I've already submitted this piece but I wanna know your opion to this...
I used it for a tutorial at one czech pixelart page. Imo it isn't too bad but I am just poor pixeartist who is learning, yet.
So what do you think about this?

Thank you very much for your long comment and critics...I didn't understand some words but mainly I understood the substance. I will try to edit it by your critics (height of top part and I will add some leaves and possibly "credibility")....Overall thanks once again

Hi Ricki,

The main thing that will work is a light source.
It is outside so either the sun or the moon lights up
your tree. From the bright color I would say it is
the sun.
If it is the sun then the light will be coming from above.
So the lightest color should move to the top of the
tree. Direct below the leaves it will be dark so the
trunk should be dark at the top.

That will remove some of the pillow shading I think ...

Best regards from

M.E.

I think this may illustrate M.E.'s point?
An extremely rough n' dirty edit.
Also; don't enslave yourself to the 'lines'. Trees are chaotically organic. Leaves all over the place, branches, bark, all that. Lines reign it in and take away from the treeness of it.


Of course, there are still some lines, mostly on the darker side of the image. I changed them to a dark green, to make them a little less stark.

I also copied the branch and put it behind the tree in that bare section, since the branch being on the denser side of the tree was a little unbalanced. Not saying it's unrealistic; being chaotically organic, many trees care little for natural aesthetics. But if you're going to pixel it, no harm a few idealizations :).
Speaking of tree shape, maybe it could lend some insight to look up bonsai? There are a few guidelines for the medium on proper tree shaping, since bonsai is a highly technical and aesthetic work. Many of the principles could easily filter through in pixel work :).

http://www.bonsaisite.com/techniq1.html (scroll to the bottom for links on different styles)
http://www.bonsaisite.com/gallery1.html (gallery from the same site, could be informative!)
http://www.bonsaiprimer.com/styles/styles.html


Edited by Lazy Kat - 03 May 2008 at 7:16pm

Lazy Kat: I wanted to do similliar image like you but when I changed the shape there was a problem with shading. I had an imagine that I could only indicate the shade with dark colour but how I said I could make it out....
If it won't mind to you, I will use your image like tutorial and something like that...
I will edit shape a little, shape and ground under tree too...Anyway thanks a lot...