Same as with my last tutorial this is merely a straight forward, helping hand for any newbie spriters out there looking for someway to improve, or even get started.
In this tutorial I'm gonna be using the same basis as the first, a simple off the wall sprite-style, whilst listening too music. The only difference is I'll be using the VX template from the resource section on the site. Because lets face it, that's all that template is about.
Right then, first off make a new layer and call it ‘hair' to save confusion. Once that is done, you can choose whatever colour you want, as long as its dark to draw your outline.
I'm not being simple and copy flipping and pasting, as I did in the last one. And even though I've drawn in the clumps of hair, these will hopefully disappear by the time we do the final shade.
The second step now is to choose the base colour, I've used the colours from an original RMVX charset to save time, I'm not a great colour chooser so I'll leave that up to you.
The next step is a controversial choice, whereas most people will say ‘draw a halo with your highlight around the head', I tend to go all guns blazing and choose the second highlight (not as bright as the first highlight) and colour in the parts I feel will shine, weather I use the other charsets as reference is purely upto myself and yourself, more often then not I'll find a reference to keep in the background for safety. Once this is done, you want to use the first highlight (the brightest choice) and quickly dab it on, I will say this one thing, use the second highlight like you have enough of it to do 10 charsets, but only use the first highlight like it's the last of the pot paint, do not over use it! It only take a little bit to give the highlights a pillow shaded look. Also, do not think because it's the highlight that it has to go in the middle of the other highlight. It'll shine higher up then you think, not in the middle.
Once you've sorted the highlights out, you can finish off with a nice shading session. Use the second darkest colour to go over any partings or outlines where the base colour touches, this may seem like a lot, but remembering that hair at the back will seem darker then the front, you should be left with a decent looking outline, now the partings. When drawing the outline you should have a decent idea about where the parting[s] will be when shading. Remembering the shape of the head, you'll want to shade any parts that would be in the background, and/or close to the roots.
Now sit back and relax, only the side and back views to go. Which will be added at a later date.
If you want some more you'll just have to wait a while, until then I'd like to see people actually posting some of there attempts for viewing by the forum. (please post them in the resource analysis as they won't get much attention here I am afraid.)
I've just nabbed these from my photobucket, they're all pretty decent examples of what can be done, so give it a go.
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