How did you learn?

[Master K]

The question I pose, as a newbie, how did all of you people learn to make your graphics, and how good do you feel you are? This thread can relate to anything graphical.

I'll start the discussion. I am nearly awful at making graphics, but I can get by. I am working on a game...its an idea I have had in my head for awhile. I sometimes quit games just because I hate my graphics. My grass has improved a bit, but other than that...im generally meh.

Walkabouts and hero graphics are worse for me. I tryed to look off VoM, but it isn't working. I don't know where templates for them are, either (Although it was brought up by the community)

So, discuss!

[Mogri]

Start simple.

Some people might be born with that sort of talent. I don't know. For me, it's been a slow process over many years. You won't bust out VoM-style graphics on your first try; just go with what you know and improve your technique little by little.

[Alk]

I've been playing RPGS since I was about 3 or 4 years old. I have always drawn. I started out by saying I want my game to look like Final Fantasy 4. Then observing the symmetry and the way things are detailed. Shading is extremely important just shading things makes just about everything look better.

I feel I am pretty good at pixel art although I have the habit of dark colors and black outlines but I personally like it at least for characters. 10 years since I started using this and I want my game to look as good as Final Fantasy 6 maybe i'll get there someday.

Console games these days are terrible imo. I wish they would go back to the SNES and early PS Rpgs. That is kind of what drives me, everything about those games was amazing in every aspect. It is sad to see the state of games nowadays.

[Baconlabs]

Re: Walkabout templates
On this specific issue, I started with my own style from the CUSTOM graphic editor, and it was terrible and ugly. Next I ripped some walkabouts from Final Fantasy IV, and they looked awesome, but I have a bit of a beef with the practice of graphic and musical rips. After that, I tried my own style again, trying to imitate the old Final Fantasy sprites at the same time. Lately I've also been imitating the style of Fire Emblem's walkabouts, especially when it comes to animation.
I'd love to post some before and after pics, but I don't have any record of my oldest game projects. So I'll jump immediately to the results, which I'm content with. With one exception, I'm going to use fewer shades per color. You only really need two, a light and a dark, unless that color is depicting something shiny or important.

Anyway, to answer your question, it's been a learn-as-I-go process. Practice makes perfect and all that. I've read several tutorials and guides, but none of them made a huge impact on how I did things. Don't get the wrong idea, tutorials are great and you can always stand to learn something, but just reading one, no matter how well it was made, is not going to transform you into a good pixel artist.

So... experience. Get some experience. Make some sprites. Jump into things and get going. We'll throw peanuts at you when you screw up, but those peanuts might have little paper fortunes inside to help you along.

[Twinconclusive]

First you have to learn what you like,
then you just improvise.

[edit] Also, take a look at the ancient OHR games and you'll find that they look terrible by today's standards.
But we're okay with that, so don't be afraid to release a game or two as you're practicing your stuff.

[Master K]

Hmm...interesting. I figured people just learned how they went. I draw on paper as well, and I am decent at that. It's a bit difficult to transfer that decent drawing ability to decent computer ability. Then again, I could make a whole game in simply black, white and shades of grey. Thats how my drawings usually are.

[Spoonweaver]

Learn by doing!
Start small, do something you think is easy.
Keep reference materials handy.
Remember that not is impossible and that you can do anything.

[Willy Elektrix]

Here's some very practical advice from someone else who is lousy at graphics. Keep them as simple as possible. Instead of looking at 16 bit games for examples, look at 8 bit games, or even 4 bit Atari 2600 games for something more rudimentary.

Also, adopt a consistent but basic style. Recently I've been drawing graphics in monochrome. This make graphics faster, but also helps me overcome my shortcomings since there is a very finite amount of detail you can add with only 1 or 2 colors.

Here's some examples of the simplified style I used on my previous game: http://www.slimesalad.com/forum/viewgame.php?t=4023

You might also look at Star Quest (reviewed in this issue of HamsterSpeak): http://superwalrusland.com/ohr/issue47/index.html

[Voltire]

I agree with learning as you go. Don't try to copy people's style if you can help it; try to make your own.

I have improved a lot sense I first started pixel art. I'll post some before and after pics when I get home if I have time. I'm not saying I'm the best or amazing. None of us really are. Just keep practicing like everyone suggests.

[Nathan Karr]

I started by copying, pixel for pixel, the graphics from Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Pokemon Yellow, and Dragon Warrior I & II for the Game Boy. This was back in 2000; I'd been playing with Paint for years, but ripping those sprites, editing them, and making mock-up screenshots was the first time I'd made anything that looked like it could be in a game.

Since I've gone through three computers since then, I don't have any examples of my old sprite edits, but my original graphics in Wolf's Quest were pretty much the same, maybe a pixel or two taller. (And I made those almost five years later.)

I've found that, personally, I like working with as few colors as possible. I think I was actually most comfortable with four colors per sprite, but dropped to three when I started going for the 8-bit contests.

I've never been into shading, mostly putting bright spots on things that are shiny and stopping there. Usually, when I see a side-by-side comparison of a flatly colored image and a shaded version of the same, I prefer the flat one.

[Master K]

Cool! Its awesome to know i'm not alone when it comes to making...'meh' graphics, and that you all improved. I am actually going ahead and making a game in black and white, with shades of grey.

Also, Willy, I played your game and finished it, and even made a review for it. Its was wicked.

[Mewmew]

I feel that my graphics are sub-par at best... I did a lot of pixel art using Oekaki BBS a while back, (until my friends got me to convert to Paint BBS brush tool) So I got a little bit of experience drawing pixel graphics because of it. XD I can't wait to see what you have planned!

Greyscale games bring back a lot of nostalgia for me ♥

[Shizuma]

I drew and I kept drawing and I never gave up. I wanted to be good and the aim was always to do good. There was no trick, it wasn't fast. I just experimenting and increasing my understanding through multiple observations.

[Willy Elektrix]

Cool! Its awesome to know i'm not alone when it comes to making...'meh' graphics, and that you all improved. I am actually going ahead and making a game in black and white, with shades of grey.

Also, Willy, I played your game and finished it, and even made a review for it. Its was wicked.

Thanks for playing! Thank you further for bothering to finish it and your kind review!

Working in black and white is satisfying. I hope you enjoy it. What I found to be very challenging was deciding on the colors for interface. It's difficult to assign all the interface text and background colors as only black or white and still have a consistently. This might even be impossible if you have a battle screen. Using a shade of gray might make things easier for you in this regard.

[Voltire]

I am actually going ahead and making a game in black and white, with shades of grey.

You reminded me of this.