Cloud Pixel Art - UPDATE: Aeris art available

[Shaun]

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4120/20rc0.png

:eek:

So I think I have vastly improved in this area. Do keep in mind that this isn't a final version but it took many hours to complete. It's based off the ending of Advent Children where you see Cloud in the church after he's seen Aeris. You've probably noticed I've made it my sig/avatar now too as 24 is getting old.

What do you think?

[Clone 01]

how did u make it?

[Sylvie]

Its really good, you did well on his clothing. Only problem I have is his hair looks lazy, and his nose isn't realistic looking. Its VERY good for pixel art, though.

[Clone 01]

whats pixel art?

[Rengori]

whats pixel art?
Art made with pixels. Duh.

And they make it by going into paint and excruciatlingly make it with the pencil, paint bucket, etc.

Anyway, that's really bitchin'.

[Clone 01]

oh with paint!then yeh thats excellent!well done!

[Freya]

I agree the clothes are good but the nose and hair look a bit sloppy. great for pixal art though, i tried it and couldn't do it.

[Shaun]

Thanks for the feedback people.

I used GraphicsGale for this. I use it for all pixel art.

As for the comments, I guess I partially agree that the nose could be improved. However, if you look at the AC screenshot I based it off I think you'd see some similarity. And the hair - I think you're underestimating the difficulty of hair using pixel art. It's VERY hard to make hair look thin in places, so it's very hard to make it NOT look lazy. The best thing I could do to create this effect is use an alpha channel on his hair.

With alpha channels you can use varying transparency on the hair. For example, you could make it 60% transparent where the hair thins. However, an alpha channel isn't really worth the effort unless the character is moving over a background. But hey - if anyone knows how to make the hair more realistic, let me know.

Here's the AC screenshot it was mainly based off:

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/8978/cloudgl5.png

I think I did a pretty accurate job when you compare it with that!

[Sylvie]

For the hair, is it possible to have lighter lines in it? So it looks sort of like strands of hair? That would look really cool.:thumb:

[Shaun]

Possible, yes. Challenging? That's an understatement. Insanely, mind-numbingly hard? Yes.

Sure, I'll give it a go, but I don't think it's easily possible. At its current state, it's clearly a 2D cartoon-like image. I'll really need to consider adding some 3D depth if I do this and that isn't easy.

[Sylvie]

I mean, you don't have to, its just a suggestion, I think It will look pretty cool. His clothes already look 3D. Its an amazing peice of art, really.

[Shaun]

Thanks, but it's not that great in comparison to other work I've seen. I need to do some more characters and create some backgrounds before I have something truly admirable. I'll give it a go though. Thanks for the suggestion. :)

[lovehurts]

Excellent clothing. The head needs to be more egg shaped. Compare with the original the hair should lay more thin to the skull and should fit more tightly to it. Compare to the originall.skull as in head.

Great job though, I still suggest the tips to you though.

[rubah]

It's not all that 2-d, when you consider the amount of shading around his nose. Hair wouldn't be very difficult at all, really xD you just have to have the wrist flow jive action going.

[Shaun]

Thanks again. I'm going to work on the hair tonight and I might start work on Aeris. I can't stress enough that this is an incomplete version. I still need to soften the outline and yes, I need to fix the hair, and maybe make his nose a little less dodgy at the bottom. That said, I think I did a good job with the transition from the upper nose to the skin colour.

I'll give the hair a go like I said, but I think it will take a couple of hours to get it right. For the hair that has no head behind it, I can add alpha channels. lovehurts, it seems that you want me to thin the hair out near to the head/skull. I can try this, but like I said it's very difficult. You said it should 'fit more tightly'. Are you suggesting making the hair's colour 'morph' to the skin colour?

Anyway, if I'm going to continue this FFVII art I may as well make something decent out of it. I should be spending any spare time working on the pixel art for my side-scrolling shooter, but I really can't animate legs... =/

[lovehurts]

Thanks again. I'm going to work on the hair tonight and I might start work on Aeris. I can't stress enough that this is an incomplete version. I still need to soften the outline and yes, I need to fix the hair, and maybe make his nose a little less dodgy at the bottom. That said, I think I did a good job with the transition from the upper nose to the skin colour.

I'll give the hair a go like I said, but I think it will take a couple of hours to get it right. For the hair that has no head behind it, I can add alpha channels. lovehurts, it seems that you want me to thin the hair out near to the head/skull. I can try this, but like I said it's very difficult. You said it should 'fit more tightly'. Are you suggesting making the hair's colour 'morph' to the skin colour?

Anyway, if I'm going to continue this FFVII art I may as well make something decent out of it. I should be spending any spare time working on the pixel art for my side-scrolling shooter, but I really can't animate legs... =/

I dont know just think of it all artistically.:D I think the hair is too bushy where as his hair is really more flat and stranny.

[Shaun]

Not exactly. Maybe in his CGI form. I think you should play FFVII again and look at his hair on that. :)

[lovehurts]

Thanks for the feedback people.

I used GraphicsGale for this. I use it for all pixel art.

As for the comments, I guess I partially agree that the nose could be improved. However, if you look at the AC screenshot I based it off I think you'd see some similarity. And the hair - I think you're underestimating the difficulty of hair using pixel art. It's VERY hard to make hair look thin in places, so it's very hard to make it NOT look lazy. The best thing I could do to create this effect is use an alpha channel on his hair.

With alpha channels you can use varying transparency on the hair. For example, you could make it 60% transparent where the hair thins. However, an alpha channel isn't really worth the effort unless the character is moving over a background. But hey - if anyone knows how to make the hair more realistic, let me know.

Here's the AC screenshot it was mainly based off:

http://img260.imageshack.us/img260/8978/cloudgl5.png

I think I did a pretty accurate job when you compare it with that!

This was your comparrison though and what you told us to compare your work to ;)

[Shaun]

True, I think you should generally compare it to that but as it's now in cartoon-form I don't think it matters as much. Anyway, let's let this thread sink unless anybody else wants to comment and I'll just post another thread again when I've got something better done.

[Rengori]

Oh, here's something you could improve on. His hair, it's really 2-D, as said before. Try putting more hair in the front. I don't know how to explain it well, so it might be confusing, but like put somemore lines and shading in the front of the hair, to give the illusion of more Cloud-esque hair.

[Shaun]

Yes, I was thinking of that. Using lighter, thick lines over the darker hair, sort of. I'll give it a go and if it doesn't work then I'll let it be. I don't think the 'Cloud-esque' hair is all that necessary. I mean, look at Final Fantasy VII. His hair uses flat-shading so there's no depth to his hair at all. Yet, he's obviously 3D.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/09/Cloud_Strife_field_model.jpg/150px-Cloud_Strife_field_model.jpg

Better yet, look at Last Order.

http://temple-knights.com/image/ff7ac_lo.jpg

I know the hair is more detailed, obviously, but the only thing really different there is the highlights in Cloud's hair, which I imagine I could quite easily do.

[lovehurts]

True, I think you should generally compare it to that but as it's now in cartoon-form I don't think it matters as much. Anyway, let's let this thread sink unless anybody else wants to comment and I'll just post another thread again when I've got something better done.

to tell the truth I was never big on exact replicas. I always make things different. Some people are just too creative to be as boring as precise.:)

Keep up the good work , I love the clothing and the head is pretty good itself.:)

[Shaun]

Okay, I started Aeris last night (I was up till about three o' clock) and got some good progress done. She's far from complete but it's a start. I know her eyes look dodgy, her hair looks bland in places, and her lip looks like augmentation gone terribly wrong, and I know her face in general is nothing like Aeris' and she looks like a bit of a man, but it's a start. I'd like good comments and criticism for this (and Cloud if you haven't commented on him yet). If you're going to criticise though, please suggest some improvements as I'd really like to know what needs improving (other than what I listed really).

http://img435.imageshack.us/img435/6936/aerisur6.png

[Rengori]

I like the way that one turned out. The only thing I'll nag about is the nose, but other than that it looks great.

[scrumpleberry]

To make Aeris look a bit softer, make her top lip smaller than the bottom, move her eyes/brows lower down and mebbe make the nose a bit shorter.

Just suggestions. The only pixel art I do is dolls, so I don't really know much. Hope this helps a little.

Your other art is very fantabulous.

[rubah]

give her eyelashes, a dip in her upper lip, make the curve on the top of her nose going the other way, add hair strands. Her jacket is very nice though

[Alive-Cat]

The clothing is amazing, spot on to the originals!
All I would say is work on the faces. You can still certainly tell who they are, but work is needed to get the faces looking as good as the clothes. :up:

[Shaun]

I updated it!

http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8936/aerisnewzu7.png

Nose - fixed. Lip - fixed (well, still gotta do the top lip as I've only just read your comments). Generally softened everything. I also did one where you can see the top of the head but it doesn't look very realistic so it isn't final.

http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/442/26im6.png

Heh, that version sucks... I really can't draw the top of a head unless I see it and you never see the top of Aeris' head in Advent Children, so I'm a bit stuck there.

[Eureka]

they're both really good, but the hair could use some defining.. but that's all, the body on cloud looks perfect :D good job

[Shlup]

On Cloud:
Fully outlined lips never look good. I like the nose, but I think it could be a little bigger. The eyes could be placed and shaped better. The hair looks sloppy and the facial outline is just a bit off. But the clothes look good.

On Aerith:
Same with the lips, though their shape is pretty good. The shadow on the nose looks awkward, but the shape, again, is pretty good. The eyes are awkwardly shaped and placed. The hair is good, other than the top of her head, and her clothes are very good.