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/ic/ - Artwork/Critique

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3208214 No.3208214 [Reply] [Original]

Redpill me on learning pixel art and working on indie projects.

>> No.3208234
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3208234

>>3208214
>redpill me

>> No.3208241

Start with this

http://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11299

>> No.3208248

spoiler alert

it’s shit

>> No.3208488

https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Pixel-Art-Max-Hervieux-ebook/dp/B00V32EWRG

This is the only book with an actual focus on fundamentals building. Valuable resource.

>> No.3208496

Better know how to draw already if you want to be making decent pixel art.

>> No.3208524

>>3208214
>working on indie projects
Don't.

Indie game devs are massively unprofessional, and entitled. Oh the horror stories I could tell you.

>> No.3208581

If you already know how to draw/paint, you won't have to put in that much effort. The money is in animation and tiles/background art. It's easier to get hired for animation because they can plug you into any project provided you can learn the style. Pricing is weird as fuck. Some people make tons on the simplest shit, some people make peanuts on moderately complicated things. I charged $30 for some simple animations. Cunt I know charged $600 for even simpler animations. No one knows what this shit is worth.

>> No.3208631

>>3208524
Oh the horror stories you SHOULD tell us. Don't just tell us you've had entertaining experiences and then not share, that's the kind of shit you should be posting

>> No.3208634
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3208634

>>3208524
alirhgt here's your (you) now fucking tell us

>> No.3208703

>>3208631
>>3208634
Protip: he lied

>> No.3208716

>>3208524
artists are a thousand times worse to work with

- indie dev

>> No.3209189

Do what ever you fucking want the need to do. just be prepared to fail until you git gud. as simple as that the only limit is you.

>> No.3209260
File: 1.40 MB, 3000x3500, spire.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
3209260

Since I'm not sure this little question is worth bumping another thread off the board

Can anyone who's good at pixel stuff and maps for making my cave-type stuff (underground mountains, caves in the spire, stalactites) pop more? This map is designed to be a background so being a bit flat is okay, but those bits are too flat now.

>> No.3209264

>>3209260
This isn't pixel art, just a shitty ms paint doodle.
You either have to learn how to draw or just accept that's gonna look pretty bad.

>> No.3209287

>>3208716

>artists are a thousand times worse to work with

it's because you're hiring cheap artists. you can't expect professionalism when you're hiring the type of freelancers who work for $10 hour. But no, indie devs are the worst of all to work for.

back when I started freelancing and was taking any job I could get, I had a few indie devs hire me to work at extremely low rates like this. a couple of them had me do some work for them and then announced that the funding that they were going to use to pay me had been allocated to some other part of the project and all my work was now retroactively voluntary and I would not be paid. One of them just stopped returning my emails when I asked if I could be paid now please. None of them ever actually paid me what we had agreed to: they literally all reneged and found some way to avoid paying me.

It was a good lesson for me. I just ignore job offers from individuals and "indie devs" now.

>> No.3209319

>>3209264
You can't think of a way either, then?

>> No.3209328

>>3209287
>not getting at bare minimum half of your dues up front
You learned the wrong lesson, anon. The list of people who'll fuck you over for free work extends miles longer than just 'indie devs'.

>> No.3209336

>>3209319
Go ask in the beginner thread if you want other idiots to help you with this one autistic aspect that you're focused on if you don't care about learning how to actually draw.

>> No.3209337

>>3209336
>if you don't care about learning how to actually draw.
What "actually draw" type technique would be even remotely applicable here?

>> No.3209338

>>3208524
Agreed. I made this mistake not once, not twice, but three fucking times before I learned my lesson. Unprofessional, broke, irresponsible, needy, clingy, batshit crazy motherfuckers- every single one of them. Don't donate any money to a Kickstarter of a game just because you like the cool pixel art. I can assure you that we'll never see one penny of it.

>> No.3209350

>>3209338
You can't just say that kind of stuff without talking more about it. It sounds fun.

>> No.3209358

>>3209337
It's not a "technique" it's a lack of basic fundamentals. That scribble is so far removed from anything relating to art that asking for critique is like someone shitting in your face and then asking for you to critique their cooking.

>> No.3209361

>>3209358
>a lack of basic fundamentals is the specific way to make stalactites and underground mountains pop
Did you lose track of the conversation?

>> No.3209363

>>3209361
You're either trolling or too fucking low level to know just how related it is to your problem.
You're the reason we don't have pixel art threads here anymore.

>> No.3209367

>>3209363
Eschewing basic fundamentals is something I already know about and did, which should be obvious from the image. I'm pretty sure it should be impossible to realize that I'm doing something where that's a part of the goal without realizing that I've done so, so suggesting that I need to employ a lack of basic fundamentals is obviously not arguing in good faith. And calling someone else a troll when you yourself are trolling is a pretty low quality deflection.

>> No.3209371

>>3209367
>Eschewing basic fundamentals is something I already know about and did

wat

>> No.3209383

>>3209371
It's meant to take after old-fashioned (e.g. Tolkien) maps, not after paintings. It's a totally seperate tradition from what I was told in >>3209264 to learn and in >>3209358 to not use.

>> No.3209391
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3209391

>>3209383
Tolkien knew a shit ton more about illustrating than your ignorant ass.

>> No.3209398

>>3209391
Note that what you posted is a single mountain and not a map.

>> No.3209400

>>3209350
>>3209350
It's always fun at first. I really don't mind answering any questions if you have any. I'm not too sure where I should start myself.

>> No.3209401

>>3209398
Good luck!!!! You'll goddamn well need the luck to break through that ignorant hide you've constructed to shield yourself from the fact that you can't do the shit that you wish you could.

>> No.3209403

>>3209401
Thanks! I'm pretty sure I'll figure out a way either by my own ingenuity or by getting feedback from other people. Although I may do a more painterly (and therefore fundamental-friendly) map after this one.

>> No.3209411

>>3209400
Just green text a couple anecdotes dude (or post in a normal fashion, whatever!). It sounds like you had a couple of wild rides. I commission art and it's always good to hear "don't do this" kind of stories because I always feel like a massive sperg no matter what I do.

>> No.3209424

>>3209411
Wild rides indeed! It was a learning experience.

Here's a story from the first game.
>Be me, good but dumb pixel artist who just wants to help make an awesome game idea become an awesome game reality
>This guy tells me about this game he's making and how he just wishes he could find an artist for it (hint hint)
>Stupidly offer myself up
>Was a little wary at first, but not only did this guy promise pay, I actually did get paid half of what I was supposed to (up front) so it seemed legit at the time
>As it turns out, most of this game's "development" was in this guy's head
>No script
>No actual game being developed
>Character designs changed constantly
>Would redo pixel art all the time to fix said constantly changing character designs
>"Don't worry, anon, I'll make sure you're paid for all of this extra work!"
>I somehow managed to put up with this for 5-6 months
>Demanded pay for the work I had done or I'd leave
>Guy tries to tell me I signed a "legally binding" contract and cannot leave
>deviantArt notes are legally binding contracts now apparently
I just blocked that guy. I know there was another guy working on music, too. I'm not sure what he was planning. Like the story and the game were just...in his head. I don't know what use he'd have for pixel art and music without the actual game. Oh well.

>> No.3209472

>>3209424
Ouch

>As it turns out, most of this game's "development" was in this guy's head

Gotta stat somewhere, I feel like a good artist can be inspirational to a creator when it comes to world building and things like that so I can understand the desire to hire one right when the itch to start working on a game first hits, but it's like, if you're an "idea guy" who has absolutely nothing to bring to the table other than your money then stringing someone along like that and not paying them is inexcusable.

As an artist your success and that of your client are completely separate things, so even if you think their idea is trash or that he's literally NGMI it's completely fine. In fact it's normal; there are so many people that want to create games, comics and so on but only a small percentage of them will ever finish anything. Even at the highest levels wherein publishers with budgets in the millions of dollars are involved risky projects are shit-canned all the time.

What isn't okay though is getting conned into working for free (or being severely underpaid) which happens to too many of us, too often.

What was his proposed budget and what did he end up paying you after those 6 months?

>> No.3209475

>>3208234
:K: :I: :L: :L: :Y: :O: :U: :R: :S: :E: :L: :F:

:G: :O: :B: :A: :C: :K: :T: :O: :T: :W: :I: :T: :T: :E: :R:

>> No.3209476

>>3208214
OP just draw pixel art and work by yourselfie these guys dont know shit and teams never work

>> No.3209478

>>3209472
He didn't have a budget, naturally. I really don't think most people who embark on this journey do and that's why you see so many crowdfunding campaigns, and of course additional crowdfunding campaigns when it turns out round one wasn't enough money. I got nothing after those six months. I only ever got the first "half" up front, which was just half of what I was originally supposed to be working on- not redesign after redesign. I had and still have a stable, well-paying day job so better me taking this kind of hit than someone who would REALLY have felt it I guess. It was a minor inconvenience for me. I hate thinking about how many artists actually depend on this stuff for their living and how many of them get conned out of their grocery money.

>> No.3209489

>>3208214
pixel art is pretty high skill level if you want it done well which is why no indie fag that doesn't want to pay artists never makes a pretty game.

>> No.3209507

>>3209478
I worked on a game for a relative and his friends for close to a year for free thinking I was the luckiest guy in the world they'd chosen me to do art for them. The irony that an artist working retail was working for free for programmers that each made four times as much as I did was completely lost on me at the time. I know exactly where you're coming from.

>> No.3209531

>>3208488
We know you're the author, stop shilling.

>> No.3209680

>>3209287
They sound like fucking maggots, I treat my artists extremely well

Make sure your client isn't a pajeet next time okay?

>> No.3209747

>>3208524
>works for indie game
>get paid well
>everything is fine and dev continues to talk to me about future projects

I dunno, sounds like you're just a piece of shit.