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New spriter! advice?

Josh B

You better slam her dizzy!
    • 26
    Posts
    15
    Years
    • Seen Oct 13, 2009
    Hey guys i am completly new to spriting, so id love to learn a few key tips and secrets. Maybe what program to use, stuff like that. Different techniques. I am mostly interested in trainer sprites. Beelow is my very first one, granted its not that great, it was my first attempt, and id love to improve. Please help?

    *UPDATED* 10/08/09

    Spoiler:
     
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    Not bad! He doesn't have a neck or shirt collar or anything, though... his head is just sitting on top of the gray of his shirt. If the shirt were darker it wouldn't be as noticeable, but as-is it looks a little weird. Most spriters I know use Paint Shop Pro, as it allows you to draw on several layers... I prefer MS Paint, as the interface feels like a drawing table. If you use Paint, the best tip I can give you is to copy and paste often; it's incredibly useful to have former versions of the sprite you're working on nearby.

    The best advice I can give for spriting in general is to use plenty of reference material. If you're designing a leather jacket, find an image of a real one on Google, find any sprites you can that have leather in them, and keep it all where you can easily look at it. This goes for everything, from poses to shading.
     
    Cool thankyou! Well like i said it was an attempt haha. it was about 25 mins of work. and ya know i was thinking the exact same about the shirt collar when i finished! and i wanted to add one but i jus wasnt sure exactly how haha.. Maybe its something ill pick up on?

    And i really appreciate the advice btw so thanks for looking

    *UPDATE* I added a collar, does it look ok? i think it nicely added to the sprite. Has a more natural looking flow i think. Thanks for that tip!
     
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    It really does look better. Another important part of spriting is attention to detail; even small things like that can throw a sprite off.
     
    I've got some advice:

    For trainers: Avoid shading along the outline as it will mostly make it look pillow-shaded. Try making the whole part of it dark, or light, or whatever the position. Also, make the whole sprite follow ONE light source, since two or three just don't make it possible for a decent-looking sprite.

    Your sprite there looks nice, but the shirt could use some dark shading. Also vary the outline so it's not always one color. But NEVER leave out an outline. This is crucial for Pokémon sprites. Also, if you're not already doing it, try to scratch most your sprites. That really improves skill and makes overall spriting easier.

    Don't take this harshly, I don't want to insult you (or anyone), okay? It IS a very good sprite for a newbeginner.

    P.S. Use a software that supports layers. I prefer Photoshop, but a free one like the GIMP is very nice too.
     
    Hey i really appreciate the advice man no offense taken! And i appreciate the compliment. And yeah, i did this in abot 25 mins... So if i take my time and your acvice i think i could get the hang of it ina few months. I really appreciate it thanks to both of you.

    Anyone else? or more tips?

    *UPDATE* Im sorry, total noob moment, for i am a noob. But when you say scratch, do you mean like build it completly on your own, orr..
     
    Your Pure Awesomeness Purified by Suicune Itself....
    lol your just awesome. did you make that trainer from scratch? if you did then wow your 10 x more awesomer then I thought. Awesome.
     
    ScizorZ said:
    Your Pure Awesomeness Purified by Suicune Itself....
    lol your just awesome. did you make that trainer from scratch? if you did then wow your 10 x more awesomer then I thought. Awesome.
    Click to expand...


    Thanks haha. Well i made a few things on my own and i mixed a couple details cropped etc. So its like 1/2from scratch
     
    5qwerty said:
    Is that Arbok's tail going under his legs? That looks gross.

    Anyway, nice work, just looks a bit... familiar?
    Click to expand...

    Gross haha? Yeah im not so fond of it i jus got bored and wanted to keep going so i added a snake haha. And like i said it was 1/2 from scratch, i did use an existing body outline, but changed clothes hair face colors stuff like that. But the arms and legs i did not create
     
    5qwerty said:
    No wonder I thought it was from Barry, or his dad.
    Click to expand...


    Im not sure what your talking about. Like at all. i didnt take anyones work if thats what your saying... The part i didnt draw was off of an existing in-game sprite. Im not sure of the charecters name
     
    Last edited:
    Barry is the name of your rival in D/P... Your sprite seems to have his arms, and the legs are similar too. The hair is also ever-so-slightly like Barry's as well, so it's easy to see where the confusion comes from.
     
    Unfortunately you need at least four examples, and you have only two.
    Could you perhaps add two more examples of your work, or relocate yourself to the showcase thread?
    Thanks~!
     
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