Squirrel Nuts
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=15476
Printed Date: 28 October 2025 at 5:16am
Topic: Squirrel Nuts
Posted By: yourownskills
Subject: Squirrel Nuts
Date Posted: 26 November 2012 at 1:27pm
|
I am a 2d/3d game artist with two years of game industry experience but its in 3d modeling and textures. I really love pixel art and think its not appreciated enough. I am creating a side scroller using GAME EDITOR. So far its looks good but it doesnt look like pixel art. I read a few tutorials on here but Id like some suggestions on how to make it overall work better as far as the characters, background , animation....my color pallette....here is a video of it... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaEy7PtjYtY&feature=plcp Here is my website...www.dwbailey.com Ill post some screen shots. [  |
Replies:
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 26 November 2012 at 7:54pm
|
Your game will greatly improve if you go with pixelart. Since you already have it all laid out and know what you need it shouldn't bee too difficult to transfer art style from what you have into pixelart. Scour the gallery for a pixelart style you prefer for your game and copy a link here. ------------- |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 27 November 2012 at 1:54am
|
http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/21313.htm http://darkfalzx.blogspot.com/p/portfolio.html http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/12004.htm http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/17613.htm http://www.pixeljoint.com/pixelart/25321.htm Quality like this. I really dig their style, there is a few others that I saw as well. I just want to repaint what I have and get it closer to that style....I use photoshop cs5... I switched the Pencil tool instead of the brush...and turned off everything in the brush settings....I just really love and appreciate the style that you artist can do...pretty damn amazing. |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 27 November 2012 at 6:58am
|
The quality and style on these pieces are perhaps too far from your current (zero) pixel skills. We will need to be realistic and keep that list as a goal and personal challenge. There are many PJ members who practice pixelling regularly and still have a way to go before getting to those super-pixellers.* I actually don't think any of the styles shown in that list is right for your project at all from a design standpoint. You game suggests an entirely different vibe. In order to get your feet wet and begin the process of learning pixelart I suggest a super clean/precise style or even a slightly cell-shaded remake of your platformer. This will not match your vision but will be a vast improvement to the really 'muddy' art you now have and will allow you to focus on the pixels and animation frames using pixelart which have more technicalities that one would assume. This is sample piece ( http://www.pixeljoint.com/p/17347.htm - Delicious ) of the style I think would work for your games vibe and while it may appear simple, this is high-quality pixelling and equal in every way to everything you list.** http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/environment.png">  Here is another example by http://www.pixeljoint.com/p/35168.htm - riestagema and is what I will venture to guess is the best you can hope for at this time...You need to be self-critical and realistic, as I mentioned before. http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/theexplorer.png">  This example by http://www.pixeljoint.com/p/31583.htm - nedhugar is highly 'pixelly',an excellent style and what I would personally strive for if I were you. This is, to me, equal in almost every way to your listed art and in some ways even better when highlighting a pixelart project because there is no doubt of its look. The art you list in actual gameplay when everything is moving and the player is playing a lot of those pieces don't always read as pixels to the average person. PJ is mostly pixel fans and we often have to zoom in and inspect pieces to believe they are true pixel pieces...anyhoo...this is, imo, your best target style. http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/halfwallpapr.gif">  * While I am flattered that you included my work in your list I can assure you that I am not in the same skill level as the others you list. ** Cept mine --- ------------- |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 27 November 2012 at 12:12pm
| thanks for the feed back. I really like what you posted as well. I use photoshop and read a few tutorials that said to have my tool as the Pencil instead of the brush tool and have the brush settings with zero checked? |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 27 November 2012 at 5:25pm
Here is the latest version of the squirrel at 64 by 64. |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 27 November 2012 at 6:45pm
|
Oh that's all over the place and your setting are off as seen in the one pixel on the chin. The noobtorial thread in the resource section on page 2 has a mini Photoshop setting entry...but check out the whole thread while there. Pixel clean and precisely so that when animation times come you'll have as little work as possible. When using PS to pixel you will only use a few tools: pencil - bucket - eraser - lasso all at 100% tolerance and because PS is awesome to pixel...layers \o/...that's it!!! anything else you do is NPA and not good. When saving pixelart use the 'save for web' option so you can double check your colors when outputting. gif or png8 only NOT png24. I would suggest you leave sprites for later and focus on ground tiles and the playable areas and maybe the GUI too so they help you determine what the sprites and assets will need to read well. Use that sprite as your scale and for planning purposes as you pixel. ------------- |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 07 December 2012 at 10:26am
|
Thanks for the feedback. Just wondering what you meant by it being all over the place. I would pick a color and then for the shadows I would go toward cool colors and a darker value , then for the lights I would go toward the warm colors and a lighter value...also my photo shop setting is on pencil with zero things checked in my brush setting.
anyway you could do a painter over to show me what im not seeing...thanks Id appreciate it. |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 08 December 2012 at 6:29pm
|
I'm sorry. I don't have the time to make an edit, k. You are all over the place because overall as one piece there appears to be the work of different styles within the mockup. Its not just picking a color and then running a ramp, then another color producing another ramp. Its making all colors cohesive and sensible. That much 'glow' and blurring and smudgging is just making everything 'muddy'. Don't know what to say other than view other's work you admire and study to see what makes something work. Most here learn like that. Your settings in Photoshop, if you mean to make pixelart are not correct. ------------- |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 08 December 2012 at 10:45pm
|
Hey sorry about that jalonso, I posted the squirrel that I redid , I guess its not showing up? also im redoing all of the art hpefully in this more pixelated style.
|
Posted By: Semont
Date Posted: 08 December 2012 at 11:17pm
|
I'll say this to save other people's time. http://www.pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299 - http://www.pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299 This should be on every newcomer's must read list as far as tutorials go for pixel art. |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 08 April 2013 at 2:38pm
Here is an update. The editor I am using is game-editor and it gives off some kind of warning when you go to download it...I have not had a issue with it. you can check out what I have so far here... http://www.dwbailey.com/images/squirrelnutsProduction.exe - www.dwbailey.com/images/squirrelnutsProduction.exe |
Posted By: Etheric_Shock
Date Posted: 08 April 2013 at 7:46pm
|
Compared to your sprite, your lines look really messy. The shading on the blue building looks nasty and all of the roof lines don't make sense. The darkness under the grass looks uneven and blocky. You need to pixel with purpose. And the platforms that the other squirrels are standing on, you could edit the tree's to have very long branches that serve as higher levels. Right now they look like they are floating over the tree with no regard to physics.
I suggest lowering the ground shading to a even height or pattern of some sort that lies within 3-5 pixels of each other. I could not find the example I wanted, but this one works. Examine how the ground fits together and how its not just automatically dark under the dirt. 
|
Posted By: Etheric_Shock
Date Posted: 08 April 2013 at 8:00pm
As for an example of tree's made into platforms, I found another less than ideal example.
|
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 08 April 2013 at 8:08pm
| Thanks for the feed back. Im going for a simple pixelated style using only two shades to define areas. Im using a small canvas to make the background images. As for the highlights on the houses its to show for one highlights and two separation between one roof to another....I dont want to just defend my art and what not I do want to get better...if your going to use only to values of a color to define the roofs how would you do it? If you check out the game file you can see more of the level, the tree limbs are not just floating they are connected to a tree. If you can do a quick paint over Shock that would help me out. I am trying to get better like I said. |
Posted By: Etheric_Shock
Date Posted: 08 April 2013 at 8:32pm
| Sure. Maybe tonight or tomorrow night. I don't have much time to do full edits, so some partial edit might help. |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 7:42am
| ok awesome Etheric |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 10 April 2013 at 8:15am
|
Here is the psd file. The canvas is small because I am trying to keep the same pixelated feeling as whats in
http://www.pixeljoint.com/p/17347.htm - Delicious ) style from above. http://www.pixeljoint.com/p/17347.htm - www.dwbailey.com/images/level01start.psd I work in that size and then just resize it in photoshop. |
Posted By: Etheric_Shock
Date Posted: 11 April 2013 at 4:16am
| Sorry, I've been kind of busy. I'll do it ASAP. |
Posted By: yourownskills
Date Posted: 11 April 2013 at 11:53am
|
Thanks and check out the game so far. http://www.dwbailey.com/images/squirrelnutsProduction.exe - www.dwbailey.com/images/squirrelnutsProduction.exe |