Female Robot Dreams of Being Human :: Pixel Art Detail

Really nice design. Love the clouds.

fr0st is very wise and when you think about it any art done or uploaded on a coputer is made up of pixels so there anythig on this site is true pixel art...

fr0st is wise.  In my opinion, pixel art is art that is made with no computer assistance for AA, shading or any thing like that.  As far as I can tell, this piece is not., so I consider it pixel art

as far as my understanding goes, pixel art in its raw form, is art made up of pixels, or not necesarily art, but just a simple pixel graphic, provided it is drawn pixel by pixel then it is pixel art... and even if you disagree it is up to the artist to say whether the piece is art or not, its not up to you to decide what images are art and what images are not, that is souly left to the artist, so either go take up Art at your school before criticising the very foundations of what art is or think before you crit :) so yes this is pixel art, and for you who say nay then clearly seek proffesional help beyond this site...

The obedience to the status-quo on this site is a little terrifying at times, but if you search there are a few artists doing original stuff and actually creating pixel *art* as one person put it.

Thanks for the clarification.  And now, an explanation:  This is a design I made for the cover of a literary review at my college.  I started with the clouds (which I assure you were meticulously hand-drawn in MS Paint) then drew the characters seperatately and pasted them in.  If you look at the front of the beetle there is the beginnings of reflection-type stuff being added but I ran out of time.  The deadline came and I called it good enough.  I realize it could stand for some integration, at the same time I like how the characters pop, almost like a cartoon where the background was done in oil with cell overlay.  The looseness of the clouds is the same as the looseness of the figures, it obviously works better for you in the clouds.  One of the reasons the characters have places that are finished and others which aren't is a painting technique I learned from one of my professors.  His thing is that every work needs areas of dominance, support, and places where the composition fades away.  If you look at the clouds their outlines get less contrasty and then disappear.  The masters used the same technique.  Look at Rembrandt's paintings.  There is always a dominant eye.  Unfortunately I didn't know about the size restraints on this site so my piece got horribly cropped.  Maybe if you saw the whole piece you would understand what I was going for.  From what I have seen of the art on this site most of the artists run around copying each other, afraid of not being "pixel" enough.  I think that's sad.  It fosters an environment where creativity is scorned while the status quo is praised.  Your comments contribute to this.  After I had done this piece I started looking online for other people who liked drawing in MS Paint.  I found this site and submitted it not knowing that there were all sorts of rules.  I figured if you had taken the time to master a pain in the ass program like MS Paint, you'd be in.  Clearly that is not the case.  Whatever, I busted out a robot head which was accepted and am now working on a piece of epic pixelness that, when finished, should put to rest any doubt as to the authenticity of my work.  Also, just so you know, I think your work is amazing.  I think you should definately switch majors or leave college altogether and pursue a career in art.>*** Message has been truncated ***

I hope you didn't misunderstand my crit as hating the piece. By no means, did I mean it that way. I do like the beautiful colors of the sky. However, I'm just wondering how one could have such intelectual color selection for clouds, yet display some very plain(almost beginner-level) hues for the beetle. The clouds have a very cartoony coloring and outline, something I've never really seen before. I'm still trying to figure that one out. I just think it would be better for you to start out small for right now, as in try drawing 400x400 pieces or less, to practice detail. As of right now, you have a good concept, and some thought of color selection( if it wasn't copied and changed in some graphics program), it's just that the large pieces seem messy and un-coordinated. Give it time and patience, and you'll soon develop what great skills you have now, into much better, professional skillz...with a z...

I don't agree that things have to be small and meticulous to be pixel art, but you ought to know that that is the general consensus of the pixel world. If you draw big in the pixel world you'll be rejected, and yet the digital artistry world really doesn't want much to do with you either, it's a weird limbo area right now, but it's changing, slowly.
I draw with mspaint, pixel for pixel, and it's neither small nor meticulous, usually, and it's clearly pixel art, and it has been accepted here, after a few bumps in the road.
But you'll face a lot of naysayers who want to keep pixel art small and in its roots. It DOES have roots being small and meticulously done, that's true, but it CAN be much more than that, it can be big now, and use loads of colours, and yet people keep it small and count colours like madmen for reasons I just don't get. YES back in the day colour counting was important, but it's not today, so why do it? Why?
Purists/traditionalists will probably not like your use of their medium, but it doesn't mean it's not a use of the medium.

I like it, although there are a few jaggies I'd clean up and some lightsource issues that need addressing.

Drawing zoomed in =/= pixel art

Well, I think the piece is good. You really have the potential to make some great "pixel art". Although others won't coinsider this pixel art, i'm sure there are places you had to zoom in and draw on the "pixel level". Just because your piece lacks any dithering or aa doesn't mean it's not pixel art.

I'll suggest looking at some of the high rated art on here and take a few notes. You've got great skills and I think you could do a great job of impressing some of the folks here.

There's more to it than just drawing with pixels. Any digital drawing is technically drawn with pixels. Pixel art needs to be created on the pixel level.

Note from the artist:  I'm new to this whole thing.  I like drawing in MS Paint and was looking for others who enjoy pixelated art.  It seems in my ignorance I've stepped on a few toes.  I thought pixel art was art drawn with pixels.  Apparently this is wrong?  I really like all the stuff I've seen on this site.  I hope there's a place for me and my art even if I don't adhere to the strictest of your codes.  I'd appreciate any tips you care to give.

(when you click on it, the full sized picture comes up)

Nice job on the clouds, but i'd suggest cleaning up the robot. The shading is really jaggy making the surface seem bumpy - rather than smooth metal like i imagine its supposed to be. The girl could also use some work.  Like someone already said, it's a great sketch, but you should go back and refine the smaller details ;-)

I agree. Plus, I can't see the rest of the picture. I tried zooming out and in, but it still cuts off the angel/thing to the right on the preview. I like the cloud effects, however, the bug/mech thing needs some work. It still looks like it's a work in progress, seeing as how some parts of it have lines around it, while others are free of outlines. Also, I find it strange that the sky's colors look so well chosen, yet the bugs colors are extremely plain. You could of at least tried to show some of the beatiful sky's reflection on the shiny exoskeleton of the bug. I'm hoping you at least did everything in this pic, and didn't just copy a pre-made back ground for the sky, because their details are clashing greatly. "I got's my eye on you, boy...."

Not pixel art. Nice picture, though.

How this thing got an approval?

the clouds look really good!

jalonso, pixel art can be seen in any way you want, and thats where i will always stand. I choose to remove myself from such debates because honestly i dont think there is a final standing on what is what. I paint with pixels in my opinion, i use the colours and styles how i wish. I also do oekaki on occasion, but i still consider it all the same....anyways, i love the piece.

and jalonso dont expect a rebuttal from my end of things.

oekaki    

the tiny robot just above the clouds irks me

At the risk of starting yet another war of words, it's not pixel art.
Its very nicely composed. The story is well interpreted and the colors well chosen.

Very artistic, and nice background too

whoah cool