Mystic Studio! Options

[MagitekElite]

Welcome to Mystic Studio! I've recently begun my long journey of learning how to sprite. I'm still picking through all the links I've gathered and the ones people shared with me.

As I sprited various objects, most off of templates, I think I've begun to understand how to sprite. Although, posting my achievements here, might prove otherwise. I have no idea if I'm biased -- when I began, I thought "I'll never be even good" and then as I went on I thought "Jeez, I suck!" But then, until this week, I think I feel....like I'm getting someplace. But I dunno, what do you guys think?

This is my attempt of my female character in my game under development called "Black Moon (Prophecy)". She's a main character, one of them, but I will also have more to work on

[Show/Hide] Sprite Workcase!

Updated! November 19th 2010:

Here is my attempt to make her look more "girly" as I've been told (thankfully! So thanks people!) that her front view wasn't very "girly" looking...
And here is my attempt at the back view again.

Please ignore the third sprite. Absolutely terrible!

----- Older -----

As one of the main characters in my game, concept off VX characters:
Update! Sept 5 2010


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[Show/Hide] Tileset edits Show Case!

Updated:
Updated! November 19th 2010

Update! Sunday, February 6th, 2011!

END NOTES:

This thread will be updated with this account but by three different peoples; The creator of Black Moon, her subhelp with grammar, game testing, video hosting and advertising (ME) and, by what we call her, Dany. Each of us will update this thread using this account. Please contact this account if you are looking for the creator of Black Moon or Dany, the software wielder of our team.

This post has been edited by MagitekElite: Dec 23 2012, 04:56 PM

[Knot]

I'm no master spriter or anything, but here's what I think:

I really like the look of her so far, she melds with the rest of the RTP perfectly. I love the handwraps in particular, I think they were done really well. Her top is the only thing I'm having trouble with, while it should deffinitly darken as it goes around I think that outline is a bit too dark (since it's straight black =P). I would just change the straight black for the dark colour you use in the middle of her top. It just makes it alot more interesting.

On a side note, what kind of character is she? If you're spriting your own stuffs you can have alot of fun, like making her a little bit more tan if she's a pirate to show all her outdoorsey adventures (that's what she looks like to me, anyway :x).

[MagitekElite]

Thanks so much for posting, Knot! Any help makes me get better! You wouldn't believe what my first sprite looked like lol

For the shirt's outline, I was thinking dark brown/brown (right now of course lol). I'll try out a few colors of her palette :>

<------>

I'm currently spriting a few different shoes, but each one doesn't really match her or the cloths. Her original concept had light brown shoes, but then I switched it around without shoes. I don't know though, because I want her to not have shoes, but it looks a bit out >.>

....what do you think? :s

[literarygoth]

You're coming along great so far, so keep at it for sure.
However I do have some critiques if you don't mind.

Be careful with the darker outline colours - they're really robbing the base colour of her clothing, lighten them up. Never use straight black as an outline as RPG Maker VX (and I'm pretty sure XP too) will set that to transparent so the sprite will look a lil funky in game. Just go with a darker shade of the the base colour of the outfit.

Next, the highlights. You need something with a little more contrast - something that will make it pop. For these, go with a colour very very close to the original base colour, but give it more saturation. It will really make the highlights pop and give more depth to the sprite overall.

Here's an example of one of the sprites I'm currently working on so you can see what I mean.


See the contrast with the hair colour highlights? That's what I mean.

Hope this helped

*EDIT* and when you do need to use black, don't use true black.

This post has been edited by literarygoth: Sep 4 2010, 09:33 AM

[MagitekElite]

(:> Thanks for replying and nice sprite!)

How do I find the right contrast, if I may ask? I usually fail at it, and I mean fail. On another forum, I ask and they give me a general idea, but I can never truly find out >.>

This is another attempt at the shirt:


(Has no idea how to find right shades lol)

I don't mind critique! I love it! Please share more!

[literarygoth]

Contrast is somewhat of an art - as if spriting wasn't either xD

Here's a link to a colour wheel for ya:
http://www.faceters.com/askjeff/answer52.shtml

What I mean by contrast is this (using my sprite as the example):
Her hair is orange/blonde. More orange than yellow as you can see. The four base colours are different shadings of the main colour of the hair. The contrast colour on the other hand is just slightly different mixture wise - there's more yellow in it.

This is where the explanation gets complicated. As you can see on the colour wheel that I've linked, each colour in that circle is a mixture of another. Starting where the orange side is, you can see that as you move around the wheel in either direction, the orange is being mixed with another colour (yellow or red, depending which way you go) - that's what I mean by contrast. You're changing the mix of the base colour just slightly, then upping the saturation to make it pop - this will make your highlight colours really stand out.

Hmm, I tried to make that as un-confusing as possible. True contrast is taking the colour from the opposite side of the colour wheel - but that is NOT what I mean here. xD

All you can do really is play around with the colour mixing in the pallette of whichever program you're using to make your sprites. I use paint. Yes. Paint. Go ahead and facepalm now >_<
You can always undo something if you think it looks wrong. Play around with saturation levels, and different mixtures.
Just a side note here, higher saturation looks much more cartoony than colours with a lower saturation - imo, the only place you can get away with a higher saturation is the hair (that is if you're aiming for a more realistic looking colour scheme).

Last, but not least. Much better on the shirt! The black outline that you had used before was really drawing away from the shirt. It looks much better now. Good job

Just curious here, how many shades/tones of colour are you using to create the shirt/clothing?

Would it be possible for you to enlarge your sprite so we can get a better look at it? Open the sprite with paint, change the view to 800% then press printscreen on your keyboard and load that screen shot into photoshop or another image editting program and chop away the excess image, and then load up that enlarged image of your sprite to your photobucket or whatnot. That way I can help critique it better

This post has been edited by literarygoth: Sep 4 2010, 10:44 AM

[MagitekElite]

So I should up the contrast of the hair color....I'll try it out and post back :>

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Paint is fine -- I use GIMP for my spriting and I bet a lot of people will say "What?" ;p

Is this big enough? I will post the palette if need be. I think 4 or 5, but here is the close up.

[Show/Hide] Sprite x 800

(I still have to edit her, but I'm updating GIMP right now, so I'm just waiting lol)

I'm probably using way too many colours, huh? >.>

[literarygoth]

No you don't use too many colours, but your shading is a tad bit all over the place. Hopefully my tips will help out



Ok the two pixels I've circled on the shirt, don't need to be there. That is part of her arm, and makes the shirt look too blocky. This is going to sound corny, but take a look at yourself in the mirror and see where your shirt hugs your body and then goes under your arm - your shirt doesn't stick out up on your arm like that.

The next circled areas on her hips are where there should be more colour. Those darker brown pixels should have one of the shades of her pants, as they are a part of her pants. It looks odd otherwise.

You know what aliasing is? This will make your shading look very nice. Once again I'll post my sprite (it's a WIP, in the process of changing it now actually) so you can see what I mean.



You see how, on the edges of the clothing it's darker, then gets lighter as it moves inwards - and is brightest where the highlights are, then gets darker on the inner thigh area? That's what I mean about aliasing. It gives a figure made of blocks a more rounded look, and it is an appropriate way to sprite.

Remember your light source. With sprites for RPG Maker games, it's safest to imagine that the light source is coming from above, so the parts of the sprite that are highlighted, is where that imaginary light source is hitting the sprite. You don't need a lot of highlighting. If anything, you will find yourself using far more shading than highlights.
If you're using a pre made template you can use the shading of the skin as a guideline.



This post has been edited by literarygoth: Sep 4 2010, 11:36 AM

[MagitekElite]

Oh I see! I was having a problem with the top circled parts lol
For the second circled parts, I couldn't figure out what to do at all --- I tried deleting the brown pixels, but then she looked too thin. >.>

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...Nopies, I don't know what aliasing This is really the first time I've gotten into graphics at all -- when its not rendering or coloring my artwork.

So, it should go something like this:

Outline, darker shade, dark shade and then lighter shade?

Yup I'm using a template -- the RTP template. Its hard to pick out colors. I have no idea if they match, don't match, too much color or too less. But I asked a few sprites on another forum and they said the only color not to use, is black

[literarygoth]

Oh I see! I was having a problem with the top circled parts lol
For the second circled parts, I couldn't figure out what to do at all --- I tried deleting the brown pixels, but then she looked too thin. >.>

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...Nopies, I don't know what aliasing This is really the first time I've gotten into graphics at all -- when its not rendering or coloring my artwork.

So, it should go something like this:

Outline, darker shade, dark shade and then lighter shade?

Yup I'm using a template -- the RTP template. Its hard to pick out colors. I have no idea if they match, don't match, too much color or too less. But I asked a few sprites on another forum and they said the only color not to use, is black

Yep you got it! Outline, darkest shade, dark shade, then lighter, and so on.
This is aliasing. Start at the outside of the clothing, and work your way in. Another thing you could do, is take the base colour of your outfit (like with the colour of her shirt) and draw the entire outline of the outfit you have in mind, and fill it in. It will look odd but then you will have a clear idea of what the outfit will look like. From there, decide what parts of the material should or should not be there (like with those corners of her shirt I pointed out). Then start your shading/aliasing. Slowly the clothing will come to life, and have much more form.

With our sprites, their hips look very blocky. But with aliasing it tricks our eyes into thinking it isn't blocky, giving it the appearance of being rounded edges.
Definately do NOT use black - unless of course you have a character wearing a black outfit, but then do NOT use true black (which is 0,0,0) - because the program will render that as transparent by default. So if you are doing a black outfit, use a black that isn't true black.

Wow that explanation wasn't as simple as I meant for it to be xD
Oh hey! I happen to have a sprite handy and the character is wearing mostly black.


Gah, I hope my explanations help - not really good at explaining somethings.

[MagitekElite]

They helped! A lot! Especially for the clothes! I think I'll still need loads of practice on the hair ('cause I stink at this lol), but the parts about aliasing helped a loads!

I'm gonna see if I can actually retain what I learned lol

EDIT:
Um....one question, how do you know what (I'm gonna say 'route') to make the shading take? Boxes? :s

Like right now, I filled in the area with the back color.

[Show/Hide] Sprite

And then, which the picture doesn't show, I just built shading off the sides. >.>

[literarygoth]

The best way to determine where the shading goes, is by looking at clothing in real life. Where the creases are in fabric, is where there's likely to be shading. (Also you still need to fill in that one block on her hips). The only places you're going to see the darkest shade, are areas that are partially be blocked from the imaginary light source by a body part - like the inner thighs and the upper hips, where an arm will cast a shadow when it swings.

I know it's confusing, but trial an error is the best way to get better. Once you've changed something, zoom out on the picture so you can see it as a player would see it - then you can tell that your shading is off.

Again, look at yourself in a mirror with a light on overhead. Notice where the fabric of your clothes seems darker than the rest? It's all about creases and edges.
Like when you're wearing jeans, the fabric folds naturally to your shape, and in areas where there's excess material (like below your knees) it will fold again, creating an area of shaded fabric. Follow the contours of the body.

Here's a step by step example using your own sprite

[Show/Hide] Example

Ok image one, it's just the outline of the pants and nothing more. Looks very block but now you have an idea of what the pants look like, so now you can begin to shade it in.



Image two. You only want the darkest shade in minimal places - places where the fabric is likely to be the darkest. Like at the top of the hips, because her arms are casting a small shadow. Or at the bottom of the pants on the inner thighs and inner legs, and at the bottom outer edges.



Image three. Use the body's natural contours to direct your shading and highlighting.



In this image is the example of true black that I mentioned in previous posts. This is bad bad bad lol.



As you can see in this image, it's still on the black, but I've chosen a shade a couple degrees higher than true black. It's still black, but not true black. This is great for shading the areas of clothing that require a dark shade, but your darkest shade doesn't look quite right. Like her hips, they still look blocky don't they?



Here is the best place to drop that black, it keeps with the shading and adds depth to the image and her pants but doesn't take away from the rest of the image itself.

Glad to help out at anytime. I can't sprite hair very well so I usually frankensprite hairstyles and edit. But clothing I'm much better with.

[MagitekElite]

Look at myself in the mirror lets me see a lot of things I wouldn't be able to fit into the sprite...but I know what you mean ^,^

I have a quick question again though;
Could I basically use this as a reference as my lighting?

[Show/Hide] Transparent look

Ans by "this" I mean the template's body colorings :>

[literarygoth]

Can't see why not, until you get the hang of where the creases are and where natural shading would occur.
Hope my image step by step thinger helped somewhat

[MagitekElite]

It did! A lot! I didn't know about the arm shadow thing, or anything else, especially how to use black but not use black lol

I'm gonna work on my sprite again!

EDIT:

Okay, so I copied what you did (I'm getting the feel lol) and this is what she looks like x 200:

[Show/Hide] Test

The shading makes her look so much better! I'm gonna keep practicing! I'll see if I can apply the same tech to her shirt!

[Knot]

Wow, that was amazing Literarygoth xD

I think she helped you out more than I ever could but I can still give you my opinion on the shoes! (Muahahaha)

It really comes down to what kind of character she is and matters of convenience instead of spriting. Unlike things like jewellery, shoes have a functional purpose. Depending on where she has grown up/her wealth dictates whether she should have them or not I think. If she’s poor or has grown up in a beach town somewhere she might not use them. If she had the money and lived in a city somewhere she probably would wear them though to protect the soles of her feet.

Also, have you tried sandals? I think they might fit =P

[MagitekElite]

She did help! I think I can finally sprite somehow new "great" or "good".

Well, in my game, she lives in the woods and is very "nature" balanced. She was supposed to not have shoes, but a couple people I showed the sprite to said she would look like a hobo. :>

I want to try sandals....but I don't know how to sprite sandals. I think they'd really match, but...I have no idea how to lol

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Latest update!

[Show/Hide] Walking

[literarygoth]

Nicely done Magite! Coming along very nicely
Your shading has vastly improved already.

For sandals all you would really need to do is the soles, and a strap depending on the angle/view being shown.

[MagitekElite]

Thanks! It feels awesome to get better.

Like this? I was looking at other sprites I thought had sandals.

[Show/Hide] Sandals

I was looking at this:

[Show/Hide] Sprite

[literarygoth]

Those are more like dress shows, but with a little tweaking they could make very nice shoes for your sprite.