Smallest animation I can upload.
I'll remove this real soon cuz its a huge file for the forum

Forgot to post my refs for the last 2 screens



NOTE: The loop is not even needed as these will be just mockup screens and is just a tool I used to color block and try to keep the palette lean and mean, under 50 atm.

You are a master of your own art. In-cre-di-ble!

That bridge. Is amazing. It looks like it`s jumping off the screen.

The HUD/GUI is not working as envisioned.

Also, the bridge should have some rails but they look terrible and gets all busy so placing copy in that area will probably have to stay for layout design purposes.
Any ideas?

The blue dominance still bugs me a bit, maybe you can make the greens a little less blue?

The dark-grey patches in the woman's dress is a little odd.

yea, I'll need to remake her. The sprite will be standing so she can't sit in the portrait.

@DB, all 7 blues in the palette? Too lum'd or too saturated? All these blues were chosen for the Starry Night screen (which I really like as I think that screen needs to be electric, just like the original) and I'm just trying not to add any colors if possible.


Edited by jalonso - 06 October 2011 at 4:14pm

When I saw this pixelated pic I thought I was looking at a nomad in the desert. Her hair looks more like a turban than hair.

@Hapiel: I think I've seen a few of thees bridges in Belgium, but yes.. they're mostly dutch. We have a lot of those in North-Holland

I think it is a turban. Is it supposed to be hair?
---
So, does the bridge look like a real Dutch bridge? I know its missing the rails and all the ropes and pulleys but as a game platform they simply don't work or look attractive because of the sky and water being so busy.
---
Color variations that mostly focused on the 'blues-grey-purple' but forced all other ramps to shift a bit. Top one is the working/current colors.



Edited by jalonso - 07 October 2011 at 8:17am

I don't know, the first one seems to fit much better for it's colors. Maybe a dark-but-not-black outline and same colors would suffice?

I think this is not the way I want to go at all. If its just bringing bringing the paintings to life then, to me, thats boring and not what I wish to do or envision. I am hoping that VanGogh is instantly recognized but only ref'd not copied. I can see why bringing the paintings to life as static images on an art forum makes for good imagery but games have their particulars too and I want a good mix of both...even if its just a mockup/concept :/

I'm wondering if I should take what I have as a ref and redraw everything with a game development frame of mind using the more painterly scenes I now have as a guide.

Visual Comparison



Edited by jalonso - 09 October 2011 at 11:35am

I am quite sure that is hair. I have never seen a turban in the Netherlands ever in my life but this kind of hairstyle could be possible yes.

Please do add some ropes to the bridge, they now look like disfunctioning monuments. Especially the ropes in the middle that go to the bridges are important.
http://www.kunstkopie.nl/a/vincent-van-gogh/brckevonarles.html
http://www.kunstkopie.nl/a/vincent-van-gogh/le-pont-de-langlois.html
Furthermore it looks like a Dutch bridge ;)

It's quite simple. If it's interactive, it should stand out a bit. Here's a combination of your last 2 images:


As for the bridge, right now it makes no sense at all. You can reduce the amount of mechanical bits, not reduce them. You should at least have ropes connecting the top beams with the street surface, and show 'some' mechanic that allows them to move. I reckon the black rack&pinion should be enough. By having those 4 wires and the R&P, the structure is a lot cleaner, yet technically plausible.

If you MUST remove more, do the rack and pinion, because the wires from the top to the road are essential for the shape and structure of the bridge. They're a part of the basic parallelogram.
references for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAfLlD6BY_s&feature=related

http://www.childs-ceng.demon.co.uk/pics/plank.html


Lastly, that woman is DEFINITELY not wearing a turban. It doesn't look like a bonnet either, it seems to be too small. Some googling tells me it's based on another painting by Jean-Francois Millet, specifically this one:

which is clear enough to use as reference, I hope?

The bottom of the bridge has the ropes that should come from the top, this way it cant be lifted at all.

As far as the towel on the head issue: I dont see the problem other then its a little diffrent from the original art, but isnt everything a little diffrent from the original art? Isnt that what makes this unique, and not a copy?

I dont know Jal, I like it all!

Seems to be more the Millet version orf the lady. The dithering at her hat seems at the moment a bit out of place because her cloac isn't dithered at the moment and yeah she looks younger. Your old version had more these kindness, at the moment the farther away eye has to much black and because of this she doesn't look really beautiful, more sick.
In terms of colors the new version is definitely the nicer one.

Also the perspective of the new one comes out nicer, maybe it'd be good to scale the last two trees just a touch smaller.

The player sprite could use less black areas to center the sight on it.

However I really like it so far, there isn't much to discuss about.

that background with the trees looks quasi-photorealistic.  Amazing

yes definitely better, tjhe next suggestions:

-last tree uses at the moment to mucvh dark tones, it doesn't fade right, i guess it should look more like the flat background trees (maybe with a darker tone), deleting the two darkest tones of it should help.

-And there is a big issue with the lighting, the light comes from directly behind, so there is a difference between the woman and the trees. THe thing is tha tit's for a game so it also depends on reading because of this it's hard to do the rght things. Maybe eliminating the highlights of the face a bit and making it darker, while increasing the brightest areas of the cloak should help. Another idea would be fading the left side of the woman  a bit to the background.
At the moment the reading is quite good, the light is not so good, I also don't really know how I'd solve an problem like this, maybe letting it is the best thing.

Her hand is being a nightmare :(
Talking icon looks silly and a mouth even worse...ideas?



Edited by jalonso - 14 October 2011 at 6:17pm

I think the girl's anatomy can be improved

the flaws are what makes the art. If you want accuracy buy a camera and take a shot..

I just meant that it can be better, seeing as its not on par to the other sprites.

@Jalonso I think making her waist bigger and her breasts smaller would help.
It's all coming out really cool!

I don't understand if these c+cs are for human form, anatomy and colors in general or c+c based on the original painting.




Edited by jalonso - 17 October 2011 at 2:03pm

her waist way too small
her breast could be a wee bit lower
the arms are too wide
maybe head is slightly too big

something about like so:



Edited by onek - 17 October 2011 at 3:17pm

still no.... sorry

THe woman don't really looks like a woman at the moment.
I'd say that the shoulders are ot th emoment to big and to broad (arms are also very stiff), she don't really look like a woman. Maybe it's because the drapery of the arms is at the moment to strong and this destroys the gentle woman form.
The boobs are imo also an touch to high.
Maybe it'd be also an good idea to underline the waist a bit with shading to underline the woman forms even more.

A more woman pose could also help (like holding her hat with one hand if you want to change the concept that much, but she is standing andd not sitting because of this the reference don't really works for the arms).