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bannanawalrus
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Topic: Space whale
    Posted: 22 June 2011 at 10:36am
Hello,

I've been around here for a while, mainly due to wilbot project, but in my time here I've grown to love pixelart and i'd really like to get better at it, so without further ado:

Please please please give me all the c&c you can!





I can't decide whether the second layer of shading is adding or detracting. The background is a placeholder, it WILL be in space but i intend to make the canvas bigger and have it chasing a spaceship or something through some planets or asteroids. maybe.

It's not finished but i intend to try and finish the shading (especially the mouth) and possibly do some aa later/ tomorrow.

Edited by bannanawalrus - 22 June 2011 at 10:37am
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cure
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Quote cure Replybullet Posted: 22 June 2011 at 11:04am
I don't understand why the light source strikes the top of the face all the way around to the far side, but barely even touches the edge of the mouth. If the light source is from the right, I don't see why there isn't more shadow on the side of the whale, and the highlight on the flipper opposite the light source is unexplained. also the mouth feels like it was tacked on the general body shape, it doesn't feel like it's part of the anatomy. the underlying anatomy just doesn't make sense.
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bannanawalrus
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Posted: 22 June 2011 at 11:16am
I tried to be a little more generous with the shadowing, not sure if i should go further still? Plus i removed that silly highlight :)

As to the anatomy, i'm not really all that sure what you mean by the mouth looking "tacked on"? Do you mean it looks like it's in the wrong place? or in a different style?

I considered putting that the anatomy is supposed to be cartoonish and distorted but i thought that was fairly obvious anyway. However i appreciate that even cartoons are based on real anatomy to some extent so if you wouldn't mind pointing out the areas that you think should be different then i can change them?



Edited by bannanawalrus - 22 June 2011 at 11:22am
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Koyot1222
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Quote Koyot1222 Replybullet Posted: 22 June 2011 at 12:38pm


Ive made it 2 years ago, but maby it would be interesting for you as a reference help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sUY9D-TK4Q especialy part after 2:40 min :)
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bannanawalrus
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Posted: 22 June 2011 at 1:51pm
Small update, tried to do the mouth, kinda failed.



Still not sure what to do about these "anatomy issues", as whilst i'm well aware that a whale is a lot longer and thinner, i kind of intended it to be short and fat :/

Edited by bannanawalrus - 22 June 2011 at 1:52pm
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ekobor
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Quote ekobor Replybullet Posted: 22 June 2011 at 3:21pm
Heh, I don't really have anything constructive to say; I just find it funny that I once made a purple space whale too.
Join the club, we're awesome. >.>
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cure
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Quote cure Replybullet Posted: 22 June 2011 at 3:36pm
I mean that a whale's body tapers into the mouth, yours has a big round body and a mouth slapped on top of it, rather than as a natural continuation of the body. The whale doesn't taper or slope toward the mouth at all, it doesn't look like it's part of the body. and the big lips confuse me as well.

really it would make much more sense to me to scoot the mouth forward a bit (and thus elongate the whale)
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dpixel
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Quote dpixel Replybullet Posted: 22 June 2011 at 5:18pm
Originally posted by cure

I mean that a whale's body tapers into the mouth


Or...put sharper teeth on it and call it a Space Piranha.
Seriously though, I kind of like it.  The shading on it's back(top) is a little confusing though (it shouldn't be there?).


Edited by dpixel - 22 June 2011 at 5:19pm
hehe (ಠ_ಠ ) o_- :p
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Quote Ninja Crow Replybullet Posted: 23 June 2011 at 7:22am
Do you have any Plasticine, BW? If you can roll a ball of the stuff into the rough shape of your whale, and then light it carefully under a spot or something that will give you good sharp shadows, it'll be a terrific help to visualising the lighting.

And I really like the cartoony shape as it is -- I see no reason to compromise that unless you just need to make a line here or there a cleaner looking diagonal (the lines look pretty good though, so I don't even think that will be necessary).

!Strange Atoll - The Amazing Wilbot Game Project!
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Quote Koyot1222 Replybullet Posted: 24 June 2011 at 1:16am
Very quick:

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bannanawalrus
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Posted: 24 June 2011 at 8:42am
I'm torn. On one hand i'm well aware that's how a whale looks. On the other hand, my whale, shape wise, almost looks exactly like I intended when I started. I'm trying to avoid the words 'stylistic decision" here, for fear of alienating potential c&c'ers later on, but they're looming ever nearer on the horizon.

Maybe i should just change the tail and call it a space fish? :/

Edited by bannanawalrus - 24 June 2011 at 8:43am
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Quote Ninja Crow Replybullet Posted: 24 June 2011 at 10:46am
If you take criticism you don't agree with, it won't help you, even if it's right -- keep an open mind but stick to your guns. If the criticism is right, you'll grow into it in time, and no one can fault you for going at your own pace.
:)

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bannanawalrus
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Posted: 25 June 2011 at 8:23am
After some deliberation, i have decided to stick with my blobby cartoon whale, with the condition that next time i'm going to use a more realistic style so i have to use more realistic anatomy.

Anyway, i quickly sketched the ship, i wasn't sure whether to go for a "conventional" spaceship or whether to continue with the nautical theme, but i think the latter looks cool. It will have thrusters as well though, i can overlook a squashed whale but there really isn't any air/wind in space, no matter which way you look at it.



Size wise, i intended it to be large but still small enough that the whale could eat it in a couple bites ,so i think that's about right. Also i'm not sure where to put the main light source, currently i think i'm going to put it in the middle so the ship will be lit differently to the whale, however, a massive sun or something might get in the way visually, so i might have to reconsider.

Edited by bannanawalrus - 25 June 2011 at 8:26am
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Quote Tart Replybullet Posted: 25 June 2011 at 1:24pm
You can do whatever you would like. Don't feel like you have to make a more realistic image just to please the people at PJ.

However, keep in mind critiques are never baseless. Even though you may not agree with a critique it doesn't change the fact that another person saw something wrong/ to be improved with the image.

Cure suggested you review whale anatomy, not necessarily to make it look like a real whale. Cartoons exaggerate the anatomy of their characters, so behind every good cartoon should be an accurate understanding of its anatomy. Hence Cure's critique, "the underlying anatomy doesn't make sense."
There are a lot of things that can be changed to make it resemble a real whale and keep it in the style that you're going for.

If you'd just use a reference you could see that the fin and eyes are out of place. The way you have the mouth open is also not possible for a whale; it resembles a human mouth too much, but that's where we can work with it to make it a cartoon.


I made a quick edit to illustrate my examples. The mouth still looks a bit strange and teeth like. You need an intermediary color between that yellow and the purple to replace the bright purple lines in the teeth to fix that.
Now it looks more like a whale without losing its style.

As for lighting, if the ship will have thrusters the obvious choice is making that your light source, since there would be no other visible light in space.

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bannanawalrus
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Posted: 25 June 2011 at 1:36pm
Wow that's brilliant! It's definitely more whale-ish, when i was thinking about anatomy i was only talking about the bosy shape - i see i still have a lot to learn! I'll take a closer look and change mine up now :)
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Posted: 23 July 2011 at 9:46am
Hi guys! Not had a lot of time recently, school, life etc. all the usual reasons. Anyway, i tried to take on board what sooba said and i think it's improved quite a lot.



I still might change the teeth, but i don't know how well weird whale brush things could crush a ship? In the meantime, is there anywhere else that i should change? To me, it looks like the back fin needs to be a little pointier, and i might add that weird ribbed belly thing.

EDIT: Pointier fins, better/worse?



Edited by bannanawalrus - 23 July 2011 at 9:57am
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Quote H|F Replybullet Posted: 24 July 2011 at 10:19pm

Everyone meet Bubby She's a whale. She loves dear lil FlapJack and helps him to try and find Candied Island

Anyway, just keep working on it, I want to see how it turns out.
 
 
 
Thank you Cartoon Network <3
 
 
Most animators have to go to school don't they?
 
My point is, there isn't a right or wrong way, but things can always be done better. If you want a round misportioned whale, do it right. If not, then it better look like a real whale.
 
* Oh and I vote for a spaceship


Edited by H|F - 24 July 2011 at 10:22pm
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bannanawalrus
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Posted: 25 July 2011 at 3:48am
I'm pretty sure I can incorporate a decidedly phallic candy island into there somewhere :') Although i'm pretty sure the blue one never ate any spaceships because she was bored ;)

EDIT: Other spaceship ideas:



EDIT 2: I liked the middle one.



Edited by bannanawalrus - 25 July 2011 at 4:55am
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Quote H|F Replybullet Posted: 27 July 2011 at 6:18pm
So will the ship be the same color?
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bannanawalrus
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Quote bannanawalrus Replybullet Posted: 28 July 2011 at 3:35am
Probably not eventually, i just don't know what colours to do it, maybe chrome, or maybe yellow to contrast? but i hate working with yellow :/
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Quote H|F Replybullet Posted: 29 July 2011 at 8:50am
I wouldnt use yellow. Maybe just put colors in place to test and just to help the viewer for now. I think the eyes/teeth look odd. On my phone so its pretty small. If the eyes have a white I think that looks weird.
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Quote voodoo Replybullet Posted: 29 July 2011 at 8:51pm
I was thinking of Bubby too C:
I can easily tell this is a whale. It's very obvious. I do like it more after the eye and fin were fixed, but I think the lips actually give it personality, so I'm game for keeping them. I like the pirate style ship the most, I think it fits with the whale the best. A rocket ship makes the whale seem too random, but the pirate ship and whale in outer-space has a pretty cool vibe.
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