Pixel Joint Forum: Critique Request for my First Piece.

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Hello, I'd like to request some feedback, critique, on my first pixel art piece: a centaur knight.

I've some theoretical knowledge, but not a lot of practice.

My intention is to eventually create a side-scrolling video game, something like a metroidvania with some greater depth of controls, while trying to at least appear to stay within the conceit of a SNES/Mega Drive-style game.

As I wanted to base this character's height off of a shire horse, I tried to make it nearly twice as tall as I imagined a human character would stand, though I feel like the proportions ended up skewing too close toward realistic (which is not to say that it is realistic) -- perhaps she needs to be taller still, and she probably needs a bigger head (50%-100% bigger maybe).

Some concerns I have regarding the piece, as well as some issues I can see but can't figure out how to fix:
I feel like my contrast is off, despite starting in greyscale.
The perspective doesn't seem appropriate for an idle pose in a side-scrolling game, and the pose itself is very static, but I'm not sure how I'd shift the perspective to one closer to 3/4 given the hybrid anatomy. I think the perspective shift, plus some kind of positioning of the hooves and a more forward (or just less neutral) will help the pose.
I dislike the hair in front of her face, as I wanted it to better represent pushing out from under the helm/visor. I can't seem to get the apperance without also seeming to thin out the hair overall.
I'm unsure if my shading is sufficient, if I went overboard in some area, if they became inconsitent (e.g. if one highlight suggests one light source whereas another contradicts it).
I tried to avoid banding, but again, there may be some that I'm just not seeing.
The cloth under the barding comes to a straight horizontal line; perhaps more shadows and rounded shapes would help to communicate fabric better?
I'm not sure if, at this scale and for this purpose, I should attempt any anti-aliasing.
Does it read in any odd way?
Does anything stand out as a possible cause for animation headaches down the road?
Are there errant pixels that don't visibly contribute to anything at all?
Are there any anatomical/proportional issues? I was aiming for 5-heads tall, but that quickly became 4 heads tall. I could go to 3 heads tall, but wouldn't want to go any less. I'm aiming for something a bit light-hearted.
Overall, I had a lot of fun working on it, and I'm fairly satisfied with the way the barding and pauldron turned out, perspective aside. At any rate, I'm not sure if I can salvage this piece or if I just need to redraw it from scratch.

Thanks for reading, and for any critique, help, or feedback.

P.S. The big black cluster in front of the chest and behind the sword is supposed to be a shield, but I feel like it can easily be read as a part of the torso. Another part of the piece I'm less than pleased with.

Mod edit: just put [img] tags around the image link!

Author	Message
FluffyTail Seaman Joined: 26 September 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1	Topic: Critique Request for my First Piece. Posted: 28 September 2021 at 9:56am
	Hello, I'd like to request some feedback, critique, on my first pixel art piece: a centaur knight. I've some theoretical knowledge, but not a lot of practice. My intention is to eventually create a side-scrolling video game, something like a metroidvania with some greater depth of controls, while trying to at least appear to stay within the conceit of a SNES/Mega Drive-style game. As I wanted to base this character's height off of a shire horse, I tried to make it nearly twice as tall as I imagined a human character would stand, though I feel like the proportions ended up skewing too close toward realistic (which is not to say that it is realistic) -- perhaps she needs to be taller still, and she probably needs a bigger head (50%-100% bigger maybe). Some concerns I have regarding the piece, as well as some issues I can see but can't figure out how to fix: I feel like my contrast is off, despite starting in greyscale. The perspective doesn't seem appropriate for an idle pose in a side-scrolling game, and the pose itself is very static, but I'm not sure how I'd shift the perspective to one closer to 3/4 given the hybrid anatomy. I think the perspective shift, plus some kind of positioning of the hooves and a more forward (or just less neutral) will help the pose. I dislike the hair in front of her face, as I wanted it to better represent pushing out from under the helm/visor. I can't seem to get the apperance without also seeming to thin out the hair overall. I'm unsure if my shading is sufficient, if I went overboard in some area, if they became inconsitent (e.g. if one highlight suggests one light source whereas another contradicts it). I tried to avoid banding, but again, there may be some that I'm just not seeing. The cloth under the barding comes to a straight horizontal line; perhaps more shadows and rounded shapes would help to communicate fabric better? I'm not sure if, at this scale and for this purpose, I should attempt any anti-aliasing. Does it read in any odd way? Does anything stand out as a possible cause for animation headaches down the road? Are there errant pixels that don't visibly contribute to anything at all? Are there any anatomical/proportional issues? I was aiming for 5-heads tall, but that quickly became 4 heads tall. I could go to 3 heads tall, but wouldn't want to go any less. I'm aiming for something a bit light-hearted. Overall, I had a lot of fun working on it, and I'm fairly satisfied with the way the barding and pauldron turned out, perspective aside. At any rate, I'm not sure if I can salvage this piece or if I just need to redraw it from scratch. Thanks for reading, and for any critique, help, or feedback. P.S. The big black cluster in front of the chest and behind the sword is supposed to be a shield, but I feel like it can easily be read as a part of the torso. Another part of the piece I'm less than pleased with. Mod edit: just put [img] tags around the image link!
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Metomunc Midshipman Joined: 18 March 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 20	Posted: 03 January 2022 at 10:00pm
	That's pretty good! You might think about adding a shadow on the "saddle" of the horse ... also on the shoulder guard (left edge) and same amount on the rump of the hose (left edge). If it were me, I'd darken the middle of the arm also -- from the bicep to the elbow-- for more depth. Also, you'll probably want to make the sword more distinct in some way from the centaur ... maybe with grey scale contrast and color use. Is the centaur male or female?
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