Kirbyofthestars' Custom Art/Sprite Thread

Kirbyofthestars · Nov 17th, 2012, 10:09:19 PM

Recently, I've become interested in trying to make my own Pokemon, from scratch, partly inspired by Smogon's Create-a-Pokemon project.
Currently, I've made only four sprites, although I have much more hand-drawn artwork: simple concepts for more than a dozen Pokemon, and written concepts for more than 31.
Although I can't upload the drawings at this moment (due to the lack of a sufficient camera), I'd appreciate feedback on the sprites. Thank you.

Please give credit if you're going to use these sprites elsewhere (although I might wonder why you'd choose my sprites in the first place...); until further notice, the only websites where these images will be located are NSM Forums, Smogon Forums, and Snivypedia.

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OTHER POKEMON

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FULL SPRITE SET

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SKETCHES

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Furosuto · Nov 17th, 2012, 10:12:46 PM

Hmmm... Nice, I like Bullion, although I would make the rocks look more segmented and not so put together like a puzzle piece. For the bug evo line, I would request making the legs and arms actually not sticks, and give them some meat. Also, maybe make the head more detailed and not smushed?

Fisdunction · Nov 20th, 2012, 2:19:06 AM

At least you tried.

Kirbyofthestars · Nov 20th, 2012, 2:24:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Fisdunction

At least you tried.

...what's wrong with them (I'd actually like to know what you feel isn't good about them, to help me improve)? I know I'm certainly not a very good spriter, although I have experience with Pokemon Sprite fusions; my first tries don't exactly capture the entire feel of a Pokemon sprite... but I hope I'm improving?

Fisdunction · Nov 22nd, 2012, 5:22:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Kirbyofthestars

...what's wrong with them (I'd actually like to know what you feel isn't good about them, to help me improve)? I know I'm certainly not a very good spriter, although I have experience with Pokemon Sprite fusions; my first tries don't exactly capture the entire feel of a Pokemon sprite... but I hope I'm improving?

Okay fine, I'll be nice.

I myself am not terribly great at matching Pokémon's artstyle, but I can give you some advice on pixelcraft. Your spritework comes off as looking very flat. You could really do with adding a bit more depth to the shading, which would also help you accentuate the details in a particular sprite. Also consider possibly changing how you handle outlines. This might also boil down to insufficient shading, but it really does stand out and looks a bit odd.

Not trying to intrude upon your thread, but I felt including an example would help emphasize my point

Notice the use of shading to enhance details rather than using lines. Also, I've included an enlarged version of the sprite so people can better see the pixels (tiny sprite = annoying to pick out details!)

One final thing of note: I'm not sure what you're using for spriting, but if you aren't already, consider looking into a program that allows you to use layers. It allows you so much more freedom for coloring and shading than something like MSPaint. (though there's nothing wrong with paint if the basics work for you) I've used Paintshop Pro in the past; it's pretty decent and accessible. PaintTool SAI is more suited for drawing, but it offers some options for pixel art as well.

Cheers.

Bluebanana · Nov 22nd, 2012, 7:21:32 AM

You will also need to work more on the actual shape of your sprites in order to make them look less blocky. Eg. my avatar is a sprite that I made using photoshop, notice the shading to give it a sense of depth in silver tones and purple tones. Also your sprites right now look quite crude and not fit to be an actual pokemon. This is because of the awkward use of lines and lack of depth.

Keep at it and you'll get the hang of it eventually.
-Bluebanana

*One thing to also note is that the source of light comes from the top left of the screen in pokemon games, so be sure to factor that in when shading.

Kirbyofthestars · Nov 27th, 2012, 10:30:44 PM

I'm having a little more trouble making the sprite for Jollos (the Psychic/Grass Legendary); since it's a little more humanoid, it's slightly harder to do. Additionally, the head has a type of beard made out of leaves, which means that connecting it with the body might be difficult.

EDIT: Eh... Jollos is nothing compared to Tykogi. The Dragon/Psychic Pokemon's whole body is made out of energy orbs floating near each other, and titanium wings/feet around those. All that's somewhat easy, of course, but the hard part is making the head without having it look absolutely terrible.

EDIT: Second art post, because I want to keep things more organized, and it gets harder to edit the first post the longer it gets...
LOCATIONS

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TRAINERS

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ITEMS

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Nov 17th, 2012, 10:09:19 PM	#1
Kirbyofthestars Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 102	Kirbyofthestars' Custom Art/Sprite Thread Recently, I've become interested in trying to make my own Pokemon, from scratch, partly inspired by Smogon's Create-a-Pokemon project. Currently, I've made only four sprites, although I have much more hand-drawn artwork: simple concepts for more than a dozen Pokemon, and written concepts for more than 31. Although I can't upload the drawings at this moment (due to the lack of a sufficient camera), I'd appreciate feedback on the sprites. Thank you. Please give credit if you're going to use these sprites elsewhere (although I might wonder why you'd choose my sprites in the first place...); until further notice, the only websites where these images will be located are NSM Forums, Smogon Forums, and Snivypedia. ... Bullion, Psychic/Rock "legendary" Another attempt; left: no changes / right: less visible lines between, almost like a solid rock with cracks in it (closer to my original concept, actually); different shading on right hand. Far right: With better shading around the borders, slightly increased "arm stone" size, and more stray stones floating around hands/wrists, something that would provide animation effect, if animated. ... Spindlewe, Ronjab, and Thoxicon, Bug/Fighting "pseudo-legendaries." Right: V2.0, experimenting with non-smushed heads and slightly-different shading. ... Totaa, the Pepper Imp Pokemon, the "fire starter" of the region, and Gemtoa, the Tiki Imp Pokemon. Evolution Gremilion, the Tiki Imp Pokemon, as well. ... Zelliontul: Ghost type "event" legendary with Multitype, that allows it to gain a second type. I was going to make this sprite last, as a type of secret surprise, but I decided that this would be good to practice with. Top left sprite takes preference over the right one. If I could, they'd both be part of the same animation. Right of color chart: Unsealed form, when it is in a location other than an inside location (open-roofed areas like stadiums would count as outside). Far right: Experimentation with shading. Which do you think looks better of the two? ... Tykogi, leader of the scholar trio. Inadvertently my first back sprite. Front sprite... coming soon? ... Nimbomb, Stratobowl, and Rambostratus, Electric-Fighting. While I, personally, like Nimbomb, and the sprites of the other two are decent/mediocre, I feel as if their sprites do not capture the feel of my original concept at all. ... Tyaton; there's a long story behind this one: This was one of my recent sprite fusions; everybody seemed to love it. So I made a new sprite for it, over 80% from scratch (everything- except the screws and half-orbs on the sides- was made by me). The "in-game" story is that it's a hybrid Pokemon manufactured by the evil orginization. ... Currently unnamed toucan. As you can see, I had trouble with the body and wing shape; after browsing, I was inspired to make the wings a slightly-bent-crescent shape. ... Romawh; although it is a Fighting-type, Romawh somehow manages to generate a mysterious energy force in order to float above the ground. A majority of the time, it keeps its fingers curled; its thumbs cannot move at all, however. ... Sprite of Betledye (Thoraxun coming soon, as soon as I find a good pose D:); although it's not exactly at the same size/proportions of the sketch, I'm satisfied. Left sprite takes priority over right. OTHER POKEMON ... There's a bunch going on in this image: 1: A new Pokemon, Lilblu, a "baby form" of Swablu. 2: New Swablu sprite I made, based on current G5 one. 3: New Altaria sprite I made. 4: "Sky Incense," used to breed Lilblu. ... Wormbelle, "evolution" of Wormadam, plant cloak. Based on making Lilblu and this one, I find that it's a lot easier making Pokemon based on already-existing concepts, because you can get a better vision of what the result will be? I will only be making new sprites (for old Pokemon) for Pokemon that appear in the "Regional Dex." ... Crobuckle, "evolution" of Shuckle. Not too sure about the shading (reason for two versions). Looks a bit rough still. The head is a modified Shuckle head. FULL SPRITE SET ... Simple little Almasil, a single-stage Ghost-type Pokemon (was thinking of an evolution, that is now its own idea, as part of a trio) might be among your first Pokemon caught; although its base stat total is no more than 400 (300 was way too low, and 380 as well), its type is helpful in fighting the gym leaders of Lazuli City, Moriarty & Miller (along with Lilblu, which might be received as a gift Pokemon). It can also learn a few Fire-type moves, as hinted at by the fireballs around it. Inspired particularly by the Pac-Man ghosts... ... Originally intended to be the third-stage evolution of Almasil, Gilidoyn (pronounced like Gil-lee-doih-en, or Gilly-doin for simplification) became its own idea (albeit part of a Ghost-Dark-Fighting trio with Almasil) after I failed to make a proper sprite of the second-stage evolution. The Dusknoir-esque color scheme was intended, but the shiny color scheme is supposed to be more sinister in nature, opposite to its personality as a type of guardian. ... Barbrab (right) and Tharapick, Steel and Steel/Ground types. Tharapick's design shares little similarities to my original concept, but Barbrab's is really close (especially the ridge and tabs/spikes). ... Jollos, Psychic/Grass "legendary." Now in a better pose that doesn't make his hands look broken. I also improved the legs and made a slight shading adjustment. I'm not sure which back sprite is better: while the one on the left connects his affiliation with nature, the one on the right shows that, despite that, his body is still merely artificial. SKETCHES ... Sketch for a Bug/Dragon (originally Fire/Dragon) and evo. Both of these together are the size of my thumb (about three inches long), which means they are rather small, compared to normal drawings, and don't allow for too much detail. Their ability increases damage done to an opponent switching in during the middle of battle, discouraging frequent switch-ins. Last edited by Kirbyofthestars; Mar 7th, 2013 at 5:45:43 AM. Reason: Update 3/7/13; adding Betledye

Nov 17th, 2012, 10:12:46 PM	#2
Furosuto Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,408 Currently fighting dragons.	Hmmm... Nice, I like Bullion, although I would make the rocks look more segmented and not so put together like a puzzle piece. For the bug evo line, I would request making the legs and arms actually not sticks, and give them some meat. Also, maybe make the head more detailed and not smushed? __________________ Minecraft Username: jamster1297 Check out my art thread guys, and give me a pokemon request if you want! ~Furosuto's Chaotic Art~ Also, don't forget to check out my Youtube channel! SUBSCRIBE. TheFurosuto To help me out, check this out too. Last edited by Zracknel; Nov 17th, 2012 at 10:37:09 PM. Reason: Moderators will take care of moderator things ;)

Nov 20th, 2012, 2:19:06 AM	#3
Fisdunction Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 328 ヽ（ ´ー｀）ﾉ	At least you tried. __________________ Art Thread Last.fm

Nov 22nd, 2012, 7:21:32 AM	#6
Bluebanana Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 15	You will also need to work more on the actual shape of your sprites in order to make them look less blocky. Eg. my avatar is a sprite that I made using photoshop, notice the shading to give it a sense of depth in silver tones and purple tones. Also your sprites right now look quite crude and not fit to be an actual pokemon. This is because of the awkward use of lines and lack of depth. Keep at it and you'll get the hang of it eventually. -Bluebanana One thing to also note is that the source of light comes from the top left of the screen in pokemon games, so be sure to factor that in when shading. __________________ Showdown Name: Bluebanana Pokemon Online Name: Bluebanana Custom made avatar*

Nov 27th, 2012, 10:30:44 PM	#7
Kirbyofthestars Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 102	I'm having a little more trouble making the sprite for Jollos (the Psychic/Grass Legendary); since it's a little more humanoid, it's slightly harder to do. Additionally, the head has a type of beard made out of leaves, which means that connecting it with the body might be difficult. EDIT: Eh... Jollos is nothing compared to Tykogi. The Dragon/Psychic Pokemon's whole body is made out of energy orbs floating near each other, and titanium wings/feet around those. All that's somewhat easy, of course, but the hard part is making the head without having it look absolutely terrible. EDIT: Second art post, because I want to keep things more organized, and it gets harder to edit the first post the longer it gets... LOCATIONS ... Simple Nornova map. Based off Delmarva Peninsula. Topographical map, done in a more Pokemon-like style, in a color scheme almost exactly like that of Hoenn. The "Far North," serving a similar purpose to Kanto's Sevii Islands. Based off of Maine and parts of Canada. ... Really large sketch (but actually average size) of Gladiolus town, the starting town (the scanner I use always makes the images rather giant, something I try to fix when editing them). TRAINERS ... Lionel, Champion of the Nornova region. As you might be able to tell, he was (and still is, part-time) a circus ringleader. Although he doesn't prefer any type, he tends to use more animal-like Pokemon (such as Sawsbuck and Mightyena, for example). ITEMS ... The badges; the Sail Badge (number 3) and Shadow Badge (number 4) were way too large. For that reason, I changed them slightly. The Planet Badge (6) and Dragonfire Badge (7) can be used as items. Last edited by Kirbyofthestars; Feb 7th, 2013 at 6:01:25 PM. Reason: Adding new maps.