with the veins still attached, as in ripped off. However, they being this thick, this long may lead to comments about the blood dripping. That made no sense, did it :( Should the pupil not be 1px to the right and 1px down so that her stare is focused on the heart? Question: Why is she so clean of blood? Was the heart handed to her very delicately? ------------- |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 13 October 2007 at 7:33pm
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Thanks Jalonso Answer: Ask, and ye shall receive... heheh, I was actually leaving that for the end, the finishing touch of a delicate operation  . I'll probably be adding a little bit more...I tried moving the pupil like you suggested, and while she did look more directly at the heart, I think I prefer it this way... the unfocused glazed look is something that seems appropriate here I'm not really sure what you mean about the blood dripping... do you mean that the arteries will be mistaken for blood?I'm trying to make my final push and finish this today/tomorrow, so any suggestions are very welcome as I work on the hair (painful!). Thanks!  ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 13 October 2007 at 7:44pm
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Originally posted by MashPotato T... do you mean that the arteries will be mistaken for blood? Yes, it could be taken that way. ------------- |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 13 October 2007 at 7:50pm
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Hmm,not sure what I can do about that... though I can try to take the colour of the veins on the actual heart and apply it to the big arteries a bit... I'll give it a try
------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 13 October 2007 at 7:58pm
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Mind you I understand what they are and its great. I'm just thining about them thar useless comments you might get once its on the gallery from the 'Skulls' of PJ.
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Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 13 October 2007 at 10:03pm
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Much appreciated, Jal I tried extending the colour but it didn't work too well, as adding a less-red colour pretty much made the arteries disappear, so I'll leave it with a little ambiguity in that regard. Here's an update; not a heck of a lot of change, but I figured I'd put this up for critique while I sleep...  ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |
Posted By: MashPotato
Date Posted: 14 October 2007 at 10:31am
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For those interested, I've finished this and it has been http://pixeljoint.com/pixelart/25481.htm - submitted Thanks for the help, all! Here is a WIP animation of what seems like a long time but was actually only two weeks, and I couldn't work on it for 5 of those days so that's pretty fast for me... I'll stop babbling now  ------------- http://theindiestone.com - the INDIE STONE |