Suggestions MM's Sprites and a Rant

Okay, let's get the rant out of the way first.
This has to be one of the worst Pokemon spriting communities I've seen... and it could be remedied with one simple thing: A seperate Requests forum.
Look at all the topics on the front page. Only 1 of them is a real sprite display - the rest are request topics. Instead of getting the critique spriters need to develop, they watch their hard work get pushed off the pages by idiots who want the latest INFERNO POGEYMAN!!111!!11noob!!!11!
And so, the spriting forum here is stuck in a rut. At this point, it LOOKS active, but the activity is lacking in substance and development. I know this isn't a spriting forum in itself, but a requests subforum would definitly ease the hurt that request topics are having on people learning how to properly sprite.

Okay, on to the pixels (my most recent stuff)

Grabar line:


The one I don't like:

I really don't like the design, colors, shading or outline... basically all of it. I'd rather have the final evo be larger and possibly walk on four legs. Ideas?

Vespekas:

I'm really proud of this, actually. It's a vast improvement over the original.
Based on the Masked Man from Mother 3.

Psipodae:

Based on Lucas from Mother 3. Minor improvements of an old sprite.

Mother reference :O

These are all pretty good, but something seems a bit off about them... I can't quite put my finger on it though.

Medical Meccanica said:

Okay, let's get the rant out of the way first.
This has to be one of the worst Pokemon spriting communities I've seen... and it could be remedied with one simple thing: A seperate Requests forum.
Look at all the topics on the front page. Only 1 of them is a real sprite display - the rest are request topics. Instead of getting the critique spriters need to develop, they watch their hard work get pushed off the pages by idiots who want the latest INFERNO POGEYMAN!!111!!11noob!!!11!
And so, the spriting forum here is stuck in a rut. At this point, it LOOKS active, but the activity is lacking in substance and development. I know this isn't a spriting forum in itself, but a requests subforum would definitly ease the hurt that request topics are having on people learning how to properly sprite.

Click to expand...

Word.

I really like the second-stage waterbear :3 As for the third... well, it's not that bad (I like the head a lot, especially the ears), but it sounds like you've got an idea of what you really want for it. Try sketching it out in various poses and see what works, then resprite it once you've settled on something.

As a more general suggestion (I guess I probably could've told you this earlier but eh), try making your sprites standing more solidly. Legs appear to be your weakest point on some of these-- yeah, I know it's not really applicable because they're either flying or an amoeba thing that doesn't even have joints, but even still, they're not just floating in a void. Leg joints. Uh, you see where I'm going.

Anyway, as to the rest of you younglin' know-nuddin' spriters, take a good look. She knows what she's doing. Learn what you're doing, too.

I actually really like your 3rd stage Grabar.

This has to be one of the worst Pokemon spriting communities I've seen... and it could be remedied with one simple thing: A seperate Requests forum.
Look at all the topics on the front page. Only 1 of them is a real sprite display - the rest are request topics. Instead of getting the critique spriters need to develop, they watch their hard work get pushed off the pages by idiots who want the latest INFERNO POGEYMAN!!111!!11noob!!!11!
And so, the spriting forum here is stuck in a rut. At this point, it LOOKS active, but the activity is lacking in substance and development. I know this isn't a spriting forum in itself, but a requests subforum would definitly ease the hurt that request topics are having on people learning how to properly sprite.

Click to expand...

Everybody knows this - however it's a small percentage of TCoD that take spriting seriously so not a lot is done about it. I do agree that a requests subforum would be beneficial, it's just that it's unlikely to get done. I left spriting mostly because my gallery went pretty much unnoticed because it wasn't a request thread.
That being said, we seem to have very little problems with thievery compared to a lot of other communities.
A lot of people also don't appreciate the fact that a lot of the forumgoers at TCoD (particularly in the sprite forums) are fairly young -- I'm not saying that just because you're young doesn't mean you're dumb or not good at spriting -- but often they don't take advice seriously or put a lot of effort into their sprites. But that's okay, because we were all young once too. They'll grow.
You're just lucky that you've gotten here after the adoptable craze has died down, and that Terry's not here anymore.

Anyway, onto sprites~
I like the 'Grabar' line you've got, except I can't help notice that the last isn't particularly different from the second. To me - it seems like it's basically the same, only you've changed the colours, facial expression and 'ears'. The first one is absolutely adorable. :3
Are these based on the D/P sprites? It seems like you're using much more colours than you're meant to for D/P sprites, you've done a good job though.
With Vespekas, I quite like the design, but I think that the wing on our right is way, way too dark for it just to be shaded - it looks like the colour of the wing is actually darker. The pose to me is a little strange, I like what you had going with the original in that it looked natural, but in this it just seems to be awkward - I can't tell if it's flying or standing.
Psipodae is a wonderful sprite, but again I can't tell if it's flying or standing or floating. The feet suggest flying because they're not resting on a flat surface or seem to be supporting the body, but the way you've positioned the wings doesn't really make it look like it's flying.
I envy your shading skills, and the colour schemes on all of them are brilliant. Mostly you have to work on poses.

Uh, yeah. Feet. Generally I make my sprites float when they can since I have massive amounts of trouble with feet (and animal leg joints - human leg joints = piece of cake). :P All the sprites in this thread are floating (granted, we have an aquatic animal and 2 bats, but...)
Grabar's 3rd stage is totally getting a revamp, though the ears will stay.
And all Pokemon forums could use a decent sprite section. Generally as far as I've seen in my delve into the pixelart community, we don't have a very solid reputation.
I'm working on a revamp of my first fakemon line right now. I'll give you a hint, it's a steel/bug horsefly.

Um...as one of the spriters with the requests open sign, I feel guilty for commenting...

But, I will say this. I kind of know what you mean. When I first joined, before I knew how to label my thread, it was unlabeled, but I would've had it on suggestions if I knew how to label it. I was showing my chao in a sort of gallery and was looking for opinions. Unfortunately, I only got: "wow, so good!" Or: "cool chao, wish I could make chao, but I can't!" In reality, I was looking for critique, but no one would give it to me, and my thread had only a few reviews. Bored at the lack of activity, I left the forum and forgot about my thread.

A few months later, I returned, became aghast at the fact that my thread was one of the dead ones, and had a brain wave. If I had people able to request as well as comment, then wouldn't I, in the end, get a whole lot more comments?

Unfortunately, that is not how it worked out, but I agree with you. People should really pay attention to galleries and showcases, not just shops, but I find that our race really doesn't do what they should when it comes to that. The fact is, they don't find enough incentive to comment, mostly because they're lazy. They only really comment if there is something in it for them (like a sprite). I apologize to all the people out there that are not like this. I admit that my examples to the Cave of Dragonflies society have not been so stellar myself. Mostly I've been requesting and answering requests lately. I do admire your honesty to come out and say what has been on my mind intermittently concerning this particular section of the forum. I've kind of given up though...It's not like it is going to really truly change anytime soon, because there will always be a greater percentage of people that will comment only if they get a reward. It's like give a dog a bone, it will more likely perform the trick you want it to. I wish though, that galleries could have more attention paid to them. I have looked through the sprite thread a little for them, but I gave up after the first fifty shops. Maybe I should have looked harder, but it seemed so pointless to peruse a thread cluttered with shops for museums. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Anyway, my long...:freaked: comment made, I want to comment on your sprites. I will join the bandwagon in saying that your third evolution sprite for Grabar looks like it is supposed to be standing up, so the legs should have more of a form (like joints) to them. They wouldn't really support a creature of that size in the position they're in in real life. I understand, though, that you are remaking it into a quadruped creature, which sounds like a great idea.

Your Vespekas' legs should be firmer if they're actually standing on the ground. But the wings look like they are either not being used or flying. Maybe you should make that more specific. Also, I assume the left wing is a different color? Maybe you should make that more apparent.

For Psipodae, that one looks like it is on the ground. If so, the feet should look like it's not walking on its tiptoes. I like the Lucas reference, though.

I like your sprites, though. They're good, and probably better than what I can make (I've never scratched, so I wouldn't know for sure). I like your shape in there, it's clean cut, with no weird angles. That's the sign of an excellent spriter. I try my best to sprite that way, but sometimes I don't make it. It's obvious you put a lot of work into making them, which I congratulate you on. When people sprite, they should put effort into them, which a few people fail to do. But I understand that they're young, (like me, I guess) and will grow better with time, if they care enough about it. I guess in places like these you can see the difference between people that care, and people that don't as much. I like the shading, and I assume it isn't D/P/Pt style (if it was, then you overshaded). You have an excellent technique, though, so keep on spriting!

Geez, I didn't realize I typed that much.

The leg problem was sadly not remedied in this one, since it is once again floating and making flying insects stand = pain.

This is the horsefly I was talking about, a remake of my first fakemon, Carnfly.

Glad to see people can tell I'm not using the official D/P style. It gets to be a pain when I have to repeat that.

Medical Meccanica said:

Glad to see people can tell I'm not using the official D/P style. It gets to be a pain when I have to repeat that.

Click to expand...

That's what seemed odd about them. I knew it was something...
Anyway, I really like the color scheme and the sprite in general.

I like your spriting style, it looks more like FR/LG sprite style. Anyways, on your last sprite, why are the shades banded on the horn things? I don't think the light would hit it like that.

Medical Meccanica said:

The leg problem was sadly not remedied in this one, since it is once again floating and making flying insects stand = pain.

This is the horsefly I was talking about, a remake of my first fakemon, Carnfly.

Glad to see people can tell I'm not using the official D/P style. It gets to be a pain when I have to repeat that.

Click to expand...

Whoa...you've gone a long ways in your spriting. Great job!

I always seem to forget about this place...



Some non-Pokemon stuff:

^WIP^


^Doll portrait base. Feel free to use, just credit me.

What's with the really, really thin necks?

Thick necks are... bleh. I guess I could thicken the first's out a little since I'm still working on that.

Thick's not good, either, but thicker would be an improvement because that looks really, really weird.

Since this is still on the first page, I'm going to give it a little bump.


another MOTHER-based fake as well as a revamp of Psipodae.