Pixel Art Details

Title:	The Spartan
Pixel Artist:	Helm (Level 5 Detective :: 9129 points)
Posted:	6/10/2006 17:22
Palette:	4 colors
Statistics:	322 comments 816 faves 0 avatars
Full Red, Green, Blue and Void allowed. Nothing else.

Top Pixel Art - June 2006 (#1)

Discussion

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Huggkruka (Level 1 Rookie) @ 7/28/2006 07:53

But there are so many colours in there...

Wow man, GREAT work on technique.

OldSkoolLink (Level 2 Corporal) @ 7/16/2006 22:26

Holy shit...

zomby (Level 1 Quiet One) @ 7/15/2006 14:43

Very nice work. Colors look very good and make the pic even more fantastic.

NobleClock (Level 2 Corporal) @ 7/14/2006 22:54

wooow, static its cool

KraZ (Level 1 Rookie) @ 7/7/2006 23:08

SPARTANS ARE AWSOME! Sorry but ALL CAPS was so right for that! I love this picture! I love Spartans... **** I love YOU! JK, on that last part. I stared at this for over 30 min.

*Puts in Favorites*

Mordalles (Level 1 Hired Gun) @ 7/4/2006 11:35

not a very appealing pixelart, yet good techniques used. legs seem a bit out of proportion. good work.

Helm (Level 5 Detective) @ 6/29/2006 20:35

Mullet: good critique

Saboteur: I learnt a new form of dithering I never had much of a reason to use before this. It's a byproduct of the scanline thing. Ptoing started this whole deal by showing my a picture that seemed blue, by alternating 'scanlines' between two colors. After we decided that this was interesting, I had to try to use the scanlines, but also do dither gradiations into other colors without resorting to too much

XOXOXO
OXOXOX
XOXOXO

standard 50% dithering patterns, as they went against the scanline effect. Not that I didn't end up using them anyway, but not predominantly.

So what I had to figure out is this sort of 'brick dither' effect you can see if you zoom in like on the helmet or chest. It's a very subtle effect, not a lot of brightness differentiation, but adds texture, interest and doesn't mess with the scanlines too much. The big payoff is of course, tinting.

Thanks for the interest, again. I am amazed a piece such as this fared as well as it did on pixeljoint. Although it didn't seem to get any 'x of the week' award or anything.

Mullet (Level 1 Jukyu) @ 6/26/2006 14:18

Looking back, there's one spot that bothers me. His right hands thumb, the one holding the flame sword, is seperated from the sword by only a line. It looks really out place, considering how every other spot is defined using shading, but that one line is used for the division there. Pardon the pun, but it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Saboteur (Level 4 Shichikyu) @ 6/26/2006 02:32

I'm gonna assume you do everything as a learning experience, because you're fucking godly at pixel art, and that can only come through either loads of practice or some well-aimed practice. This is nuts, basically, and I have but one question:
What did you learn about dithering (or whatever) while making this piece?

Mullet (Level 1 Jukyu) @ 6/23/2006 00:01

Wow. Helm, this isn't just a great piece, it's a masterpiece. The skill it would take to do this is well beyond me, and many others. Not only is the drawing interesting, and the lighting realisitic, but the sheer technique involved into transferring such a great piece of art to pixel art, let alone with a limit of rgbv, is dumbfounding. Major props, a favorite, and 5/5!

Kennethfejer (Level 1 Jukyu) @ 6/16/2006 14:09

absolutely awesome.
cant say anything bad about this piece.
its amazing to see what you can get out of those 4 colors.

i_am_leeloo (Level 1 Rookie) @ 6/16/2006 13:59

Wow O_O
Simply amazing. I wish I could do this. <3

Wazu_is_king! (Level 1 Private) @ 6/16/2006 00:11

You are a pixel god!

me7356 (Level 4 Murderer) @ 6/15/2006 14:17

When I saw this, my pupils climaxed.

Maybe you didn't need to know that.

ptoing (Level 7 Underboss) @ 6/14/2006 14:00

I feel like i have to write something too. I love what you have done with the restrictions. Hope i can do something as good when i find the time to tackle this mode.

Helm (Level 5 Detective) @ 6/14/2006 12:50

Thanks again, everybody. St0ven, I am honored.

E-Magination (Level 3 Sniper) @ 6/14/2006 08:50

Yeah, the leg is awesome.

st0ven (Level 2 Dealer) @ 6/13/2006 23:54

i havent had this much respect for a pixelated piece in a long time. I can clearly see all of your techniques culminated into this fantastic work, but i think the most amazing part about this piece is the comprehension of color theory and how intimately balanced these colors can be when in close proximity to another. for some reason i am especially drawn to the leg, perhaps not only by the stronger contrast in that area, but also just the athletic, sleek musculature of the leg, it seems very much real, more so than all of the other awesome detail. The one thing that keeps popping out at me over and over though, is the bicep on the right most arm, it just seems too big given the rest of the musculature, especially in comparison to the somewhat dwarved deltoid of which it is intertwined with ;).

Nevanda (Level 1 Jukyu) @ 6/13/2006 23:10

4 colors

my sweet god...

E-Magination (Level 3 Sniper) @ 6/13/2006 06:53

Awesomeness in C64 style-ish. Nicely gradiented.

?UNKNOWN? (Level 1 Rookie) @ 6/12/2006 22:33

When you put it like that...
Yeah, I was just suggesting my dislike, but It would be awesome to see this with propper colours.
But no, keep it as it is, the skill of using horrible colours and making them look a thing of beuaty is a skill that it seems I can't appreciate fully.

ryumaru (Level 3 Private Eye) @ 6/12/2006 22:02

are you suggesting he fix them or are you just showing your dislike of them? i dont even think helm liked the colors he was using, pure red, pure blue, and pure green.

?UNKNOWN? (Level 1 Rookie) @ 6/12/2006 21:01

I know that's the point of it. I do admire how he made such ugly colours look great, -Sorry I I didn't make that clear- but that doesn't stop the fact that I don't like them.

ryumaru (Level 3 Private Eye) @ 6/12/2006 19:23

unknown, the point of this piece was to use these pure colors, doing anything else would deystroy the point of the aesthetic that helm was going for.

anyways helm, can i congratulate you on making a new form of dithering?

d-p (Level 11 Psychopath) @ 6/12/2006 17:20

Probably the best one can make of these colors.

happip (Level 6 Serial Killer) @ 6/12/2006 14:29

awesome, even if the colors hurt my eyes for some reason x. x xD

?UNKNOWN? (Level 1 Rookie) @ 6/12/2006 12:56

It's a good piece, don't get mne wrong.
But I'm the sole one that doesn't like the colours.
The first time I looked at it I got a headache. However, that may have been stress. I just personally don't like the choice of colours, no matter how effectively you've used them. But still, it is a great piece. 5/5.

CDI (Level 5 Detective) @ 6/12/2006 10:33

amazing... purely amazing... only now... can you animate it j/k

DeathByChris (Level 5 Killer Klown) @ 6/12/2006 10:22

thats insanely awesome 6/6. am i the only one seeing the six dot rating ?

Aleiav (Level 2 Quiet One) @ 6/12/2006 09:54

5/5 + Fav

I absolutely love this piece. It's amazing.

Dark Rogue (Level 5 Rokkyu) @ 6/12/2006 06:53

The helmet reminds me of the mithril/elven helmets on Oblivion...

All of the other good comments have already been said, so I remain speechless.

Helm (Level 5 Detective) @ 6/11/2006 23:23

I know! you have to mix all three colors, and getting it *darker* then is a pain in the ass because you can only do it with the 'brick dithering' before it reaches a -tinted- shadow tone... it's complicated. Good luck.

PixelSnader (Level 2 Peon) @ 6/11/2006 17:45

yay! you made me feel like i'm not gonna rip you off =P and you chose 0,0,0 255,0,0 0,255,0 and 0, 0,250? because those are the primitives a pixel-part can show. i was wondering why you didnt add white, but that's clear now.

by the way. it's a pain in the ass to get a decent skintone.

Pixel_Outlaw (Level 2 Flatfoot) @ 6/11/2006 17:06

WOW for the picture. You talk really fancy!

Helm (Level 5 Detective) @ 6/11/2006 15:55

Divergent paths can arrive at similar results, this doesn't link them more than superficially though, because the theory behind them is still different. I wasn't thinking pointilism when I made this. I was thinking pixel art. Computers. The emergent aesthetic from the last decades of computer art design (this is what I mean when I say machine). Why did I choose 0,0,0 255,0,0 0,255,0 and 0, 0,250?

So this is good for you, because if you want to do pointilism you still can!

PixelSnader (Level 2 Peon) @ 6/11/2006 15:51

helm, the theory of pointilism is putting down separate dots of paint, which optically blend to other colours at a distance. i think this fits the profile (as does regular dither yeah, but this is to a bigger extent)

by the ''machine'' i suppose you mean the RGB colour selection?

buloght (Level 6 Hitman) @ 6/11/2006 15:13

Pieface: Look closer.

Pieface (Level 3 Sergeant) @ 6/11/2006 14:33

I can see more than 4 colours

Green, Red, Blue, Black,Purple, Darker Blue, Lighter Blue etc

buloght (Level 6 Hitman) @ 6/11/2006 13:22

Looks awesome Helm. Very interesting and amazing use of colour.

Helm (Level 5 Detective) @ 6/11/2006 13:10

This has nothing to do with pointilism directly. It's a separate aesthetic developed from and around machine.

PixelSnader (Level 2 Peon) @ 6/11/2006 12:45

dude! i was gonna do pointilism in pixels >_< you nasty mindreader you! i love you!

crab2selout.png (Level 4 Deputy) @ 6/11/2006 12:41

Sexy bum pads

Opacus (Level 7 Ichikyu) @ 6/11/2006 10:21

4 colours? That's totaly insane. Fav

limenu (Level 4 Killer Klown) @ 6/11/2006 08:43

Looks Sweet, but full red and green are painful for my eyes in all artworks, i don't have any idea why :p (in my av too). Anyway, this efect of mached colours allowed me looking longer and imo this ist the bigest + in work :3 (ofcours, concept and skills in drawing are great too)

HMC (Level 7 General Manager) @ 6/11/2006 07:53

Hahaha, wow. This doesn't even look like 4 colors. Great blending.

Helm (Level 5 Detective) @ 6/11/2006 07:31

Thanks everybody. I dunno Filax, isn't it a bit cheaty to just post a 10 second color remix as a different piece?

Filax_666 (Level 6 Hitman) @ 6/11/2006 02:19

As sweet as candy...the range of tones you achieved with just four colours is impressive, I seriously doubt many people could achieve this. I especially like the flame on top of the helmet, that came out superbly well. But then, all in this piece is amazing...

My only crits are that the sword could have more tonal variation (like the other flame) and that the light that comes from the sword should be reflected on the helmet and the chest (like on his right arm and the leg). Also, the way his shoulder connects with the right arm (his right) looks a bit odd, but that's probably just me.

Are you going to post the CGA version as well?

PixelNinja (Level 1 Rookie) @ 6/11/2006 02:02

That is just awsome, how on earth did you do that with such a limited pallete ! lovely work.

Skull (Level 11 CEO) @ 6/11/2006 01:41

Superb - amazing shape and the colours are so unusual it really adds something to the piece - reminds me of retro gaming.. just fantastic.

Shark (Level 1 Jukyu) @ 6/11/2006 01:31

This is great. I especially love HIS left arm, that is very well done. However there are a few reds pixels on his elbow, which look like a yellow line at 1x zoom, that dont look quite right. Other than that - superb work with such a limited pallette.

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