hmm~ I know jelly'll tell you what should be worked on. c:
or someone else will. I'm not the best with feedback...So you should see what they have to say. xD

Originally Posted by momochan

hmm~ I know jelly'll tell you what should be worked on. c:
or someone else will. I'm not the best with feedback...So you should see what they have to say. xD

that' exactly what I'm thinking of XD I'm still a pixel novist so I have no idea if that is finished or not but if it isn't I'd like to think it's finally getting close XD

I think it is.
you've done a wonderful job so far and it looks much better than it was when you first started on it~

Thank you! I'm glad it's improved and looks good now XD Then I'll start this process all over again with a new item once this one is finished XDDD

i think it's wonderful, Maria.

thank you hummy!!! <3 <3 <3

edit - lol i put all my version into a windows movie player - it was fun to watch the progression XD

The folds are looking better :yes: They all look a bit too high up to me, maybe it would be better if there was just two? I would have the bottom one starting from the central point of the gold bit on the shoulder, it looks a little higher than that right now (by a pixel or so), and move the top one down by a pixel or so. Though you did only have 2 in the first place xD I think the drape is just still a work in progress.

With regards to the skirt, I don't know what to suggest, the shading isn't right yet, but I don't know what to advise you to do to "fix" it ._. It's still very dithery to my eyes, and looks a little stiff, but I dunno what to tell you for softening it up more :gonk:

The dress really is improving with each change you make though, and for a novice, that's just awesome! I so often try to fix something and just make it a whole lot worse :oops:

Mariaria, did you research on fabric and drapes?

There's just so much to learning to pixel to a good standard, isn't there? I see Maria having enormous potential, because she's come so far already :O

It's so hard sometimes I just want to call it a day and give up on the thing. But at the same time I've come this far and want to see it finished. I might just scrap what i have and completely redo the shading...start fresh but then I'm afraid I'll mess up what I have already done. XDDD I'm just not sure what to do to make it more flowy XD

edit:

@Xuv - yeah I looked it up and tried using them as a guide XD There is a missing dress in my sequence of saved dresses because I messed it up so badly after that XDDD I'll try it again though :D

You could always try that, Maria. For all you know, it might turn out better than what you originally made! That happens to me sometimes. :D
Of course, you should also keep the older version just in case. :yes:

Okay - here is yet another version. I'm sorry if I keep pestering you guys XDDD

But I was using this picture as kind of a guide: dress - it's a bit different than mine - I ignored the lengthy train and the lighting is coming from the opposite direction...but it helped a bit.


I also tried changing the boob draping again XD

Anyway - here it is....tell me what you think.


I also tried to tame the dithering.

@Iro - If this doesn't look any better I just feel like I need to start fresh now that I'm a bit better and figuring stuff out XD

that's probably a good thing,
work until you don't see any positive progress.
then, come back at it fresh.
you take all of the constructive opinions well, Maria.
i think that is key to learning something new.
keep up the grrrreat work!

@hummy - thank you! I try to take it well because they know more than I do XD

Don't give up, Maria! I understand that feeling well, because I feel it all the time. Yan bullies me and tells me I should practice a little bit every day, which of course I don't, consequently, I'm not as far along the road as I could have been by now, if I'd stuck to it.

This is a slow process, a learning process, and like any art field, it takes constant practice, and you'll continuously learn through your mistakes. I've been looking at pixels since I joined Mene, Wishie says I have a good eye, but I can't back that up with much in the way of ability! Now I look at items that I thought were amazing when they were first made, and think, "oh dear...". So I'm probably the very worst person to be critiquing the work of someone who's just starting out. Inso calls me a Pixel Nazi :lol:

But on the other hand, which is really the best kind of feedback to receive? The shallow, "OMG that's so amazing!!" gushing, or genuine feedback that can (hopefully) help you improve? The ego inflation from the first kind is nice, but it doesn't achieve anything other than making people think their work is fantastic when it isn't, which I think is why a whole lot of people who pixel get such massive diva complexes :ninja: I'm rambling bit here, aren't I?

I wonder if Wishie would have time to give a professional opinion on your pretty dress :ninja:

Maria, for me, could you post all the versions you've got saved in one post, in chronological order? I'd love to see the changes all in one place :yes:

I'd also like to see all the dresses in one post!

I agree with Jelly with the whole "OMG IT'S AMAZING" kind of feedback. It's nice, but it doesn't help out very much when you're trying to work on something and get real feedback.
Honestly, I'm not the best with feedback. With some art I can say if a limb on a person or something looks off/to long/to short, but that's the best I can do sometimes. When it comes to pixeling...yeah, I'm not very helpful.

Originally Posted by jellysundae

The ego inflation from the first kind is nice, but it doesn't achieve anything other than making people think their work is fantastic when it isn't, which I think is why a whole lot of people who pixel get such massive diva complexes :ninja: I'm rambling bit here, aren't I?

That applies to everything, not just pixelling. I mean you have to wonder why some of the crappy singers go on X-Factor and think they stand a chance, but then you realise that it was their friends and family telling them how great they are. Then you get someone like Simon Cowell being objective and telling them (bluntly) how it is and they throw a hissy. *sigh*

/shot for off-topicness

I totally agree with you. I used to be such an avvid drawer but that really died out when my wrist started hurting all the time using my mouse. (I just won a tablet though so I'm hoping that I will get my art mojo back!) So I feel like I haven't improved in my art in years XD I feel like doing these pixels are really helping me get back into it though! I need to improve and I WANT to improve more than anything! My friends left me in the dust!

Here is the order:

Wow. It has improved a LOT. You can see major differences with just about each picture.
it's come a long way and looks much better than it did when you first started out.

lmao I look at the first one and just kinda cringe XD

You got a lovely shape straight away though. I'm at a losswith this now, because I don't know how to explain what I think needs altering :headdesk:

Looking at the development all in one post is fab, but yeah, I don't know how to shade a large area, so I can't give tip on how you can fine tune yours . _.

It's okay Jelly! I think when I get home tonight from work I'm gonna just start from the beginning and color it like I would any old CG and then figure it out from there...I think I'm overanalyzing it lol!

I love to make shapes with it - it's the shading that kills it XD I have that problem in my CGs too - I'm still trying to figure out how to make my coloring not look....flat XD

Xuvy posted what she does to reduce the number of colours, some technical gubbins that I can't remember :sweat: Can you do the same kind of thing to "convert" something to a format that's akin to pixels?

Really, if an item looks right with the rest of our stuff, it doesn't matter how it's produced. The only issue with items not being pixelled, is recolouring with Mene palettes.

You're being so cool about all this, it's awesome!

I'm gonna have to search for her post and see if I can figure that out - means I have to fire up the old laptop and find my photoshop cause I think she said she does it on photoshop XD Althoguh it's a really old version so lets hope it does what she does lol

I try to be - I know you guys are trying to help me improve :D I'm trying to get back into art and to improve and that's the only way I'm gonna do it - i've never had teachers before lol So I guess you are my first teachers in art :D

But for now, off to work :D

Here's a comparison shot which will hopefully be of assistance! This is the Caliope dress that Tre made. A nice example of creating drape/folds in fabric with shading, rather than using a line of the darkest shade of the palette and it not relating to the colours around it. I need to learn how to do this :sweat:



Have a good day at work, Maria!