Green Pixel Dragon
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: Pixel Art
Forum Name: WIP (Work In Progress)
Forum Discription: Get crits and comments on your pixel WIPs and other art too!
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12532
Printed Date: 30 September 2025 at 2:03am
Topic: Green Pixel Dragon
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Subject: Green Pixel Dragon
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 6:29pm
Well here it is!
First, I would like to say this is a HUGE improvement from my last pixel art: 
So, any tips for it? Also, I won't be changing it-I know this is the WIP thread but I don't feel it's ready to go to the gallery and I'd rather recieve suggestions here. Edit: Okay since you want me to continue it, I will. But I don't really know how to make it less flat, I thought shading the scales was enough. |
Replies:
Posted By: Hatch
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 6:36pm
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Hi sarah. Welcome to PixelJoint, and good job on your improvement :) One problem with your current dragon is that, while you've done a good job shading each individual scale, you haven't done much shading of the overall shape, which leaves him looking a bit flat. It's usually best to shade your basic shapes first, then add texture on top of that. Originally posted by coolsarahkry I won't be changing it I hope you'll reconsider. That's kind of what this forum is for :O Also, this has a lot of potential! ------------- |
Posted By: Hapiel
Date Posted: 18 July 2011 at 10:04pm
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My suggestion is that you ask us how you would better make the skin texture, and like hatch said to create volume, but I would only be interested in helping you if you feel like you could invest another couple of hours in this thing!
Improvement is cool, but perfection way better! |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 1:43pm
| Thanks. Also, I have also made topics before this so I don't know why it says one post...Anyway,I've decided I will keep working on it. But how do I make him less flat? If I shade the whole thing, what would I do when it's time to add the scales? Perhaps an edit would help me understand. |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 1:44pm
| I've decided to continue working on it. So, what can I do to improve it? |
Posted By: Hatch
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 2:55pm
Create your basic shape with basic shading: Then add texture, keeping an eye on where your light and shadows were falling on the basic shape:  ------------- |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 19 July 2011 at 7:02pm
Here it is, looks better than before.
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Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 3:00pm
| Bump |
Posted By: Miumau0
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 3:36pm
I was so inspirated and made edit. As you can see I added darker shade and very bright highlight. And also edited jaw and tongue. Added some tooth. Hope this helps. |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 4:37pm
 Changed it up a little. Wanted to know if the jaw is good so I can add the scales. I still would like more critique.
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Posted By: Friend
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 4:44pm
| sarah you still aren't displaying depth with light. see miumau's edit and try to recreate it or add lighting at different angles |
Posted By: Miumau0
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 5:03pm
| first make right shapes, then color/shade the picture. Last add details, scales. |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 6:05pm
Guys I already tried that 
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Posted By: SpeedXaaa
Date Posted: 20 July 2011 at 6:09pm
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Like Miumau said: Work on the shading first, then add the texture (the scales) lastly.
If you've already tried that, then maybe you wouldn't mind posting up the version that you have shaded in without the scales? (or unless you didn't direct that post at Miumau's comment) The scales and the shading seem to really need improvement, therefore we should probably take it just one step at a time. |
Posted By: Friend
Date Posted: 21 July 2011 at 4:48pm
| the problem is, you aren't giving him any definition with shading. You need to imagine looking at a dragon from the side. accentuate his facial muscles such as around the eye bone and you need a lot more contrast in shading. Miumau's dragon looks 3D because he shaded giving mind to the various muscles and definition. All you did sarah was very slightly shade the head from dark to light from the bottom up. You must shape your shading, and INCREASE the contrast |
Posted By: vlad61
Date Posted: 21 July 2011 at 6:04pm
| Hatch i wish you would do more to your galery - that cylinder looks downright awesome! |
Posted By: Hatch
Date Posted: 21 July 2011 at 9:42pm
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Why do you want this thread locked?
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Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 5:55am
| I guess I'm just easily annoyed...I think there should be a lock button. Anyway, the reason I find the shading thing hard is because I'm not an expert artist and I couldn't do that good of a shading on regular sized stuff. |
Posted By: jeremy
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 6:21am
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Why would you post a WIP thread if you didn't want to improve your pixelz? :( The dragon is a nice starting point, try blocking out the shades without scales (see Miumau's edit) and take it from there. We're here to help. |
Posted By: Friend
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 1:31pm
| yeah sarah you have talent :-) just don't be afraid of pushing yourself. You must practice shading. and your first stab at it won't be great, but that's when you come back for more advice, and you practice, and it can be a cycle. |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 2:00pm
So, I did what you all have been urging me to. You happy? XD I also made this animation:  Feel free to insert it into your own animator so you can see it broken down. Also, I would not like you to critique the animation art because I whipped it up quick. But you can suggest things like adding another frame, or something that would imrpove the animation. Also...if anyone finds a good muscle definition tutorial for dragons I would appreciate it greatly, because I never define muscles.
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Posted By: Miumau0
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 2:35pm
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looking good. Now your dragon got shapes and it's not so flat. Also horns should cast shadow to the neck. Now you should clean jaggies and maybe make the neck longer. And with blue BG its hard to read. Add brigh or very dark. |
Posted By: Friend
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 4:36pm
| just use a reference for shading the dragon :) for the animation, it kind of seems like the movement is backwards. I think he should lunge FORWARD when he bites. Just sync up the animation to where the bite goes in time with the forward lunge motion. You're doing a great job |
Posted By: onek
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 5:11pm
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i dont think theres a specific dragon anatomy tutorial
its quite hard to find one these days to get proof yknow .. just look up the muscle structure of some animals.. basically all mammals share the some anatomy (ok dragons lay eegs i guess... but yeah wahtever`) |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 6:12pm
Updated Dragon Miumau0-Okay I did what you said. Frost...butt?-good idea I should use a reference. For the animation I only drew 4 frames and they go like this-1234321 The animation isn't really important enough to me to fix it, maybe tommorow morning if I'm bored. onek-Okay So, I'm still wanting critique on this. Once you guys give me the okay I'll work on the scales. Do you think I should draw some random scales so you guys can tell me how to improve them? |
Posted By: pinksage
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 6:19pm
| Scales look awesome! |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 6:23pm
| You mean on the original? Thanks~ And welcome to pixel joint! A quick note to you...if you think you can't do something that someone says you should try,try it anyway. Just look where that got my dragon :D |
Posted By: ChrisButton
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 6:25pm
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LOL Onek was going to say exactly what I was going to say.
You could compensate the lack of Dragon anatomy on the web by
looking up various types of lizard anatomy though. |
Posted By: cure
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 6:33pm
T-rex Komodo  Horse  |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 6:45pm
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Komodo dragons...great idea! I just found a video on youtube and they walk really strangely. I could see dragons walking like that...Although I would prefer them walking more gracefully. There is actually an awesome 3d dragon animation series here:http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dragons/ I could take a screenshot of that maybe to reference. It's really cool I've seen the whole series.
I have studied horses briefly. While...study is a big word. I looked at some tuts and drawings and have a few in my deviantart gallery. Thanks for the help guys. looking forward to more :D Edit-cure thanks for those great resources! All in one spot :D. I have to say the T-rex is quite close to how I imagine dragons. |
Posted By: jeremy
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 8:05pm
 Spinosaurus and for when you decide to texturise:  |
Posted By: H|F
Date Posted: 22 July 2011 at 11:07pm
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Glad you changed your mind to work on this more! It looks muchmuch better :D
Keep working on it know it will be reakky awesome when you are done. |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 23 July 2011 at 2:16pm
| bump |
Posted By: Hatch
Date Posted: 23 July 2011 at 2:34pm
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Please don't bump your threads.
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Posted By: Friend
Date Posted: 23 July 2011 at 2:42pm
| yeah thats not respectful :/ |
Posted By: coolsarahkry
Date Posted: 24 July 2011 at 8:53am
I gave him some texture- Thanks to Jeremy for the awesome guide!
Some of the scales look kind of messy to me. I tried to fix it but I didn't know how. Edit:Submitted to Gallery. Thanks everyone! If you still have suggestions I will take them because I can just edit in a new one. |
Posted By: dpixel
Date Posted: 25 July 2011 at 7:17am
I know you already submitted this. But I hope you don't mind that I made an edit. Yours does not look very dragon-like. More canine. Anyway, I changed quite a bit. I partially extended the neck for my own reference. Use it for reference or however you like. 
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Posted By: Pinn
Date Posted: 25 July 2011 at 2:08pm
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try changing the texture and shadows for thus it is very amateurish. So, help me too? http://www.pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12581 |
Posted By: cele1989
Date Posted: 27 July 2011 at 2:36pm
Maybe a reconstructed dinosaur may help? I think they resemble the most to dragons, though I lack proof ;-)   |