The sprite practice thread.

[Ponystar17]

Guys, http://forums.dragcave.net/index.php?showtopic=115977 has a lot of helpful tutorials, especially the fifth post.

 

Ponystar, smooth out some of the original lines. Some of the belly scales have sharp corners t the back, and the way the back antler is drawn it looks like it's connected to his forehead. Also the top of his head should be lighter, not darker, except maybe right behind his antlers.

 

Cfmtfm: Just copying the sketch would take way too much time and effort for me. >_> I shrink the sketch to the approximate size, then draw in lines, using a color that's not black, white or gray, so it stands out from the original sketch pixels. Usually I use red. Then, if using Paint, I save it as a 16-color bitmap, which turns most of the grays into either one of three colors; white, black or gray. Then I use the eraser tool ( http://i37.tinypic.com/hra26b.png ) to turn the rest of the gray and black into white, and the colored sprite lines into regular solid black lines. I clean it up wherever there are jagged places and where anatomy needs fixing, then I save it again as PNG so I can actually use more than 16 colors x3

A bit complicated, but it works.

 

Paint.net probably has a color selector tool, so if you draw your lines in one color then you can select that color (and your lines) and copy paste into a blank canvas. Or delete the sketch layer without deleting the sprite layer, that works too. *whispers* I've never used Paint.net

Thanks for the crits!

I've fixed the scales issue and I'll remember the shading issue when I reshade, but for now I'm sticking with the lines until they're fixed. Not sure what you mean about the antler, though. Could you elaborate on that, please? ^^'

Oh yes, and here's the current version:

[5icky]

I need some crits on anatomy here please!

 

I worked SUPER hard on this...please don't steal it(i trust that people won't, i'm just worried. I plan to use these)

 

Don't worry about the other leg right now, it is to be added

Edited June 3, 2013 by IcarusTheDragon

[cfmtfm]

Cfmtfm: Just copying the sketch would take way too much time and effort for me. >_> I shrink the sketch to the approximate size, then draw in lines, using a color that's not black, white or gray, so it stands out from the original sketch pixels. Usually I use red. Then, if using Paint, I save it as a 16-color bitmap, which turns most of the grays into either one of three colors; white, black or gray. Then I use the eraser tool ( http://i37.tinypic.com/hra26b.png ) to turn the rest of the gray and black into white, and the colored sprite lines into regular solid black lines. I clean it up wherever there are jagged places and where anatomy needs fixing, then I save it again as PNG so I can actually use more than 16 colors x3

A bit complicated, but it works.

 

Paint.net probably has a color selector tool, so if you draw your lines in one color then you can select that color (and your lines) and copy paste into a blank canvas. Or delete the sketch layer without deleting the sprite layer, that works too. *whispers* I've never used Paint.net

Oh gosh, thank you! <3 I knew there must've been some sort of technical way to do this. Worked like a charm for me. Thanks again. :3

 

Thank you animals4501 for your suggestion, but I was a tad reluctant to get Paint.net simply because I hate downloading things. Plus I've got 1 month left until I get to use my brother's laptop (he's going to uni so gets a new one) which has Paint.net installed. I'll see if it's better than my current Paint. X3

 

I basically did what you did - resized it (to 90x120 to start off with) and drew in the lines (but using black because none of the 'fuzzy' pixels were black). Then I used your 16-colour bitmap method. Thanks~!

 

(Used ADP's lovely sketch - thanks!)

I'm looking for crits on the lines. (Well, there's nothing else anyway. X3) I am a total newbie on this so please don't hesitate to flatten me with loads of criticism (as long as it's constructive) - I'd really like to know what things I need to improve (and possibly [links to] how). I'm a visual learner so please do provide references/tutorials with images if you're telling me how to do something. No crits on anatomy please as I'm just trying to line sketches - although tips on how to do eyes would be nice. I tried loads of 2-4px combinations but none of them seemed to look right. D:

The completely straight lines (like the one on the right arm) look a little weird to me and I also avoided the neck/paw designs (the jewel things).

 

If it looks vaguely like a creature, then I have accomplished something, at least. X3

Edited June 3, 2013 by cfmtfm

[Shadowdrake]

Ponystar: there's no forehead line under the antler separating the head from the back, so they end up looking connected. Look at Mysfytt's yulebuck where his antlers are. Do you see the dark maroon outline that continues from the forehead? That separates the antler from the head, so it doesn't look like it's growing directly from his face. Otherwise, it's looking much better!

 

Icarus: I'm not too good with anatomy, but first off, that's not a sprite, that's more like a really small painting. There are lots of colors that are really similar to each other that you don't need ( http://hivemind.in/pj/specs/index.php?urls...pwJAXHNoANP.png ) and it looks like you used a paintbrush tool on gimp or photoshop to shade and color it. Also you'll want the outline to be darker so the sprite will pop out more, and there's not a lot of contrast either way which makes everything sort of blend together. I wouldn't want the tail to touch the leg like that either. It makes it look like it's standing sideways on it's tail. The tail is also rather thick at the base, but gets thin really fast at that first curve.

 

cfmtfm: not bad, but the tail doesn't look like a smooth curve in the middle where it bends, it looks sharply bent at like an angle. There are little lumps on the front of the forearms and thighs that should be smoothed out, and the chest could be flatter. Look at the lines here ( http://fc00.deviantart.com/fs49/f/2009/219...ucas_irineu.png ) to see how to make your lines look more curved.

[5icky]

Icarus: I'm not too good with anatomy, but first off, that's not a sprite, that's more like a really small painting. There are lots of colors that are really similar to each other that you don't need ( http://hivemind.in/pj/specs/index.php?urls...pwJAXHNoANP.png ) and it looks like you used a paintbrush tool on gimp or photoshop to shade and color it. Also you'll want the outline to be darker so the sprite will pop out more, and there's not a lot of contrast either way which makes everything sort of blend together. I wouldn't want the tail to touch the leg like that either. It makes it look like it's standing sideways on it's tail. The tail is also rather thick at the base, but gets thin really fast at that first curve.

 

This IS a sprite...

I did this whole thing pixel by pixel. Trust me

 

The way i sprite is blending... I blend quite a bit but i use the shades only 2-3 shades instead of quickly changing, the point was to blend like i did.

 

Thank you for otherwise crits.

 

Also, it's not for DC it's for something else, the styles wouldn't be the same as DC

Edited June 4, 2013 by IcarusTheDragon

[Princess Kiara]

Can I please get a crit on my (partially finished) wing sprites?

[Tazzay]

Can I please get a crit on my (partially finished) wing sprites?

So far they look good, although they don't look right when it comes to how wings work. The arms and fingers look very straight and stiff, and the dragon wouldn't be able to fly.

 

Try re-doing it using this tutorial - Dragon wing tutorial

[Princess Kiara]

Thanks! Will do...

But for now, I've got the shading done (I think) for the red variant of my dragon's wings.

Did I do OK, shading-wise?

[Tazzay]

Thanks! Will do...

But for now, I've got the shading done (I think) for the red variant of my dragon's wings.

Did I do OK, shading-wise?

To be honest, I cannot see any shading in that. All I see is rainbow (which is actually hurting my eyes pretty badly)

 

I don't really understand what you're doing with those wings. Is it a rainbow dragon?

[Princess Kiara]

Yes, it's a Spectrum dragon

I shaded the red wing spokes and did some slight work on the rainbow membrane's shading as well, but then decided shading on the rainbow didn't show enough to be worth it.

EDIT: Here's the flat-colored sprite with the shaded wings on:

Edited June 4, 2013 by Princess Kiara

[Tazzay]

Hm...now that I look at it, the wing looks very awkward on the body. The membrane isn't attached to the body- it looks like it is just hanging down. Try fixing that?

[Ponystar17]

Ponystar: there's no forehead line under the antler separating the head from the back, so they end up looking connected. Look at Mysfytt's yulebuck where his antlers are. Do you see the dark maroon outline that continues from the forehead? That separates the antler from the head, so it doesn't look like it's growing directly from his face. Otherwise, it's looking much better!

 

Icarus: I'm not too good with anatomy, but first off, that's not a sprite, that's more like a really small painting. There are lots of colors that are really similar to each other that you don't need ( http://hivemind.in/pj/specs/index.php?urls...pwJAXHNoANP.png ) and it looks like you used a paintbrush tool on gimp or photoshop to shade and color it. Also you'll want the outline to be darker so the sprite will pop out more, and there's not a lot of contrast either way which makes everything sort of blend together. I wouldn't want the tail to touch the leg like that either. It makes it look like it's standing sideways on it's tail. The tail is also rather thick at the base, but gets thin really fast at that first curve.

 

cfmtfm: not bad, but the tail doesn't look like a smooth curve in the middle where it bends, it looks sharply bent at like an angle. There are little lumps on the front of the forearms and thighs that should be smoothed out, and the chest could be flatter. Look at the lines here ( http://fc00.deviantart.com/fs49/f/2009/219...ucas_irineu.png ) to see how to make your lines look more curved.

Ah, I think I get it, thanks. Is this better?

I had to rehash most of the lines around the antler, but I think it worked. I also made some other minor tweaks that aren't very noticeable.

[Princess Kiara]

New version of my draggy's outline..Need crits and possibly redlines please as the wings, back legs and lifted front leg look off and I have no idea how to fix them...It's for DC BTW.

EDIT: I think the issue with the back legs is hard lines. Maybe they'd look all right after softening the lines with color?

Edited June 6, 2013 by Princess Kiara

[Ponystar17]

New version of my draggy's outline..Need crits and possibly redlines please as the wings, back legs and lifted front leg look off and I have no idea how to fix them...It's for DC BTW.

EDIT: I think the issue with the back legs is hard lines. Maybe they'd look all right after softening the lines with color?

I believe the issue with your legs (front and back) is that they're quite wonky. They should either be straight or follow a consistent curve - yours just look bumpy to me. Your tail also has this problem at the end.

 

The wings are also waaay too small to fly with. And I'm not quite sure where the extra wing joint is coming from. If it helps, wings have three joints just like ours. There's the shoulder, where the wing arm meets the body, then there's the elbow, about halfway along, then there's the wrist a little further along. Your wing arm has four joints.

 

If you'd like I can try to redline the legs for you, but I'm not confident enough myself with wing anatomy to attempt a wing overhaul.

[Princess Kiara]

I'd love that and would be more than happy to breed anything you may like in exchange for the redlines! Thanks!*

I wanted the back legs to be in much the same position as Spirit's in my avi when he's rearing up...while the front legs were meant to look like a proud prancing horse's (yes, my Spectrum dragon is horse-based...Is it "dragony" enough for DC?) But it seems all I got was wavy legs, ROFL!

Thanks again!

 

*Same for anyone else who wants to help with the wings

 

P.S. I assume the body, neck and head are anatomically O.K., then?

Also, here's the palette, too...any crits on that?

 

 

Thanks again!

 

EDIT: Some improvements to wings, belly, and legs. Any crits?

I wanna color *now*, so I'd like to get the outline DC-worthy ASAP yes, I'm impatient

 

EDIT #2: My dear spriting teacher just gave me the go-ahead to color, so here goes my first flat-color (hopefully less eye-hurting than the first outline's):

Look OK?

Edited June 7, 2013 by Princess Kiara

[Ponystar17]

I'd love that and would be more than happy to breed anything you may like in exchange for the redlines! Thanks!*

I wanted the back legs to be in much the same position as Spirit's in my avi when he's rearing up...while the front legs were meant to look like a proud prancing horse's (yes, my Spectrum dragon is horse-based...Is it "dragony" enough for DC?) But it seems all I got was wavy legs, ROFL!

Thanks again!

 

*Same for anyone else who wants to help with the wings

 

P.S. I assume the body, neck and head are anatomically O.K., then?

Also, here's the palette, too...any crits on that?

 

 

Thanks again!

 

EDIT: Some improvements to wings, belly, and legs. Any crits?

I wanna color *now*, so I'd like to get the outline DC-worthy ASAP yes, I'm impatient

 

EDIT #2: My dear spriting teacher just gave me the go-ahead to color, so here goes my first flat-color (hopefully less eye-hurting than the first outline's):

Look OK?

It's fine basing poses on pretty much anything you want; your dragon is still plenty draconic.

The body, neck, and head are fine as far as I can see. The only potential problems are that a) the lower legs should probably curve slightly backwards if you're basing this on a horse, if the things on the ends of the legs are meant to be paws, some of the wrists are far too thin, especially the front right one, and c) I'm not sure what the thing on the tail is meant to be, so I can't really crit it until I know.

The wings are looking much better. They're still a tad on the small side, but to really fix that you'd need to overhaul wing pose to make the wings folded over partially on themselves.

On your colored version, the wing membrane could extend further back without extending downwards any more, which might look good.

The colors look fine to me. The only pieces of shading advice I really have are never to go too low-contrast between shades, and to use this piece of advice doubly when dealing with pretty rainbow wings.

I'm not entirely sure on this one, but I think that the lower part of the back left left should be showing up on our left of the other back leg, just sort of braced with the lower leg almost vertical.

[Princess Kiara]

The 'thing on the tail' is the horsey-dragon's fur. The thing at the end of the tail is the other wing tip.

I didn't want to curve the wing over on itself because I want to show its whole entire membrane... But I will fix the legs and membrane today. It won't hurt to leave the wings as they are, will it?

Thanks so much!!!

 

EDIT: I've started the shading...Crits please? It must be perfect!

"Fixed" the legs, but I have a feeling they looked better before...Also began shading on the back thigh, stomach, wingarms/fingers, a bit on the hindquarters...How should the lighting be on the tail? (My light source is top-left)

Edited June 11, 2013 by Princess Kiara

[cfmtfm]

cfmtfm: not bad, but the tail doesn't look like a smooth curve in the middle where it bends, it looks sharply bent at like an angle. There are little lumps on the front of the forearms and thighs that should be smoothed out, and the chest could be flatter. Look at the lines here ( http://fc00.deviantart.com/fs49/f/2009/219...ucas_irineu.png ) to see how to make your lines look more curved.

*dusts off sprite*

 

Is this a little better?

 

I'm not sure how much I actually improved the sprite. X3 As a total art newbie, I had no idea what you meant by 'flatter' (for the chest), so I left the chest alone. Does flatter = fatter? I tried to neaten the forearms, thighs and tail, but something tells me the tail still isn't right. :I Also edited the right horn by a few pixels.

 

 

^ This is me attempting to fix the tail (which I think I sort of did with the lower part next to the red). The part highlighted in red is the bit that's annoying me (recolour it to black if it stands out too much) - it sort of dips down. I've tried to raise the horizontal lines (near the end of the tail) up or the vertical lines down by 1px. Halp? D:

[Princess Kiara]

Decided to re-do everything on sprite. Crits please?

Something's off with the wings, but I don't know what...

Thanks!

~PK.

[nicknick88]

Okay, I've been really into this lately, so I tried my own sprite. It's a Fakemon.

 

Help, It's not as good as I'd seen, (But better than I expected.)

 

You guys are great at this! What do I do to make it better.

[animals4501]

Okay, I've been really into this lately, so I tried my own sprite. It's a Fakemon.

 

Help, It's not as good as I'd seen, (But better than I expected.)

 

You guys are great at this! What do I do to make it better.

1. The shading!

There's no clear light source. Does it come from the top or from behind the viewer?

 

2. The legs.

They're much too thin. Not many creatures could survive with those legs.

 

3. The belly.

There should be less underbelly showing. It looks like that Fakemon got squashed up in the cupboard, and it should also face you. Is there a Pokemon(Excluding Mawile) that has its front sprite showing its butt?

[Onixthebunny1]

I want to get into spriting; I made my first sprite.

 

 

It's called a nuutele, nuuteli if it's plural. I know it's an anatomy nightmare, I've been working on it. After all, it's my first ever sprite.

How should I improve or texturize it? It's kind of reptilian. I know the left arm is awkward.

Edited June 23, 2013 by Onixthebunny1

[nicknick88]

I just started too, and I'm beginning to notice these things. First off,

 

1. Shading, since it is reptilian, it should have some whitew spots, (more like lines) to represent scale-shimmer, also there appears to be no light source. I usually used the top left corner, that's where most of the bright spots should occur. http://www.dragonflycave.com/recoloring.aspx

 

That's the link I use as a reference.

 

2. Two, the feet have no hear, or definite base, and the are completely straight.

[OceanSecrets]

Hoping to get some suggestions and opinions about this dragon sprite I drew. It is supposed to be a pineapple dragon. This is not intended for the suggestions, just for my own pleasure.

Thanks!

 

 

[LadyLuck777]

So, I made my first sprite about a year ago and dropped it out of disinterest, and then I decided to pick it up again. I do realize he looks a bit... cartoony, and the 41 colors aren't helping it as a DC-style sprite, so for now, he's just a personal project.

 

 

I would love feedback on him to help me get on the right track and gain practice. Any crits would be much appreciated!