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Spriting Tutorials - Pokemon and Trainer

Ritchie

EV trainer
28
Posts
14
Years
I know I am not chesu, but I can say, you need a bit more shading, especially on that arm there...

More shading would help, as would smoothing out some of the edges. I like the design!

Thanks! I added more shading as well as smoothing edges. Take a look:

attachment.php


I made it kinda of big, is it possible to resize it to the size of Nidorino or something else?
 

Chesu

Boss Carrot
583
Posts
14
Years
Unfortunately, if you resize it, you'll have to redo pretty much everything on it... to the point that it would just be easier to make the smaller sprite from scratch.

What you did is called "pillow shading"... It has its uses, but doesn't really have a place on a Pokemon-style sprite. Take a close look at how Pokemon sprites are shaded.
 

Chesu

Boss Carrot
583
Posts
14
Years
The outline looks really sharp on the white side, due to the contrast between black and white... you need to shade it a bit more. Other than that, it's great! The green background is visible between his legs... does the bottom of the coat-thing not wrap all the way around?
 

0m3GA ARS3NAL

Im comin' home...
1,816
Posts
16
Years
The outline looks really sharp on the white side, due to the contrast between black and white... you need to shade it a bit more. Other than that, it's great! The green background is visible between his legs... does the bottom of the coat-thing not wrap all the way around?

Lol, originally, this was his normal design, but I WAS thinking of doing that yesterday while walking the town.
I updated his clothing's patterns, and upped the shading, and softened the lines on HIS right.
I'll update him in a minute here....
(Leaves window open to go sprite...)
OKAY, back now...
here we go, version 2.
BrannonVer2.png
 

-Smash

Lv.86 Pixel Artist
73
Posts
14
Years
What you did is called "pillow shading"... It has its uses.
No, no, no.

Pillowshading is a common mistake that gets the better lot newbie spriters. Hell, even if you had the lightsource in front of you intentionally, the style would still look bad and wrong.

You people must be made to understand that pillowshading is not an actual technique, but rather a tendency that leads to failure, one that must be avoided at all times.


..Or not actually, really. It can be used to make bad sprites intentionally, or for pillowshading contest for the lulz. :p
 

0m3GA ARS3NAL

Im comin' home...
1,816
Posts
16
Years
No, no, no.

Pillowshading is a common mistake that gets the better lot newbie spriters. Hell, even if you had the lightsource in front of you intentionally, the style would still look bad and wrong.

You people must be made to understand that pillowshading is not an actual technique, but rather a tendency that leads to failure, one that must be avoided at all times.


..Or not actually, really. It can be used to make bad sprites intentionally, or for pillowshading contest for the lulz. :p

I actually don't know any of the terms for any sort of art thing, I just do stuff, and it often turns out good.
But what is it called when you shade like it is shaded in my previously posted sprite?
 

Chesu

Boss Carrot
583
Posts
14
Years
A light-diffused gradient that doesn't make proper use of the light source... ^^;
You goal is, of course, to make your sprite look like... well, what it's supposed to look like. Cloth wouldn't normally look like the left side of your sprite's jacket looks... There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but realistically the shading would be more minimal.

72394103.png


Maybe like the "complex anti-aliasing" shown here.

As for pillow shading being abhorrent as you're making it sound, -Smash... like I said, it has its uses. Here, it's pretty terrible, and makes the portraits look cheap... but some games use it due to the limitations of the platforms their games are developed for, and by using it properly and integrating it into the game's overall art style, they manage to make it look pretty good.
 

-Smash

Lv.86 Pixel Artist
73
Posts
14
Years
A light-diffused gradient that doesn't make proper use of the light source... ^^;
You goal is, of course, to make your sprite look like... well, what it's supposed to look like. Cloth wouldn't normally look like the left side of your sprite's jacket looks... There's nothing particularly wrong with that, but realistically the shading would be more minimal.

72394103.png


Maybe like the "complex anti-aliasing" shown here.

As for pillow shading being abhorrent as you're making it sound, -Smash... like I said, it has its uses. Here, it's pretty terrible, and makes the portraits look cheap... but some games use it due to the limitations of the platforms their games are developed for, and by using it properly and integrating it into the game's overall art style, they manage to make it look pretty good.
Ah, Chesu, it's pretty abhorrent indeed. I'll explain why.


Pillowshading or pillowing.

PhotobucketUpld-1080.png


Shading style in which there is absolutely NO lightsource established, because the shadows come directly from the outlines and inward into the sprite, even though it may appear that a lightsource is between the object and the viewer. It creates an ugly effect that does not even resemble pillows, and on sprites with line segments in them, the effect magnifies in to the worst. Having black lines inside of the sprite and shadows behind them only by one side can be said as derived from this, I believe.

Common error by young spriters everywhere, and the bane of any spriter hoping to improve. It's something too useless to even be considered a technique.


Now, pillowshading and pillowing are the same thing, but you seem to be mistaking what you call "pillow shading" from what I know as Layered shading.

Layered shading

PhotobucketUpld2-38.png


In this type of shading, there is obviously a light source present, and the shades do not follow the lines as before but stand in a similar manner and are numerous. The layered style might give the impresion of being pillowed in small sprites, and so leads to misconceptions. I find the style to be fine to use, but pretty hard to get it right. The best example of this would be that video you posted before.


PhotobucketUpld-1820.png


Now this is what would be known as proper shading. A good lightsource established, and only a few colors. Fitting for the pokemon style.


PhotobucketUpld2-39.png


And this, regular AAing used properly. Exceeding in AAing might get you that pillowy effect on small sprites, like you mentioned before. It should be used moderately.


PhotobucketUpld-1081.png


And this is selective outlining. Basically have your outlines brighter when circling bright areas and eliminate the ugly black lines all over. It's something most people miss around here, and should be brought to light, but then I might be getting off topic now.

But getting to the point, yes, pillowshading is as bad as it sounds, if not worse. It would be best to argue against it instead of defending it because of mistaken terms.
 
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