Pixel Art: Elven Archer
Posted: 30th January 2010
Difficulty: Hard
I took several progress shots while I was working on the Elven Archer, so I hope this gives you an idea of how I've worked ^_^
I'm going to ask you not to recreate parts of these examples and use them as your own, because these are really only here to show my working ^^;
I'm going to ask you not to recreate parts of these examples and use them as your own, because these are really only here to show my working ^^;
Contents
The Animation
Alright, so I already know what I want animated at this point - I had the whole time drawing to think about it XP
So, I want him to move his arms slightly, fitting the feathers into the arrow and smile slightly. While this happens, the wind will be blowing the leaves and his clothes.
This is the plan XD Because there are several things all happening at once, I am going to use the delay of 200ms.
The reason for this is that 2x100ms = 200ms, so if I need something for only half a frame, I'll make it two 100ms frames (for example, I want the "Eyes Half" only there for 100ms, the other 100ms they will be either closed or open).
I know I'll have to have more frames than I've specified above, but those will be the key frames of movement.
I started by animating the blinking first. It has the frames with the different frame delays, so it's easier to get that done and fit everything else around it.
Alright, now we've got the arms moving and the smile. To make the arms move, I've simply moved them 1px in different directions and consequently, had to move the arrow as well.
Simple movements such as this don't require much in the way of redrawing and can be a nice addition to an animation.
Here we go, this is the final animation. All that's been added from the last step is the wind blowing.
For windblown clothing / hair etc, you can usually simulate wind by moving one side of the item 1px in the way the wind is blowing. I did this with the leaves in the trees and then reshaded small parts so it fitted better.
I've also stepped the windblown animation - the clothes follow the wind the same time as the leaves, whereas the feathered cape returns to it's position slightly afterwards. I've found it makes the windblown animation look less clear cut and more natural looking.
Having several things moving at once can be difficult to get your head around, so it might be a good idea to start with something basic. Try drawing a doll, make it blink and have it float up and down at the same time. Make the blinking animation first and then fit the floating around it. Add more frames if you need to so that the floating repeats seamlessly.
So, I want him to move his arms slightly, fitting the feathers into the arrow and smile slightly. While this happens, the wind will be blowing the leaves and his clothes.
This is the plan XD Because there are several things all happening at once, I am going to use the delay of 200ms.
The reason for this is that 2x100ms = 200ms, so if I need something for only half a frame, I'll make it two 100ms frames (for example, I want the "Eyes Half" only there for 100ms, the other 100ms they will be either closed or open).
I know I'll have to have more frames than I've specified above, but those will be the key frames of movement.
I started by animating the blinking first. It has the frames with the different frame delays, so it's easier to get that done and fit everything else around it.
Alright, now we've got the arms moving and the smile. To make the arms move, I've simply moved them 1px in different directions and consequently, had to move the arrow as well.
Simple movements such as this don't require much in the way of redrawing and can be a nice addition to an animation.
Here we go, this is the final animation. All that's been added from the last step is the wind blowing.
For windblown clothing / hair etc, you can usually simulate wind by moving one side of the item 1px in the way the wind is blowing. I did this with the leaves in the trees and then reshaded small parts so it fitted better.
I've also stepped the windblown animation - the clothes follow the wind the same time as the leaves, whereas the feathered cape returns to it's position slightly afterwards. I've found it makes the windblown animation look less clear cut and more natural looking.
Having several things moving at once can be difficult to get your head around, so it might be a good idea to start with something basic. Try drawing a doll, make it blink and have it float up and down at the same time. Make the blinking animation first and then fit the floating around it. Add more frames if you need to so that the floating repeats seamlessly.
