This is the beginning of my dithering practice.
What I want to do is to draw an "orange" face using yellow/red dither and different effects... An idea jumped in my mind is to make a blazing head shouting between the flames!

Tips and comments are more than welcomed, such as 'that is not possible!' or 'stfu n00b', but I'd rather something like technical issues....

That's my first time I actually perform this technique; I heard many times its use is not much recommended, but i think a real pixel artist worth of this name has to master that.

EDIT: the face, actually!
->->->->->
FINAL VERSION!
Thanks everyone for your support!
comments and suggestions are very much welcomed


Edited by Garrett - 22 May 2008 at 5:13am

I have just seen the spartan...
Wow.

Just hope to reach that level someday, in a far away galaxy...

Exactly. here's an example of uniform and non-uniform dithering patterns. just remember that it has to follow some kind of pattern or else it would turn into a random 'noise' effect, and to not limit yourself ;D

Okay have done this...

What do you think?

Si ho capito cosa intendi

I'll try to work in that direction, but I feel like I'd have to reduce the dither doing so

Well the effect I want to create is not the one of a plain wall, at all: my idea was to use dither to give volume to flames...
But before the face I wanted to define better the background, that's the worse part so far, I think.
But now I am in front of an hamletic dilemma: left or right?

I am not sure about how to design the background.
In the left I have drawn the single flames, while in the right part I have used a sort of straight-line technique, like in the previous version, but i connected them in order to exalt the firecrest an distinguish the flames.
I'd like to know what you think abouth the two method, and obviously wich one is better according to you...

@QuaziGNRLnose: Did you see the example that Metaru has given. There is depth in that picture. It is possible!

@ Garrett: The left is better to me. But I think there are way to many flames.
    I admire the challenge you have set for yourself. This is something for
    an advanced artist. But you are brave that you have set a high goal for yourself


Best regards from

M.E.

@Metaru: I had the same feeling too...

@M.E.: I hope that "there are too many flames" involves "make them bigger" too, because i worked that way; I am pleased to know you appreciate my effort .
I think doing what you know you are able to do is a bit boring, I consider it as a job; trying something you are aware it's hard instead is more funny, you really enjoy the process, not only the result!

Anyway that's what I have done

I've enlarged the flames, and filled the major part of the flat red surfaces, to give a sort of volume.
However I'm not satisfied, I think those flames are too well defined, while the fire is lovely because of its restless and random movement...
I'll try to create a sort of dither pattern to give the fire some life, meanwhile I'd love any sort of suggestion, comments or whatever could jump in your mind!

Also check out the rest of the entries to the 2 colour challenge that we had a while ago

Wow, nice improvement. Something tells me though that you need more red where the mouth and the eyes open. Seems odd to be blank.

Hi Garrett,

Indeed a good improvement.
Please avoid symetry as your piece will be more dynamic
without it!
Also listen to the advices from the others on the face.
The eyes and mouth would be nicer in dark = red.
Also make the face round like you did with the flames.
There are way too many verticle lines in the face at the moment.

Best regards from

M.E.

they did it for you:
http://tinyurl.com/4fcnms

I dunno it seems more choppy now.

Okay I realized I went too far with flourish (and Blotts!). Now I am going to stylize it observing a real flame, from images like suggested, but also live from camping
Wait for me, I'll be back in few days!

EDIT: I think I've really got what metaru (and all af you) said!
I have to draw the fire in a completely different way: 'till now I have drawn flames in red and then tried to dither the edges to make them more blurry, and "randomly specked" the yellow and the red; now I am trying to use a more solid pattern, and make a smoother gradient.
I apologize for being so retard...


Edited by Garrett - 20 May 2008 at 6:05am

Here I am again!
Still far from being complete but i post anyway my progresses!
@M.E.: Don't worry I haven't forgotten you advice, but I think make eyes and mouth darker is far more easy than shade fire properly, I think!
What I have changed is concentrated in the nose, in the lower right part, the forehead and something all around the face, not much but the nose, actually.
/VS/
Now, the challenge: personally I think that if I make red eyes/mouth they seems less wide, ad especially the eyes don't transmit the astonished expression like the light ones.
Maybe the dark version needs to be darker generally, dont know...
Have I already said how I appreciate your support?

this is how i would do this. notive I've used one of you previous updates as a base

indeed. as far as I remember, the idea is to make a flame wich is visible among the flames, instead of a face wich is made of flames.

anyway, if your goal has evolved into something completely new, feel free to ignore this statement.

Yep, metaru got the point, it was supposed to be a face between the flames, not a flame resembling a face, but I think I'll follow M.E.'s suggestion, doing an halfway work.
@Metaru: I knew I had to do something more than a color fill

@Everyone: wait for the final resut, because there's much of yours in it!

EDIT: Here is it!

I think I'm quite done, now the flames satisfy me! (it's true that the more I watch it, the more details I want to change)
The real matter now are the eyes: I have to refine them anyway, but I am not sure about doing them dark, because metaru's version looks like an alien, while elwin's one resembles a dead fish, looking in two directions once. I also tried to make shadows, higlights, dither, but until now I had no luck.
Tomorrow is another day.


Edited by Garrett - 21 May 2008 at 6:59am

To be honest, I still don't think you're finished. You've mentioned the problems you have, unless this has a deadline that you need to finish it by, I think you still should consider working on fixing those problems.

This is an extremely quick edit I did on the eyes, nose and mouth. Done just to give you some more ideas.



But I suggest before you declare this finished, wait a while and distance yourself from the image. That way you can come back later and look at it with a clear head. This piece has so much potential and I don't think you are doing it justice by submitting it yet. In my opinion you still need to play around with the style a bit more.

Hi Garrett,

Yet another good update.
See you again after your exams to really kick *ss with this!

OT: Good luck with the exams, I hope you do well!

Best regards from

M.E.