And here's the actual image:

  

Click the button to include images in your posts.
The image looks like it was a jpg saved again later as a png... it's quite blurry and there seem to be some artifacts. I think you might want to fix that first.

Use .gif format or a different image host.


Edited by Blick - 20 October 2006 at 3:45pm

my image host can do that, as long as the image is under 70kb and is pixel art

Well if you saved them as a gif, they'd be smaller. :/

wheels should be round

If you're using less than 256 colors and a decent gif conversion program, you should have no data loss, artifacts, wasted bytes et cetera.

And what kind of image are you making that needs 700kb? Jesus...


Edited by Blick - 20 October 2006 at 6:02pm

Imageshack or Photobucket should be able to cope with 700KB images. The thing is, as Blick said, you need a decent gif conversion program in order to save your images as gif's without loss of quality. I imagine you're using MSPaint to save as gif, which really should never be done.

I am sorry for my frustion.  It is at present time 100% pixel art... I have not used anything to enhance it.  Ok, the number isnt...I can change that too.    In actual fact, the main reason I signed up, and posted was that I could delve into some creative brains and learn a thing or too.  I stand by the very first question.  Thank you.

Jack

So there are two reds, a black and two grays.  What other colors am I missing?  Also, why are there pixels within the gray areas?  Thanks again and sorry for sounding mad. 

Jack

 Well, I'm no expert, but...I think one question you hafta decide is whether you're creating a technical drawing or an artistic one, and, if both, which of the two aspects is more important to you.
 Right now, you've got little to no depth, which is fine for a technical drawing/schematic, but isn't often skipped in artistic representations.
The depth that you're missing (IMHO) is any sort of light sources and shading. The way shadows strike and roll over an object gives the viewer's brain some clue as to the distances of objects relative to other objects. It's also a visual clue as to the angles of planes that make up an objects. It's up to you to pick where your lightsources would look best and how those lights would cast shadows from one element of the train onto another (the shadows of spokes onto the belly of the train, for instance).
 Another thing you may want to add is texture, which can suggest material composition, weathering and age.
 I'm assuming here (because you've come so far already) that a change in perspective is out.

You have obviously done a lot of homework and painstakingly reproduced the details on this train. Keep up the good work!

     I wouldnt say I am new to it, just that what I do is drawing on the computer just because I like to draw.  I generally stick to WWII armor.  I am the first to admit my stuff is not on par with most on this site.  Then again I prefere not to compare theirs and mine.  I like WWII German armor and this is a step in another direction.  True it is still German but its a train.  How my learning has expanded is like so.  My earliest version of the Tiger I tank was nothing short but crap.  But at the time I was like "WOW, look mom and dad!"  I still have those moments today but mostly because I am a perfectionist.  So being new to pixel art may be inaccurate, more like new to the concept of shadows, stuff like that. 

    Another thing about the conversion program choice.  Is not Photoshop CS 2 not good enough?  I save in the png format both in WinXP MS paint and photoshop.  I have have nailed down the problems with Photobucket as my images fall beyond the free user privilages.  This problem will have to be dealt with some other way.  Thanks again for the tips and such.  I am a willing learner(of new ideas). 

Jack

Here is what I have so far.  I know its not great but Im not good with shadows.  Hard to nail down which areas to have shadows...So far I just did the lower sections.  Feel free to show me my errors.  Thanks.  Here is the loco:



Thanks again!

Jack

you could use https://palmer-pursuit.com/ecom/images/ht.jpg as a reference, as you can see its not a perfectly gradiated photoshop, but it does kind of consist of light and darker lines, maybe you can do something with that?

Hey guys, I decided to take a break from the train in order to work on the figures that will be in the scene.  This is my attempt at doing a human body.  Does it look alright, and if not, what do I need to do to fix it?  Thanks!  Oh and by the way, the train looks different now.  ciao!



Jack




Edited by JackBauer24 - 31 October 2006 at 9:46am

The figure looks good. I would make the feet just a little bit bigger to balance out the pants a bit. Maybe a bit of shadowing on the pants so that the flaps don't look so flat.

ps: the train is looking good in camo. I don't like the pattern overlaid in a flat like that. I think you really need to break the pattern as it goes over each unit.

Well i do accept its my mistake but as you said i did not know the uniform so it looked strange to me

Ok, that would help me alot.  Thanks a million.  As for the officer/soldiers, I tend to use the same basic human figure for all the different troops.  I just alter each one a bit.  Some shorter, some taller...etc.  I know that some details at the scale is as far as I know impossible to do, such as ears.  Thanks again and keep the tips flowing lol.  I hope that I can bring useful tips to the table one of these days.  Ciao!

Jack

Here is the locomotive:



Edited by JackBauer24 - 01 November 2006 at 7:10am

I have not forgotten you. I will make an edit for you in the next day or two. I will also try to figure out your scale issue with the figures.

I did not find that making your sprite match the scale the train (I love it, btw) limits it from being quite detailed if you want it to be. I would think redrawing the sprites is easier than remaking the train.

What I meant about the camo pattern was that you simply overlaid it flat over the whole train. My example is also placed over it but I shifted the pattern up/down/sideways whenever it touched a different plane on the train. It gives you some depth even without any shading/detailing.

The third view just shows some rough way of adding interest to the flatness of the units. I think treating the train with a lightsource from the top left/right will help you add all the detailing you could ever need. Notice how I used the black outlining to further add depth by coloring the lit areas with the next to darkest color. Your original had the right shading in the red areas but they are just top-down. Using an angle with the same techinique is all you need.

I hope this helps you figure things out. I am sure there are other, even better way to do things. I was only able to show my way of handling it.



ps: I really wanted to color the whole train, lol.

typos:


Edited by jalonso - 03 November 2006 at 4:46pm

It really is not that much work really. The wheels can be copy/pasted. On the train itself if you make a single panel, it too can be copy/pasted over. All the rivets and small bumps can also be carried over. The only unique areas should only be the shadow and highlight points. Good luck, show us the progress :D

Looks great. I would lower the belt one maybe two pixels. The torso appears too short your way. A bit of shadow where the pants meets the coats edge too.

I updated the general somewhat. 

its a nice motif, but there is still the matter of it being just one texture, reducing the depth

He means that the areas where foreshortening and perspective would move the camo pattern and make the edges not line up don't have the effects of these things and look very flat. Move the pattern whenever the surface it's on is closer or farther from the viewer than the adjacent surface.