Save my sprite(s)

Natzen · Aug 11, 2016

I tried.. I really did lol T_T ..

I could use the assistance of someone more...

artistically inclined?

Basically I think I did alright with the OW sprites but in trying to make them for battle scenes and Oak's introduction I kinda fudged it big time.. so really ANY help would be great!
I'm not 100% sure how requests work but I read the rules and guidelines so I think it's all good.

Trainer Sprite, Front Sprite/Back Sprite/Throwing Pokeball Scene

I don't know the rule about multiple requests at once so for now just this, if interested in making sprites to match my other OW sprites i'd be deeply grateful and inclined to throw your name at the tippy top of the list for credits <3

Fairy · Aug 11, 2016

I know this is a request, but looking at this I honestly believe you are capable of saving this sprite yourself. I promise it's not as bad as you probably think it is!

I definitely think a look at A&D's pixel art tutorial will help you out here. It doesn't cover things like Pokemon sprites in detail, but it'll give you a good sense of the fundamentals of all pixel art - like the rules that all pixel art follows. You need to start at the basics and work your way up, just like baking a cake! It won't do if you don't have all the ingredients and follow the right steps, after all!

Looking at your current trainer sprite, I think one of the best ways you can improve it is to make sure your pencil tool is set to 1px. You've got pixels of varying sizes in there and when working in such a small area every detail counts! You need to maximize the space available to you and be mindful of the more important elements of your character so they translate well.

Once you get more comfortable with general pixel art, I think testing out some recolors will be good for you. Just take an existing trainer sprite whose pose and whatnot match your character the closest and start playing with the colors. Maybe change little details here and there. Get comfortable with making edits and color changes before building from scratch. This will give you a good feel for what a Pokemon trainer sprite really consists of. That, and you won't have to worry about things like proper anatomy right away. Recoloring is a very valuable tool in learning how trainer sprite are outlined and organized, and will give you a sense of how to replicate it when making your own. Take it slow and practice, practice, practice! :)

Natzen · Aug 11, 2016

Fairy said:
I know this is a request, but looking at this I honestly believe you are capable of saving this sprite yourself. I promise it's not as bad as you probably think it is!

I definitely think a look at A&D's pixel art tutorial will help you out here. It doesn't cover things like Pokemon sprites in detail, but it'll give you a good sense of the fundamentals of all pixel art - like the rules that all pixel art follows. You need to start at the basics and work your way up, just like baking a cake! It won't do if you don't have all the ingredients and follow the right steps, after all!

Looking at your current trainer sprite, I think one of the best ways you can improve it is to make sure your pencil tool is set to 1px. You've got pixels of varying sizes in there and when working in such a small area every detail counts! You need to maximize the space available to you and be mindful of the more important elements of your character so they translate well.

Once you get more comfortable with general pixel art, I think testing out some recolors will be good for you. Just take an existing trainer sprite whose pose and whatnot match your character the closest and start playing with the colors. Maybe change little details here and there. Get comfortable with making edits and color changes before building from scratch. This will give you a good feel for what a Pokemon trainer sprite really consists of. That, and you won't have to worry about things like proper anatomy right away. Recoloring is a very valuable tool in learning how trainer sprite are outlined and organized, and will give you a sense of how to replicate it when making your own. Take it slow and practice, practice, practice! :)

Thanks for the heartfelt response, it really means a lot and actually inspires me to give it another shot!

I was getting really frustrated because I could NOT get it the way I wanted, but for sake of experience I will keep trying. I originally used Gary Oaks sprite and kinda kept the outline and modified it a tiny bit to sort of match what I wanted, though it came out looking like a ditto experiment gone wrong :P.

I use MS-Paint, as when I try using Photoshop it always comes out even worst, is that normal(to use MS-Paint anyways?)

Again thanks, I'll give it another shot myself!
(Though the offer still stands for anyone looking to get in on this rom hack ;P)

Fairy · Aug 11, 2016

No problem! I'm happy to help. I was actually still thinking about your thread so I pulled up some resources you can use.

I know of many, many talented pixel artists who use MS Paint! Some swear by it, even. Sometimes all of the extra functions of Photoshop can make things more complicated than they need to be, and MS Paint offers all the tools any novice or expert pixel artist needs! So definitely don't feel put out by that! While I have taken to using Photoshop personally for animation and advanced layering purposes, MS Paint is still a solid program and can produce quality pixel images that rival even the most advanced illustration software.

I'm glad you started with a Gary sprite, I really think that's going to be the key to making your perfect trainer sprite. Here's a spriting guide detailing more about pixel art and specifically Pokemon sprite manipulations (plus a few in-depth tutorials and advanced techniques!)

Also:
https://www.dragonflycave.com/spriting-guide#recoloring
https://eeveelutionresort.freeforums.net/thread/23/recolor-sprite-paint
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L85zwPKYijU

Then, when you feel comfortable, you can begin basic edits to better make the trainer sprite match your character. Learning fusions will be helpful for this too, say if you want to use Gary's legs because their positioning is good but Lance's torso and posture matches your character better. Play a little mix and match then color things properly with your new recolor skills to clean everything up. Pretty soon your custom trainer will come to life!

But, if you're still really struggling after giving it a shot, I'm happy to lend my services too. Best of luck to you!

Natzen · Aug 11, 2016

Fairy said:
https://www.dragonflycave.com/spriting-guide#recoloring
https://eeveelutionresort.freeforums.net/thread/23/recolor-sprite-paint
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L85zwPKYijU

Thank you for these! I know for a fact that they're going to help, I'm going to try recolouring a few pokemon first and once I get the hang of making pallets correctly I will give fusions a try!

Baby steps, right?

Not to bug you, but if I have any questions regarding the artsy stuff would you mind if I shot you a PM here and there?
(I promise i'll try to not be too intrusive)

Fairy · Aug 11, 2016

Haha no problem man, I'll answer any questions you got. :)

Hands · Aug 12, 2016

I think your biggest problem here is it looks like you tried to manually resize the sprite, is this the case?

Natzen · Aug 19, 2016

In the picture attached yes I manually resized it but when I created the 64x64 sprite I basically took Gary Oaks Sprite and recolored it/changed some things but kept the size exactly the same.

PS: Bump, still looking for help :<

Save my sprite(s)

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Natzen

Creator of Pokémon: Sanguine

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I was saying Boo-urns

Natzen

Creator of Pokémon: Sanguine