• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 14:11
CEST 20:11
KST 03:11
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
TL.net Map Contest #22 - Voting & Ladder Map Selection2Code S Season 2 (2026) - RO8 Preview5[ASL21] Finals Preview: Two Legacies21Code S Season 2 (2026) - RO12 Preview2herO wins GSL Code S Season 1 (2026)7
Community News
StarCraft II 5.0.16 PTR Patch Notes may 26th117Weekly Cups (May 18-25): MaxPax wins doubles0Crank Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League5Weekly Cups (May 11-17): Classic wins double1Code S Season 1 (2026) - RO8 Results2
StarCraft 2
General
StarCraft II 5.0.16 PTR Patch Notes may 26th TL.net Map Contest #22 - Voting & Ladder Map Selection The death of cheese, from a professional cheeser. Code S Season 2 (2026) - RO8 Preview TL Poll: How do you feel about the 5.0.16 PTR balance changes?
Tourneys
Maestros of The Game 2 announcement and schedule ! RSL Revival: Season 5 - Qualifiers and Main Event Crank Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League GSL Code S Season 2 (2026) Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament
Strategy
[G] Having the right mentality to improve
Custom Maps
[D]RTS in all its shapes and glory <3 [A] Nemrods 1/4 players
External Content
The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 528 Infection Detected Welcome to the External Content forum Mutation # 527 Hell Train
Brood War
General
Data needed BGH Auto Balance -> http://bghmmr.eu/ Quality of life changes in BW that you will like ? Soma's ASL Finals Review FlaShFTW vs A.Alm Grudge Match Event
Tourneys
[ASL21] Grand Finals [Megathread] Daily Proleagues Escore Tournament StarCraft Season 2 [BSL22] WB Final & LB Semis - Saturday 21:00 CEST
Strategy
Any training maps people recommend? Muta micro map competition [G] Hydra ZvZ: An Introduction Fighting Spirit mining rates
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne Nintendo Switch Thread ZeroSpace Megathread Path of Exile
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
Vanilla Mini Mafia Mafia Game Mode Feedback/Ideas TL Mafia Community Thread Five o'clock TL Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Trading/Investing Thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine Dating: How's your luck?
Fan Clubs
The herO Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread [Req][Books] Good Fantasy/SciFi books
Sports
McBoner: A hockey love story 2024 - 2026 Football Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023 Formula 1 Discussion
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread Facing Challenges in Mobile App Development
TL Community
The Automated Ban List
Blogs
Esportsmanship: How to NOT B…
TrAiDoS
Why RTS gamers make better f…
gosubay
ramps on octagon
StaticNine
ASL S21 English Commentary…
namkraft
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 3675 users

First Character Sprites.

Blogs > fire_brand
Post a Reply
fire_brand
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Canada1123 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-11-03 21:38:34
November 03 2011 02:04 GMT
#1
So I decided to change my big art project this year. I've always loved playing those old Pixel, SNES style games. Played the shit out of FF4-6, chrono trigger, SoM, Cave Story, etc. I'm really passionate about them too. In general I have a little trouble getting motivated and really jumping all over something, other than like gaming, which I could do forever. I shoulda been a pro gamer.

I'm not though so I decided I would take that passion and apply it to what I do professionally, which is art. I'm trying to make my own game now, something akin to Cave Story, a Side Scrolling, action rpg kinda thing. The plot is mostly hammered out, so now it's all about making the art. I have to do the character sprites, their motion animations, doodads and accessories, levels, backgrounds, and character portraits. I think that's it, but I'm sure I forgot something.

That brings me to my first images, the most recent drafts of the main protagonist and antagonist. They are all works in progress and are the product of several different designs.

[image loading][image loading][image loading]

Let me know what you think.

EDIT: by request working small vers. They will probably be bigger in game though.

[image loading][image loading][image loading]

EDIT: adding first animation cycle, includes up jump, and short walk cycle. and working Res image.

[image loading]
[image loading]

****
Random player, pixel enthusiast, crappy illustrator, offlane/support
ClysmiC
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States2192 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-11-03 02:09:12
November 03 2011 02:07 GMT
#2
Wow! Those look awesome =) Once you animate them, make sure to let us know. I love looking at all the individual frames of a sprite animation.

EDIT: Oh, and btw, watermarking pixel art doesn't really work... all it would take to get rid of that is the little pipet tool, whatever it's called.
Newbistic
Profile Blog Joined August 2006
China2912 Posts
November 03 2011 02:14 GMT
#3
Very nice. The hero has a nice innocent look about him with those eyes. Villain's creepy smile is also great, I could see my 7 year old self being haunted by it on dark nights.
Logic is Overrated
Son of Gnome
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
United States777 Posts
November 03 2011 03:15 GMT
#4
looks awesome man, I also love the old school sprite art design idk something about is so cool.
Whatever happens, happens
`Zapdos
Profile Blog Joined November 2010
United States935 Posts
November 03 2011 03:17 GMT
#5
can you make shrunken version of the sprites so we could see what they would look like if it was actual size. also pretty good work ^_^
www.twitch.tv/thezapdos come watch me :]
WaveofShadow
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
Canada31495 Posts
November 03 2011 03:33 GMT
#6
Art is fantastic....how do you plan to go about making the actual game though?
twitch.tv/waveofshadow ||| Winner of AHGL's So You Think You Can Cast! ||| Juicy Dad for lyfe ||| 'idk i get a kick out of stupid things' - Jarms Yarng
fire_brand
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Canada1123 Posts
November 03 2011 03:39 GMT
#7
On November 03 2011 12:17 `Zapdos wrote:
can you make shrunken version of the sprites so we could see what they would look like if it was actual size. also pretty good work ^_^


The actually working art is about a quarter the size or something? I just bumped it up to make it clearer for everyone looking at it : P

On November 03 2011 12:33 WaveofShadow wrote:
Art is fantastic....how do you plan to go about making the actual game though?


I haven't gotten that far yet -_- My brother is doing a double major in programming and music, so I'll probably being counting on him to really help me out with the coding and music/sounds. He's done some music/sounds for ipod apps, so he'll be a huge help.
Random player, pixel enthusiast, crappy illustrator, offlane/support
mmp
Profile Blog Joined April 2009
United States2130 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-11-03 04:30:27
November 03 2011 04:20 GMT
#8
You should check out http://www.pixeljoint.com/ for low-res inspiration. They have a lot of extremely skilled artists who will do things you didn't think were possible.

I think your antagonist needs some lower saturation, and feature definition that relies on contrast rather than hue. e.g. Why is the mouth a black line instead of a dark shade of the skin tone. This better represents the color average of the surrounding pixels: the lips are not actually that thick.

Use sharp edges like that only on the exterior to distinguish your objects from their background or your sprites will turn into a noisy mess when you try to fit everything in. You can only get away with this if you're willing to distort the size of the features you want to detail (head, eyes, weapons, as you see in a lot of Japanese games). If you want to see a different approach that captures realism without exaggeration, check this out:

+ Show Spoiler +
Each sprite is roughly 4x10 pixels.[image loading]


Castlevania: SotN has some nice side-scrolling artwork in the medium resolution range.
I (λ (foo) (and (<3 foo) ( T_T foo) (RAGE foo) )) Starcraft
Tatari
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
United States1179 Posts
November 03 2011 14:17 GMT
#9
I really love that evil clown sprite. I think that's really well done. The hero looks cute too.
A fed jungler is no longer a jungler, but a terrorist.
fire_brand
Profile Blog Joined October 2009
Canada1123 Posts
November 03 2011 17:44 GMT
#10
On November 03 2011 13:20 mmp wrote:
You should check out http://www.pixeljoint.com/ for low-res inspiration. They have a lot of extremely skilled artists who will do things you didn't think were possible.

I think your antagonist needs some lower saturation, and feature definition that relies on contrast rather than hue. e.g. Why is the mouth a black line instead of a dark shade of the skin tone. This better represents the color average of the surrounding pixels: the lips are not actually that thick.

Use sharp edges like that only on the exterior to distinguish your objects from their background or your sprites will turn into a noisy mess when you try to fit everything in. You can only get away with this if you're willing to distort the size of the features you want to detail (head, eyes, weapons, as you see in a lot of Japanese games). If you want to see a different approach that captures realism without exaggeration, check this out:

+ Show Spoiler +
Each sprite is roughly 4x10 pixels.[image loading]


Castlevania: SotN has some nice side-scrolling artwork in the medium resolution range.



Cool, thanks for the feedback. I actually had the mouth a darker shade of skin, but it didn't read well so I had to make it darker. I think with pixel art you have to sometimes make things contrast heavier than they should just to communicate structure and stuff. I'll revisit it for sure though, thanks.

And I'm definately going with distorting size relations. I had the hero with actually completely differnt proportions before going in and changing size relation between the face and body drastically.

+ Show Spoiler +
[image loading]
Random player, pixel enthusiast, crappy illustrator, offlane/support
ClysmiC
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States2192 Posts
November 05 2011 18:57 GMT
#11
Keep us updated about your game on this blog please . I can definitely see the cave story inspiration in the villain. And cave story was such an awesome game that I'd love to play a game like yours that is inspired by it. It looks really promising. Just don't give up half-way through :3
impression
Profile Blog Joined March 2011
413 Posts
November 05 2011 19:08 GMT
#12
Awesome! The middle character looks a little bit like Ryuk from Death Note ^_^
행운을 빌어요 재미
ClysmiC
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States2192 Posts
December 28 2011 02:47 GMT
#13
So I know this blog is pretty old, but are you ever gonna give us a follow-up on this game? You still working on it? I'd love to see what progress you've made.
Togera13
Profile Joined January 2012
United States10 Posts
January 07 2012 03:34 GMT
#14
are u trying to make a game?
Togera13
Profile Joined January 2012
United States10 Posts
January 07 2012 03:35 GMT
#15
u would be good at making textures for minecraft probally
Togera13
Profile Joined January 2012
United States10 Posts
January 07 2012 03:35 GMT
#16
AKA paintings
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Monday Night Weeklies
16:00
#54
RotterdaM1301
TKL 462
TaKeTV 407
IndyStarCraft 201
BRAT_OK 111
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
ProTech2268
RotterdaM 1301
TKL 462
mouzHeroMarine 274
IndyStarCraft 201
BRAT_OK 111
UpATreeSC 101
EmSc Tv 17
StarCraft: Brood War
Dewaltoss 159
Backho 83
firebathero 77
Zeus 62
sorry 22
IntoTheRainbow 20
soO 9
ajuk12(nOOB) 9
Sacsri 6
Dota 2
qojqva3848
Counter-Strike
fl0m2411
byalli1192
x6flipin475
adren_tv66
Other Games
Grubby4077
singsing2466
Liquid`RaSZi2083
ceh9536
B2W.Neo279
KnowMe186
Liquid`VortiX89
XaKoH 81
Mew2King65
Trikslyr42
MindelVK12
Organizations
Other Games
BasetradeTV249
StarCraft 2
EmSc Tv 17
EmSc2Tv 17
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
[ Show 16 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• kabyraGe 16
• Reevou 5
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
• Migwel
• sooper7s
StarCraft: Brood War
• blackmanpl 23
• 80smullet 7
• Michael_bg 5
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Dota 2
• WagamamaTV460
Upcoming Events
Replay Cast
5h 50m
Sparkling Tuna Cup
15h 50m
WardiTV Spring Champion…
16h 50m
Maestros of the Game
21h 20m
The PondCast
1d 15h
Kung Fu Cup
1d 16h
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
1d 20h
Maestros of the Game
1d 21h
Replay Cast
2 days
Replay Cast
2 days
[ Show More ]
WardiTV Spring Champion…
2 days
Maestros of the Game
2 days
Replay Cast
3 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
3 days
Maestros of the Game
3 days
Replay Cast
4 days
Solar vs Classic
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
4 days
GSL
5 days
herO vs Rogue
Maru vs Cure
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
5 days
BSL
6 days
Replay Cast
6 days
Monday Night Weeklies
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

KK 2v2 League Season 1
RSL Revival: Season 5
Heroes Pulsing #1

Ongoing

BSL Season 22
IPSL Spring 2026
KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 2
Acropolis #4
CSCL: Masked Kings S4
YSL S3
SCTL 2026 Spring
WardiTV Spring 2026
Maestros of the Game 2
2026 GSL S2
Murky Cup 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 2
CS Asia Championships 2026
Asian Champions League 2026
IEM Atlanta 2026
PGL Astana 2026
BLAST Rivals Spring 2026
IEM Rio 2026
PGL Bucharest 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 1
BLAST Open Spring 2026

Upcoming

BSL 22 Non-Korean Championship
CSLAN 4
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
CranK Gathers Season 4: BW vs SC2 Team League
HSC XXIX
uThermal 2v2 2026 Main Event
Heroes Pulsing #3
Heroes Pulsing #2
Esports World Cup 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer 2026
BLAST Bounty Summer Qual
Stake Ranked Episode 3
XSE Pro League 2026
IEM Cologne Major 2026
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.