Penguins!
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=13983
Printed Date: 09 June 2026 at 12:57pm
Topic: Penguins!
Posted By: Partack
Subject: Penguins!
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 1:20pm
|
Hey ^__^
look who decided to try and get his butt out of the depression hole through creativity! So I'm working on a project and I'm going to be making a lot of sprites in these up coming weeks featuring a totally original character that totally isn't generic and over done to death.. (honestly!) So, here's a rough run animation I whipped up in two hours and would like to see what anyone thinks of it. 
my qualm is that i think he leans/twists in too much to the 'camera' and shows too much face. But at the same time, I'm wondering if it's passable? If I get one or two 'he leans in too much' 's then I'll rework it ( i guess i'm just being lazy and need some motivation. lol..) Any C+C appreciated =) |
Replies:
Posted By: shampoop
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 2:18pm
| The face turn towards the camera but no away. |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 2:39pm
|
Originally posted by shampoop
The face turn towards the camera but no away. You mean 'not away', right? I see what you mean, but could you please elaborate on why that's important. your comment isn't really that constructive.. |
Posted By: shampoop
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 3:12pm
| sry, I meant not away. You see, the face turns toward the camera on the 2nd and 3rd frame. On all other frames, the bird is facing forward. I would expect the bird to turn away from the camera with the same rotation. |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 5:35pm
|
I unlazy'd.
How's this? 
(old for reference)
the problem I'm having with this is that the old way was more comical. these things are supposed to waddle like penguins and trip over stuff. this new run looks a little fierce and controlled. of course, i want them to run, but i don't want them to be too serious. i'm thinking maybe lose the knees and make their legs stiff so they kinda have to twist both ways similar to the first run. Or do you think the new run fits the overall look of the character? there's always other ways and other animations to make them look funny without having to look like a gingerbread man . suggestions? |
Posted By: 42and19
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 7:42pm
|
If you are going for comical the old one is better. I do have a few suggestions.
First, like was mentioned above the critters face should turn away from the camera on the last two frames. Also the right wing disappears on the last frame instead of being fully extended backwards like the left wing is on frame 3. One final thing, if you added another tween at the end of the loop is would smooth out the entire motion better. As it is the penguin seems to snap back into the neutral position after the second step. |
Posted By: PixelSnader
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 7:57pm
|
In reality, when the left foot is in front, the left arm is in the back. ------------- ▄▄█ ▄▄█ ▄█▄ ▄█▄ |
Posted By: cure
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 7:58pm
| new one is much better, there's no reason for him to be looking over his right shoulder constantly. Or even over both constantly. When people run, they usually keep their eyes on the prize, swinging their shoulders etc rather than head. |
Posted By: 9_6
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 8:27pm
- You're not lifting his feet on their way back to the front - Arms swing the opposite way of legs - The head turning needs to be smoother - The tail flipping is going crazy As for the new one, I can't tell what is going on with the legs. The old one had clearer limb placement. Edit: Well now I read that this is supposed to be a "run" animation. You got to lift both feet of the ground at one point, or else, it's more of a walk. Also it needs much more up-down movement then. 
|
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 09 March 2012 at 9:48pm
|
Thank you very much for your wonderful replies,
before I respond, I'd just like to note that I'm quite out of practice and also these animations are rough 'sketches' to get a feel for the right poses and I intend to clean them up as I get something more clean. Originally posted by 42and19
If you are going for comical the old one is better. I do have a few suggestions. First, like was mentioned above the critters face should turn away from the camera on the last two frames. *nods* i guess i was being lazy. in all honesty, I was looking at a sprite of kirby running, and in it he faces straight then towards the camera and that's probably why i got thrown off in this manner. Originally posted by 42and19
Also the right wing disappears on the last frame instead of being fully extended backwards like the left wing is on frame 3. yeah, kinda rough sketching there. the wing is there, it's just it doesn't look it is. my bad. Originally posted by 42and19
One final thing, if you added another tween at the end of the loop is would smooth out the entire motion better. As it is the penguin seems to snap back into the neutral position after the second step. 8 frames instead of 6. *Cringe* yeah it would probably make the animation smoother.. I'll see about it. thank you for your comments. Originally posted by cure
new one is much better, there's no reason for him to be looking over his right shoulder constantly. Or even over both constantly. When people run, they usually keep their eyes on the prize, swinging their shoulders etc rather than head. A very good point about keeping their eyes looking where they're going and I'll be sure to remember that in the future. I have a feeling that a waddling run just makes it awkward to see the direction you're going Originally posted by snader
In reality, when the left foot is in front, the left arm is in the back. A very good note, which i did consider, however, I felt since i wanted a waddling kinda look, the arm moving on the same side might make it look like he has to swing his wings to get momentum. i guess it kinda worked but it bugs me just knowing it's inaccurate so i'll probably have to sort that.. =/ oh one other thing, i intended the wings to be outstretched, not 'pumping' like a normal run pose. so that also had an affect on their positioning Originally posted by 9_6
- You're not lifting his feet on their way back to the front probably a symptom caused by there being 6 frames instead of 8.. Originally posted by 9_6
- The head turning needs to be smoother I donno, I think I'm quite comfortable with the whole 'eyes on the prize' idea and will probably keep (Although neaten up) the new run's face. Originally posted by 9_6
- The tail flipping is going crazy Yeah, another side effect from it being a rough sketch, sorry about that. i might just want it to be static and flap up and down, undecided as of yet. Originally posted by 9_6
Edit: Well now I read that this is supposed to be a "run" animation. You got to lift both feet of the ground at one point, or else, it's more of a walk. Also it needs much more up-down movement then. I fear the updown movement you suggested might be a little too extreme perhaps 'run is too harsh a word to use, i want them to kinda... jog.. but with haste.. i dunno. they DO need to bob up and down but I think one pixel should suffice. I'll experiment more and see what comes from it. Thank you VERY much for your edits they will certainly come in handy with a visual aide while i work on this. Cheers all for your helpful comments, they're very much appreciated and drive me to get my butt to work =) ~PtK |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 11 March 2012 at 4:18am
Hurr. double post. 
How's this? 
I realise that in some frames the wing might be too high, but for the sake of when it's animated, it seems to look just fine. I wanted a more arms outstretched/slightly flapping kinda motion too. Fixed the tail as much as I could. the feet and head bobbing is cleaner and I think it's getting closer to being finished. again, thank you very much 6_9, your edits were extremely helpful with the development. If anyone spots anything, please let me know. If not, let me know if you think it's done so I can move on to the next animation. ~PtK |
Posted By: slym
Date Posted: 11 March 2012 at 7:11am
| O.O TEARS OF JOY.... (No I'm serious... I am on the edge of crying) This is the most awesome character+animation I've ever seen. The only thing I would change is the outline on the beak. (I would get rid of the outline where it meets his face). I also noticed that you shaded your outline, you may want to do so to your beak's outline as well. Other than that.... LOVE THIS. |
Posted By: 9_6
Date Posted: 11 March 2012 at 7:36am
|
Why does the belly have so many samey shades?
I'd go with 2. Also the shading on the wing seems a little off, if the light comes from the front like that and it's angled backwards, it probably wouldn't be lit like that. Otherwise, it's pretty solid. Edit: Upon closer investigation, 
-The head feather could bob -The beak doesn't turn properly -There's no point outlining a bright shape vs a dark shape (belly) -You're using way too many colors -You shouldn't outline round shapes like that (wing) -He needs some dark underneath his face because it's round |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 11 March 2012 at 2:51pm
|
Originally posted by slym
O.O TEARS OF JOY.... (No I'm serious... I am on the edge of crying) This is the most awesome character+animation I've ever seen. The only thing I would change is the outline on the beak. (I would get rid of the outline where it meets his face). I also noticed that you shaded your outline, you may want to do so to your beak's outline as well. Other than that.... LOVE THIS. Thank you! that means a lot coming from you, I remember when you were working on that archer character, I was quite envious of your animating/pixeling talent and persistence to 'get it right'. I also love your works. =D Originally posted by 9_6
-The head feather could bob YOU FIXED THE BOB! =DDDDD I had tried to do that but could't get it to bob like that so I just made it a a straight turn.. thank you! Originally posted by 9_6
-The beak doesn't turn properly About the beak, I think I liked it the way it was, I know technically it should turn with the head , but I experimented a little with it and found a static shape to look more aesthetically pleasing (To me). I also wanted the face to be very defined, thus the deep black outlines on the eyes and beak with no AA. Thank you for pointing it out though, I might not have seen it. Originally posted by 9_6
-There's no point outlining a bright shape vs a dark shape (belly) Well there's a small reason why the belly is so different and has, specifically, a blue outline. this character will be a myriad of colours. I have a separate mask layer for each frame with a solid white. this mask layer is then hue shifted to whatever colour I want it to be. This green just so happens to be the colour I chose to be the 'default' and so the belly must remain the same colour throughout. That being said, you're totally right. ,looking at it, it gives the same effect.. I'll experiment a little to perfect it. thank you, I learned something =D Originally posted by 9_6
-You're using way too many colors -You shouldn't outline round shapes like that (wing) -He needs some dark underneath his face because it's round Ahh shading. the thorn in my side. admittedly, I suck at it. =D The wing looks much cleaner and the darkness under the chin helped this piece tremendously. Your edits look much better. Thank you once again. And so, with all this in mind, here is my final version: 
Now for the idle anim so that i have a key frame to bidge the gap between the 'skid' animation for when they stop running/change direction suddenly. hooray progress! =D |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 12 March 2012 at 7:37pm
|
Ok. I've hit a snag.
I can't for the life of me figure out what to do for an idle stance for this little guy. I'd do a normal fighter sorta pose but he hasn't really got knees/room to bounce in a 'ready for anything' kinda way. An idle cycle should be the least of my worries but i'm drawing a blank here.. i know how to do some of the things i want the little guy to do periodically (like lift up his wing and peck at himself like birds do) but the actual 'doing nothing but still sorta moving slightly' cycle is really kicking me in the teeth. i tried breathing , but having him constantly breathing out looked like he was always taking deep breaths and it just seemed so unnatural. so i thought maybe he could swing his 'arms' or something but that was a disaster: 
I'm really struggling.. I don't think a static 'standing still with eyes blinking' pose is going to cut it for this character considering how the rest of the animations are going to be really energetic (eyes popping out in shock, beak agape, panicking, taunting, celebrating, tripping over stuff, blowing up, punching, pecking.. etc..) : 
if i could just IMAGINE what the lil guy would look like standing still while still moving sightly but not really .. yeah.. my mind is conflicted.. Help =( Please.. i'm pulling my hair out about this.. |
Posted By: echocharliepapa
Date Posted: 12 March 2012 at 8:28pm
|
have you tried a little tail waggle or a slight head nod or something like that instead of a full-body wobble? i think maybe the problem with the one you call a disaster is that it's too active for a standing pose. 75% of his body is moving, and quite a bit at that. something small like a wagging tail or an impatient toe tap might work (i know that's more of an "are you still playing the game?" motion, but i think it could work to convey the energy of the character without being too busy for a standing pose). what did the breathing animation look like?
edit: birds sometimes do a shiver like other vertebrates that runs down from the neck to the tip of the tail and wings (think of a cat shaking itself off quickly and neatly, not a dog going crazy in a sprinkler). like ruffling its feathers? 'nother edit: or shifting his weight from one foot to the other? |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 12 March 2012 at 8:40pm
|
yeah. to clarify, i'm struggling on the idle stance. not the in-between parts where they might tap their foot or look around. for those things I already have ideas covered.
Here's a pile of scrap doodles just to prove i've been trying. 
|
Posted By: echocharliepapa
Date Posted: 12 March 2012 at 9:04pm
|
yeah, for sure. i guess what i meant was if you make one of the small intermittent poses the standard idle cycle, it might convey the energetic nature of the character without making him look like spastic. if he's tapping his foot every couple frames and not just after three seconds of being idle, it might give him that hyperactive characteristic without overwhelming the eye with a full-body animation like the breathing in and out.
obviously, some of my suggestions would work better as every-so-oftens (is there a better word for describing these? my animation vocabulary is limited), like the feather ruffling, i'm just saying if you haven't already, you might want to do a tail-wag or toe-tap mockup and see how they look as constant actions. sometimes labeling or categorizing something as "this" or "that" ("active" or "passive") based on past experience (what you've seen characters do before) can be very limiting, and i think your character is unique enough that you can afford to think outside the box a little more. "this is what my character would do" vs. "this is my character doing what characters do when they are standing around" i don't mean to sound overly critical or bossy, i just like what you've done so far and i enjoy brainstorming =] |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 12 March 2012 at 9:25pm
|
you're not sounding overly critical or bossy, i appreciate your comments and brainstorming, i'm genuinely stuck right now and will take all the ideas and things to try that i can get at this point.
I see what you're saying though about making the in betweens and then maybe an 'idle' stance will just sorta materialise. also, 'do what this character would do, not what I've seen other characters do' is definitely a good point for me to think about. i guess I'll go see what i can come up with. thanks. |
Posted By: H|F
Date Posted: 12 March 2012 at 10:11pm
|
One thing that might look good is if he moved his brow like he is thinking? also just wanted to say this is coming along nicely! |
Posted By: 9_6
Date Posted: 13 March 2012 at 1:06am
|
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 13 March 2012 at 2:00am
That's extremely close to what I was trying to imagine >___< I guess the static standing pose was adequate after all . the new swing anim you made ties it all together to keep it full of motion but idle at the same time. Thank you sincerely yet again 9_6. I was trying so hard to imagine what it might look like but couldn't get it to animate in a way that looked natural. This gives me a great visual aid to work from. Just curious 9_6, how long have you been animating? You're really good at what you do ^___^ Edit: 
not very satisfied with it, but it's just concept art. just though i'd share it *shruggs* I couldn't find a picture or video of a bird ruffling it's feathers to reference.. this one is more like how a dog shakes water off or something.. mnff. |
Posted By: H|F
Date Posted: 13 March 2012 at 9:46am
|
I like that it's doglike imo, it gives him extra character.
I love the OMG jawdrop one, so funny.
He is a very likeable lil guy.
Sorry I can't give much CC! I'll just do praise to encourage you.
|
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 15 March 2012 at 12:59am
|
Thanks for the praise, I think I'd curl up into a ball and give up without any comments..
ANYWAY, I've put the idle stand sorta on the back shelf just for now while i play with concepts since I have a good idea about what it might look like now thanks to that wonderful edit by 9_6 (and i can rest assured that the static stand is acceptable). So here's some show and tell: (challenge accepted) this one was quick and dirty. just playing about with folding his little arms (needs a lot of work, please comment mainly on the arms) 
(foot check idle pose) Pretty happy with this one. needs refining. 
(celebrate) Having issues with this one. Needs refining, obviously, considering some of his anatomy is out of proportion. I'm afraid I've done that stupid noob mistake again with the arms copying the legs.. 
Thinking deeper about it, Super Mario jumps like this. 
Does that necessarily mean that my celebrate jump is 'wrong' ? it could be perceived that he's kinda hopping. given that he's a bird (ok, he's a penguin, a flightless bird.. but this kind of penguin is special. kind of a mix because i say so. (check the clawed feet) ) I'd expect them to be slightly agile in the air, not able to fly but maybe delay their descent. kinda like a chicken. so it stands to reason that they'd be able to jump that high. *shrugs* i'm pretty sure i'm not jsut making up excuses.... pretty sure.. but yeah.. maybe he's just hopping, so it's ok? comments and critique are always more than welcome =) |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 21 March 2012 at 5:25pm
|
Well then. No replies to my previous post. That's fine. I guess it was more show and tell than anything. I think better when I write it down to show someone.
Here's my sorta finished idle pose: 
I decided to make him swing his 'arms' and let gravity sorta slow them. *shruggs* I think it works just as well as the edit 9_6 made. It's better that I expanded on it anyway. I'll be adding more wilder animations to it later but right now I want to get on with the meatier things like jumping and skidding and tripping and more extreme facial expressions like panic and stuff. C+C for this piece is most welcome (also the ones in my previous post are still up for deliberation if you feel so inclined.) Time to sleep. ~_____~ Edit: Another character for this project: 
Having difficulty showing his facial features because of the dark colours. Also, I think I'm struggling with making him look shiny enough while maintaining the clarity of his facial features. I should note that all the works in this thread are intended to be viewed at x2 once they are finalized. so if you're having a little difficulty looking at the last piece, click it to zoom in once. |
Posted By: pwei
Date Posted: 22 March 2012 at 12:40pm
| I love these. I think the head-ruffle idle is my favorite. |
Posted By: reis
Date Posted: 22 March 2012 at 5:17pm
| OMG! He was extremely perfect. The shadows, lines, animation, all very beautiful, and I thought this looked gorgeous Penguin in a mockup! =) |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 22 March 2012 at 7:22pm
|
Originally posted by pwei
I love these. I think the head-ruffle idle is my favorite. Thank you =D I'm rather fond of the ruffle one too. I'll clean it and add it to the idle when I get around to it. Originally posted by lfspr
OMG! He was extremely perfect. The shadows, lines, animation, all very beautiful, and I thought this looked gorgeous Penguin in a mockup! =) Thank you lfspr ^___^ Your compliments drive me to make MORE @______@; So here's the three stages of my little bomb character: 
He's very exciteable. I won't explain what is happening as that would ruin the surprise when this project starts taking shape. All I will say is that the more he thinks about exploding, the more excited he gets. And the aftermath: 
I'm worried the charred black is a little dark to see the little arm wiggle as it comes to rest because the solid black lines are indiscernible. Should I lighten the charcoal black a little or is it fine? this laptop LCD isn't the best screen in the world to pixel on. C+C always welcome. =) |
Posted By: thatlouise
Date Posted: 23 March 2012 at 8:31am
|
Oh my god these are adorable! I love the ruffling one and the bomb aftermath =D
If I had to crit anything it would be that his beak appears to slide across his face when he's running because it stays the same even as his head is turning.
|
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 24 March 2012 at 11:10am
|
Originally posted by thatlouise
Oh my god these are adorable! I love the ruffling one and the bomb aftermath =D If I had to crit anything it would be that his beak appears to slide across his face when he's running because it stays the same even as his head is turning. D'aww.. You didn't sign up to the PJ forums just to praise me, did you? (your post count reads: 1) About the beak on the run animation, I'm quite content with how it is and I don't think it'll be very noticable when the charactacter is moving either way, so I'm going to put my foot down and keep it as is. Thanks for your generous comments. =) So, Praise and show-n- tell aside, I am actually looking for critiques on these as I pump them out. Like, discrepancies and things I might have missed, possibly comments on the shading or potential mistakes I have made with the forms or lineart. Be brutal! It's the only way I will get better. So Here's a small mockup of how a skid might look but I'm not too sure about how it ends. the skid might be much faster and shorter than this too as I'm thinking of using it for 'quick turns' 
Be aware that the run animation was just to convey running. The character will probably run a little faster than this and of course the movement would be much smoother. Also the skid smoke is just a Mockup. I intend to make dynamic smoke appear (partacles/sprites with physics). |
Posted By: ekobor
Date Posted: 24 March 2012 at 11:42am
|
On the blasted animation, a thought could be that instead of making tem uniformly charcoal black, you could make a blast pattern across his front, making the back area a lighter colour. It'd make the wing swing easier to see. It'd also be more likely, as only the side exposed to the blast would be totally blacked out by it.
Also... this is adorable as all get out. I'm watching carefully, I can't wait to see how it develops! |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 25 March 2012 at 12:05am
|
Ekobor:
Thanks for your comments, I'd considered the spiky blast idea, but thought completely charcoaled might be more comical. Maybe at a later date i'll tweak it and see how it looks with a much lighter gray and a black blast mark on the front of him. Soo Tired ~___~ I've been working on this today and I can't seem to get it right. can anyone tell me what you see wrong with it? In case you don't get it, he's tied up and hanging from a rope, but not struggling. just kinda like ¬_____¬ bored/annoyed. 
(green one is there to compare size and form ) Help please >___< Ok.. i really gotta sleep. my eyes are burning. Oh, I'm also still looking for any crits on that skid anim. Even just a 'it looks fine' would suffice. |
Posted By: echocharliepapa
Date Posted: 25 March 2012 at 12:32pm
|
i second ekobor's suggestion re: blast pattern, but if you really don't want to do that, then i would lighten the charcoal gray a few shades. you also might want to have a couple wisps of smoke drifting off?
for the tied up one, i think his overall posture is not different enough from the standing pose. maybe have him more horizontal and his feet dangling more? also, the rope doesn't look like it's in the right place exactly, should it be a little lower on his body to support his center of gravity better? lastly, the side to side animation looks good when he's facing left, but when he turns toward us, it's too quick. might want to toss a couple frames in there to slow it down. is this animation going to follow a struggling animation? if not, you might want to toss in an annoyed huff/puff animation to convey the character's emotion a little more. or not. as always, these are just suggestions, i think your work here is great. re: the skid, if you really want to make it a quick turn animation, i would definitely shorten it (maybe by taking out the little hop?). i think once you're done with the dust/smoke animation, you might find that that will draw the viewer's attention more than the actual penguin does during the animation sequence, and that it looks fine as is. |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 26 March 2012 at 8:54pm
|
That blast pattern. ¬____¬ lols. I'll have a go at it when I run out of things that need doing or when I need it for actual use, whichever comes first =P (not soon =P)
Thanks for your input though. As for the skid anim, I think you're right about the dust drawing the players eye, and there might not be much dust if it's a quick turn, and even if it is, it would be a 'quick' turn so it would probably be too quick to notice anything wrong with it anyway. As for the dangling one.. Well. you're right, but I can't for the life of me fix it.. =| spent a good few hours just playing with the feet and adding an extra frame just before the last turn towards the 'camera' then I got bored and drew a bubbling cauldron! Its got star stickers on it! =D 
Not too sure about the fire. I think it's within acceptable parameters though. Also, By popular demand: 
Scruffy lil yellow dude! As always, Be blunt and let me know if I missed anything.. Please and thank you. 
|
Posted By: echocharliepapa
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 2:29am
|
like the cauldron, stars and all! looks like there's a frame in the animation for the fire (one of the times when the flames are at their highest) that runs twice as long as the rest (maybe the first and last frames are dupes?), but i guess that could just be on my end. otherwise looks great! i see what you mean about the feet, just wanted to say that despite all my comments, i don't think i could do this half as well as you do, i would probably get frustrated and give up much sooner.
like the yellow guy, too-- animation is smooth and shading/color is spot on and consistent throughout. |
Posted By: Partack
Date Posted: 27 March 2012 at 3:30am
|
Wow, Good eye on that flame frame (lol) I didn't spot it before but a dupe is definitely there.
Turns out I got my frames mixed up and there were a few other things broken with the flames, for instance some flames had dupe layers on top of each other for no reason. that'll teach me for not sorting my layers out with colour markers and appropriate names. Fixed (left) Old broken one (right) 
I will point out that these are all mockups, the actual sprites are to be used for a ... secret project.  I.e, the cauldron would animate separately from the penguin.
Thanks very much for your comments and support, it really helps a lot to continue on feeling assured that a piece is acceptable by someone with fresh eyes since I've been staring at it for hours and your keen eye is a benefit for the same reason. =) |