tm27crobat's SPRITES

[tm27crobat]

NOTE: As I create more sprites, I will be posting them in context in later posts in this thread, but I will ALSO be updating THIS FIRST POST so that it serves as a comprehensive set of all the sprites I've done.

I've been working on sprites for this idea I've had: the Senso Region. It's where my fan fic Pokemon: Sanguine Version takes place, and it's a region engulfed in the late parts of a cultural (and occasionally physical) war that's being won by a criminal group called Team Fate.

So! Here is my art so far:

TOWN MAP, SENSO REGION

Spoiler: LABELED VERSIONS OF TOWN MAP

Here it is with towns and one other important location numbered:

1: Cradle Town
2: Valleyville
3: Verdant City
4: Murk Town
5: Capital City
6: Commercial City
7: Enclave Island
8: Ashfall Town
9: Beryl Bay
10: Private Town
11: Copper Town
12: Cemetery
13: Low Town
14: Camp Carnation
15: Beacon Town
16: Glory Summit

And here it is with all non-town important locations labeled:

A: Verdant Cave
B: Mine Tunnel
C: Bug Zone
D: Mt. Kasai
E: Safari Zone
F: Beryl Cave
G: Mine Tunnel
H: Copper Forest
I: Cemetery
J: Pokémon Lab
K: Resistance Camp
L: Lighthouse
M: Victory Road

Human Characters

Elizabeth (protagonist, female)
Alvin (rival/neighbor, male)
Bernie (rival, female)
Professor Hickory

Starter Families:

GRASS

001. Alopaca, Shrub Pokémon (aloe + alpaca)
002. Marcharge, Charging Bull Pokémon (marsh + charge)
003. Artemon, Rage Pokémon (comes from Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt and animals)

FIRE

004. Flamutt, Wolf Pup Pokémon (flame + mutt)
005. Lycansmoke, Wolf Pokémon (pun on the word lycanthrope, meaning werewolf, and smoke)
006. Prometeon, Wolf Pokémon (comes from Prometheus, Greek god who gave humans fire/knowledge)

WATER

007. Ceflopond, Puddle Pokémon (cephalopod + pond)
008. Nautilon, Seafaring Pokémon (comes from the word Nautilus, referring to Nemo's ship from 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and an animal of the same name)
009. Argonon, Sea Adventurer Pokémon (comes from Greek mythology, the Argonauts)

Other Fakemon

316. Cherrio, Gentleman Pokémon (cherry + cheerio)
GRASS/NORMAL type

354. Shishi, Mourning Pokémon
(comes from the Japanese word for death, shi (死); also, shishi (志士) means "men of high purpose" in Japanese. This Pokémon is a symbol of the inevitability of death, but mourns for those who are lost, which is why it stays in the cemetery)
DARK/FLYING type Legendary

Random

Here's a sprite of Furret that I made for GWSC Week 139. The challenge was to "revamp a pokemon that has the same weight and/or height as you do. You must start from a G/S/C sprite!" So, I chose Furret, who is 5'11" like me, and elongated him to make his bodily proportions look even more awkward, because I relate to the awkwardness of feeling too tall. I also used a Gen III color palette.

Here's a fusion of Parasect and Seadra that I made for GWSC Week 145. The challenge was "combining two old school classics: 1th gen Pokémon sprites and a chain challenge (a classic in GWSC).
Take the pokémon that the spriter above you chose, and fuse it with a 1st gen pokémon sprite of your choice." I used Parasect's Red/Green sprite and Seadra's Red/Blue sprite.

Here's another set of sprites, this time for GWSC Week 146. The challenge was to "take a dual-typed 2nd gen pokémon and make a splice; meaning that you make two sprites of the same pokemon, each sprite with one single type," using 5th Gen sprites. I chose to do Tyranitar, who is Rock and Dark type:

Here's a recolor/edit I did of the Charmander line as Dragon-type:

 

[Yagami Kyo]

While the fire started is not my piece of cake, I have to say I really like the grass and ater ones. The Professor's sprite as well, there's a lot of detail into it. I really wish I could do pixel art (or actual art in any kind of form)

 

[Bert]

I'm not a really big fan on all of the designs (they could do with a little bit more out-of-the-box-thinking imo), the scratchwork is actually really decent, and far better than I myself could ever pull off (if I were still actually spriting, that is).

A couple remarks;

- The poses could use some work. Especially the grass-line is facing full frontal. It looks a bit weird from a 'traditional sprite' perspective, but if this is your thing then by all means go for it. The poses of the other lines are more traditional, but still very much on the safe side. I'd like to see you go a bit more wild with them.

- The shading is overall very decent. Especially on Ceflopond you did a good job (colors are really old school too, love it)! But it's not perfect, the shading could be a little more rounded here and there, and the flames on the fire line could be better too (I'd advise you to mirror these to the style of an actual fire-type Pokémon, I really like Magcargo's personally).

- The outline and shading on your grass-line could use some shading touch-ups as well, but it could just be that they look weird to me since they're facing forward and obviously mirrored. Like I said above, if that's a conscious choice for you (which would be weird since the water and fire line are different), feel free to ignore this.

Can't really say much about the trainer sprites, they look good to me but I'm no expert. So yeah, overall really decent work, but a bit too much on the safe side to my tastes. It lacks that touch of daring genius and pure artistry that I like to see. Catch my drift?

 

[tm27crobat]

While the fire started is not my piece of cake, I have to say I really like the grass and ater ones. The Professor's sprite as well, there's a lot of detail into it. I really wish I could do pixel art (or actual art in any kind of form)

Thanks a lot for the compliment! I'm actually trying to re-do the fire second and third stages.

- The poses could use some work. Especially the grass-line is facing full frontal. It looks a bit weird from a 'traditional sprite' perspective, but if this is your thing then by all means go for it. The poses of the other lines are more traditional, but still very much on the safe side. I'd like to see you go a bit more wild with them.

I appreciate that. I do feel I went too safe with the fire ones, and I'm going to try to really make them my own and less generic. And look into different ways of showing the fire, like you also suggested What I was going for with Marcharge was that it was meant to look like it was coming directly toward you, since it's characterized as a relentless charger; that's what I was going for as far as the full frontal design. I see that I didn't do a great job with that haha, so I'll likely be reworking it and its evolution Artemon.

Can't really say much about the trainer sprites, they look good to me but I'm no expert. So yeah, overall really decent work, but a bit too much on the safe side to my tastes. It lacks that touch of daring genius and pure artistry that I like to see. Catch my drift?

I do catch your drift, and thanks so much for your thoughtful response!


What do you guys think of my newest sprite? Its a legendary that lives in a cemetery on the outskirts of the region. It's DARK/FLYING type, and has an hourglass on its chest as a symbol of death; it's tied in with my planned story about my villain group, Team Fate. Here it is:

354. Shishi

 

[Electricbluewolf]

I think it's great to make sprites to support your fanfiction, sometimes it helps people imagine the character.

The trainers look good in design-I like the different colours used in their clothing and hair. They do look a little "choppy" in places-for example, Alvins legs, Elizabeths skirt, the Professors arm tucked behind. This could be as you've used pre existing sprites to base them off of (which is not a bad thing!) It seems a few pixels are out of places-what I like to do when I make a sprite is, once I've finished, fill the background with a solid colour that I haven't used on the sprite and zoom out-if I notice anything with a glance I sort it out.

The Pokemon Sprites bother me. Not that they're not good, it's that they're all done in very different styles. Alopaca evolution line is front facing, and very shading heavy, which is good to see. Flamutt is side facing, and whilst I like the design, the fire seems very copy and paste, and not part of the pokemon. The Ceflopod line again is using a 3-D front perspective, like the sprites in game. I do like the shading and the names of this evo line, but find the second evos orange spots a bit random. Of course if this were a proper sprite game/comic than people who look for a constant style of pixel, but as it's too support a fanfic, different styles of spriting may be just overlooked as the writing is more what people are after-but it's always something to look at.

 

[tm27crobat]

The Pokemon Sprites bother me. Not that they're not good, it's that they're all done in very different styles. Alopaca evolution line is front facing, and very shading heavy, which is good to see. Flamutt is side facing, and whilst I like the design, the fire seems very copy and paste, and not part of the pokemon. The Ceflopod line again is using a 3-D front perspective, like the sprites in game. I do like the shading and the names of this evo line, but find the second evos orange spots a bit random. Of course if this were a proper sprite game/comic than people who look for a constant style of pixel, but as it's too support a fanfic, different styles of spriting may be just overlooked as the writing is more what people are after-but it's always something to look at.

I really appreciate that imput, and I feel like I really needed to hear this. I'm going to be looking over these sprites again because I think a consistent style is important. I think, in general, I like the style of the GRASS second and third stages, so I'll probably try to adapt the others accordingly. Thanks for your reply, and you have a wonderful signature!

 

[Bert]

What do you guys think of my newest sprite? Its a legendary that lives in a cemetery on the outskirts of the region. It's DARK/FLYING type, and has an hourglass on its chest as a symbol of death; it's tied in with my planned story about my villain group, Team Fate. Here it is:

354. Shishi

What I absolutely love about this one is the color palette. I said it in my post above about Ceflopond; your old school use of color/shading is actually really nice, you should make that part of that consistent signature style you're looking for.

That said, there's bad news too. Something went horribly wrong with the head and neck. The beak isn't properly attached to the head, the poor bird seems to have ping pong balls for eyes, and to top it off his neck's broken. The scratchwork on the body looks reeeaaaally good in combo with that beautiful coloring, and the pose is a lot better too, but you really should rework the positioning of the head completely (and if I may suggest so, I'd try to redesign the head a bit too, to make it more 'legendary-ish'). If you're unsure how to fix it, I'd check on official sprites of Fearow or maybe even Ho-oh or Moltres or something. You could even check out the 2nd gen sprites since your color and shading style is more similar to those.

This one looks promising, for example (the beak and eyes especially should illustrate how yours is a bit flawed):

The hourglass is a nice touch, but if you hadn't mentioned it I wouldn't have noticed. Maybe make it slightly larger (you can position it a bit more on the lower belly where you'll have a little more working space) or something?

I think it's by far the best of the bunch though, just get that head fixed please. You're welcome by the way, I really enjoy C&C'ing people who appreciate the feedback!

 

[noobiess]

I must say I'm really glad that this thread is here in the sub-forum. Not only does if give some activity outside of the GWSC, it also forms a bridge between fan fic and fan art (which I think should be done regularly on the forum).

As someone who scratched sprites, and more specifically fakemon (I made a whole region), for a very long time this is my cup of tea!
I personally have some troubles with commenting fakemon purely on their sprite because the design is also such a big part.
So to be complete, I'll give some comments on both the designs and sprites:

Sprites:
The first thing that I noticed that the angle of your sprites is not like the pokémon sprites. Marcharge and Armeton are completely faced forwards and the whole fire line is looking to the right.
In pokémon sprites this is not the case; they are slightly tilted to the left, to be facing towards the opponent.
The shading is decent, but it doens't really take into account the shape of the pokemon (for example with Alopaca the head doesn't create a shade on the body which causes to make it look flatter then it should). There is no easy way to explain exactly how to shade, but I would say keep practicing making sprites... . Also really think about from where the sun is comming (right above) and how the shade is created (which object blocks the sun so it creates a shade on a specific place).
Color choice is overall very nice!

Designs:
It is certainly a good start! One point: dare to think further. Try to link things together in a clever way (for example Chespin - a hedgehog and a chestnut are found in the same environment and have a similar shape), think of a backstory, how it would move/what nature it has/which place it has in nature/... . And then try to make it as clear as possible to viewers by designing it that way.
I feel like with the first part (creating a backstory,...) you are good to go, but we just can't see it in the design. For example with Shishi, you have a nice story around it with the hourglass being a important part of it; but the you make it so small you can hardly recognise it. Overemphesize it! It will give much more character!

Also when designing fakemon, you actually should be able to draw a front/side view of your fakemon. You should know the body structure very well to make a nice sprite with a natural look.
Personally I never did out of laziness, but when I started doing this I was able to make better sprites.

Hopefully you had something out of my comments because I would love to see how this thread evolves ^^

 

[Ex Extreme]

the Trainer sprites look great, keep creating 'em.

'bout the pokémon; You have your own style n' all, but they don't really look like the original ones. Nothing wrong here unless you want to work on their concept. Would be interesting if you showed their name origin (how it was created/what it means).

The pokémon sprites look interesting. You certainly know the basics of spriting, since the shading is kinda good. I noticed a few other things too: you use parts of other pokémon sprites on your fakémon, and 002 and 003 are perfectly symmetrical (guess ya copied n' pasted huh). Nothing much to say, just keep makin' 'em and you'll get a lot better. g'luck with ya Fanfic btw.

 

[tm27crobat]

Thanks for the feedback and support, everyone! I've been reworking sprites, and trying to find that style!

What I absolutely love about this one is the color palette. I said it in my post above about Ceflopond; your old school use of color/shading is actually really nice, you should make that part of that consistent signature style you're looking for.

This struck something in me; it's one of those compliments/encouragements that just stays with you. Thank you.

You guys are really too kind, and I appreciate all of your responses so much! New/updated sprites should be here fairly soon! I'm cooking up a ghost-type now, and trying to rework the starters. This post is just a big thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

[Bluespeon]

Nice!! I was waiting for something like this (a topic where someone posts his/her sprites and fakes).
They are very very original, I like them vey much.
What I don't like very much is that some sprites are totally in a frontal perspective, and sometimes does not look like pokemon sprites.
Good luck and i'm looking forward seeing more of your sprites! And I will also try to read your fic.
Bye

 

[tm27crobat]

Thanks so much for your comments, Bluespeon

I made a Town Map for the Senso Region!

Here it is unmarked:

Here it is with towns and one other important location numbered:

1: Cradle Town
2: Valleyville
3: Verdant City
4: Murk Town
5: Capital City
6: Commercial City
7: Enclave Island
8: Ashfall Town
9: Beryl Bay
10: Private Town
11: Copper Town
12: Cemetery
13: Low Town
14: Camp Carnation
15: Beacon Town
16: Glory Summit

And here it is with all non-town important locations labeled:

A: Verdant Cave
B: Mine Tunnel
C: Bug Zone
D: Mt. Kasai
E: Safari Zone
F: Beryl Cave
G: Mine Tunnel
H: Copper Forest
I: Cemetery
J: Pokémon Lab
K: Resistance Camp
L: Lighthouse
M: Victory Road


I may upload another with routes labeled as well. Hope you guys enjoy, it's something a little different than trainers and Pokémon.

 

[tm27crobat]

I just wanted to post in this thread a sprite I made for this week's GWSC; the theme was "The evolution of proportions?!", and the task was this: "The challenge this week is to revamp a pokemon that has the same weight and/or height as you do. You must start from a G/S/C sprite!"

Here was my entry:

This is my (first ever!) entry, a revamp of Furret's sprite from Silver and Crystal. Furret is 5'11", just like me, and although I do weigh quite a bit more than 71.6 lbs (I'm an adult woman, after all), his weight was the closest to mine of any 5'11" tall Pokémon that was first introduced in G/S/C, so I chose him.

I decided that for this revamp I'd use more modern (actually Gen III, my favorite generation) colors, but also that I'd elongate Furret even more than he already is. I thought I'd do this because, as a 5'11" woman, I'm always hyperaware of how tall I am; I used to get teased (bullied) for it, but also, people are constantly remarking even harmlessly about it--which is fine, just makes me feel self conscious.

So! I decided to make Furret, this long, thin Pokémon, comparatively even longer and skinnier, to emphasize the awkwardness of his bodily proportions. Cuz I relate to that sentiment.

 

[Bert]

I don't think we're allowed to C&C sprites for a GWSC week that's still open for entries, so I'll keep my comments until the poll is open (I'm no expert on revamps though).

That said, the map looks okay. I'm no expert on maps either, actually, but is it intended to lack relief? Normally, there'd be like patches of lighter green, yellow, and brown to show elevation in the terrain. It's okay if you're just sticking to green as a stylistic choice, but I felt like pointing that out.

 

[tm27crobat]

That said, the map looks okay. I'm no expert on maps either, actually, but is it intended to lack relief? Normally, there'd be like patches of lighter green, yellow, and brown to show elevation in the terrain. It's okay if you're just sticking to green as a stylistic choice, but I felt like pointing that out.

I've been working on a version with more relief, which I think is especially important in this region because it's really mountainous, which is related to several planned plot points. Essentially, the maps I posted are first drafts, more to show the content than the true design of a final image.

 

[tm27crobat]

Hey, guys! I have created a new trainer sprite for a character named Bernie (short for Bernice). She is another rival in my story who gets the last remaining one of Professor Hickory's starter Pokémon, and who is from Valleyville just north of Cradle Town, my protagonist Elizabeth's hometown. She has a bubbly personality and tends to choose Pokémon based on their cuteness; however, she's just as committed to helping Hickory and the Resistance as Elizabeth or Alvin (possibly more). So, without further ado, Bernie:

I also edited my Elizabeth sprite to fix the skirt:

 

[Bluespeon]

Hi! I like so much your new Bernie's sprite!!!
Maybe when you look at that sprite at the first time it seems like her arm is very short... I don't know.
But for sure, you are totally improving your spriting skills :3
bye!

 

[Ex Extreme]

Bernie looks really good.
Elizabeth's skirt still looks a lil' off. I guess the problem now is the shading, not the colors. Don't worry 'bout it tho.

Your Furret revamp looks great, is it your first revamp? I think you re-sized it very well, grats. The shading could get some work too.

 

[tm27crobat]

Hi! I like so much your new Bernie's sprite!!!
Maybe when you look at that sprite at the first time it seems like her arm is very short... I don't know.
But for sure, you are totally improving your spriting skills :3
bye!

Thanks for your kind words! I'll to take another look at her and maybe fix her arm, but I'm glad you like the sprite.

Bernie looks really good.
Elizabeth's skirt still looks a lil' off. I guess the problem now is the shading, not the colors. Don't worry 'bout it tho.

Your Furret revamp looks great, is it your first revamp? I think you re-sized it very well, grats. The shading could get some work too.

It is my first revamp! Actually, unless you count a few images I made on MS Paint like seven years ago, the sprites in this thread are the my first Pokémon sprites! I'm new to all of this, which is part of why I appreciate feedback (positive and negative) so much. Thanks for your compliments! I'm fixing my Elizabeth sprite now and actually completely redoing most of it, but I don't know when I'll be finished with it. However, in the meantime, I did redo my Alvin sprite to improve his bottom half and left arm:

Let me know what you guys think! The old version is still in my signature for the time being for comparison.

 

[Electricbluewolf]

Let me know what you guys think! The old version is still in my signature for the time being for comparison.

Wow, I think you've done a great job with his legs! They're a real improvement to his others-they fit his body right and the pixelling is really nicely done. I do like the shading on them as well, and I've seen you've changed the arm pose-I think with that leg stance it goes well with it