RMN PIXEL ART CONTEST #2

[size=20pt][font=Tahoma]RMN-Approved Contest #2: Game Material/Mockups![/font][/size] [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/tree54.gif[/img] [size=16pt]The Rundown[/size] [list] [li]Make a game-related piece of pixel art. [li]Win [b]$100[/b] if yours is better than everyone elses.[/li] [li]Win [b]$50[/b] if yours is better than everyone elses except for the guy who won $100.[/li] [/list] A year after the relative success of the first (similarly named) event, I've been speaking with several individuals about rekindling the interest in this! Many months of [s]incessant laziness and[/s] time away from the community last Winter have allowed me to (sort of) accumulate more prize money, along with general site productivity! There was a reasonably fair turnout for the first RMN Pixel Art Contest, but I'd like to expand the scope of this version, in terms of both member involvement and detail of submissions. For those of you who take one look at this topic and backtrack from intimidation: Don't. We encourage absolutely everyone to try their hands at this regardless of experience. Due to the behemoth-sized assortment of information I shoved into the last topic, in terms of tutorials and nonspecific details, I hope no one will [s]notice[/s] mind that I've rehashed some of it! That said, for those of you unaware of what Pixel Art IS, allow me to provide this rather verbose definition from Wikipedia! [quote=What is Pixel Art?][b]Pixel art[/b] is distinguished from other forms of digital art by an insistence upon manual, pixel-level editing of an image ([b]without the application of image filters, automatic anti-aliasing or special rendering modes[/b]), often at close magnification. In this form, it is commonly said that "each pixel was placed carefully" to achieve a desired result. Purists within the pixel art scene hold that "true" pixel art should only be created from tools that place individual pixels (such as the 'pencil' tool), and that pixel artists should avoid all other tools including line, Bezier curve, circle and rectangle. Others counter that tools such as line and bucket-fill are acceptable as their functions could be just as easily, if not as quickly, replicated on an individual pixel basis.[/quote] For a more elaborate set of guidelines; you may opt to check out the page itself, [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_art]Found Here[/url]! [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/mockup__r166931711.png[/img] [size=9pt][b]Copyright [url=http://partisan-tb.blogspot.com/]Nathan Christie[/url][/b][/size] [size=18pt]How does this contest work?[/size] Despite their differences in subject matter, this contest works quite similarly to the Map Design events. Participants are given certain periods of time to complete and polish their entires; and each is critiqued respectfully by the judges. To provide a far more accurate description than I myself could muster; feel free to consult the following description in terms of how the work is actually put together! [b]The process of Pixel Art:[/b] (From Wiki) [list] [li]Drawings usually start with what is called the line art, which is the basic line that defines the character, building or anything else the artist is intending to draw. Linearts are usually traced over scanned drawings and are often shared among other pixel artists. Other techniques, some resembling painting, also exist.[/li] [li]The limited palette often implemented into Pixel Art usually promotes the use of dithering in order to achieve different shades and colors, but due to the nature of this form of art this is done completely by hand. Hand-made anti-aliasing is also used.[/li] [/list] [size=18pt][i]What[/i] do we need to create?[/size] (Read this!) To bring the methodology of the contest more in line with that of RMN itself, we've narrowed the focus a little: to [i]games[/i]. Yes, huge surprise. These leaves an open door for not only creatively constructed game mockups, but generalized material or resources that are created originally for a game. While there is no strict limitation, we are going to accept all submissions that aesthetically appear related to a game in some form. If entrees fail to meet this criteria, they are denied. For those of you contemplating attempting a game mockup, but are unclear of the specifics related to it: [quote]In manufacturing and design, a mockup is a scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, evaluating a design, promotion, and other purposes. A mockup is called a prototype if it provides at least part of the functionality of a system and enables testing of a design.[/quote] In our case, a mockup typically reflects the visual tone and style of a game without necessarily being a functioning product. This is useful for establishing a strong stylistic sensibility without yet having taken work too far, and can keep others interested in your work. As before, literal examples are probably far more helpful than my endless ranting could ever be; so perhaps some of these pieces can inspire you! [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/rock.gif[/img] [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/clanratsmockup.gif[/img] [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/solmockup.png[/img] [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/grassworldtiles.gif[/img] [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/rpg_mockup.gif[/img] Keep in mind that nearly every example I've provided was done by an experienced artist and not necessarily reflective of the quality we're expecting. There is sure to be a range of talent showcased in this event and we appreciate everyone's unique contribution. We take our guidelines seriously, but the important issue is simply to enjoy the process of expanding your artistic prowess and have fun coming up with something! [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/shoe.gif[/img] [size=18pt]HOW do we do it?[/size] Appropriate software makes the creation of Pixel Art a far easier process, so I've provided a brief list of suitable examples. Certainly do not feel limited to what is listed here. We are more concerned with the end result than the process itself, in terms of assessment. [b]Some programs commonly used for the generating pixel art:[/b] [b][i]Microsoft Paint[/i][/b] is included in Microsoft Windows. It lacks many advanced features, but basic graphic editing is very mature and suitable for pixel by pixel editing. [i]If not; there are several alternatives![/i] [url=http://www.humanbalance.net/gale/us/]Graphics Gale[/url] Has both freeware and ¥1995 (roughly $20) shareware versions, and has features designed for animation and cursor creation. [url=http://www.gimp.org/]GIMP[/url] Shares the bulk of it's features with Adobe Photoshop and likewise functions similarly. [url=http://opensword.org/Pixen/]Pixen[/url] A free, open-source, and available for Mac OS X. It offers many tools tailored to sprite creation and animation. [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/celes3.png[/img] [size=9pt][b]Copyright [url=http://happip.deviantart.com/]Happip[/url][/b][/size] [size=18pt]B-but... I'm still lost![/size] [b]Try a few of these comprehensive tutorials![/b] [Hide] [url=http://www.derekyu.com/?page_id=218]Derek Yu's Tutorial[/url] [url=http://www.natomic.com/hosted/marks/mpat/]Mark's Pixel Art[/url] [url=http://www.flipflopflyin.com/g/2006/06/how-to-do-pixel-head.html]Pixel Head Tutorial[/url] [url=http://pxlgfx.com/tutorials/Perfect_Pixel_Patterns/]Perfect Pixel Patterns[/url] [url=http://www.drububu.com/tutorial/index.html]Drububu[/url] [url=http://www.gjdesigns.dk/tutorials.shtml]GJ Designs[/url] [url=http://www.zoggles.co.uk/asp/tutorials.asp?show=index]Zoggle's Guide to the Isometric Perspective[/url] [url=http://www.19.5degs.com/element/869.php#pixel-art-tutorial]Another Isometric Tutorial[/url] [url=http://graphicssoft.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=graphicssoft&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fsteve.neonstar.net%2Ftutorials.htm]Sprite Domain[/url] [url=http://news.deviantart.com/article/8008/]DeviantART Article[/url] [/Hide] [b]Image-Based (Visual) Tutorials:[/b] [url=http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/pixelbinktutorial001.gif]Making a Cube[/url] [url=http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/pixelbinktutorial002.gif]Building a Building[/url] [url=http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/pixelbinktutorial003.gif]Shading a Face[/url] [url=http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/iso_circle_tut.gif]The Isometric Circle[/url] [url=]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/mushroomsteps.png]Creating a House[/url] [b][size=19pt]The Rules (READ THIS)[/size][/b] [list] [li]Though it may already be obvious to those of you with experience, [b]Pixel Art differs from map design in that it is an ENTIRELY ORIGINAL craft[/b]. Anything and everything you turn in must be generated by your own hands. Plagiarized entries will be disqualified.[/li][/list] [list][li]Plagiarism is a sin. Anyone caught plagiarizing will be expelled from the contest and RMN itself.[/li] [li]We do permit the use of existing palettes and color collections for your work. For example, if you want to endeavor toward a piece inspired by (and coherent with) Super Mario World material, this is perfectly acceptable.[/li][/list] [list][li]There are no size restrictions. However, make sure to use a size you are capable of. 800x800 is great if you are able to pixel such a large graphic.[/li][/list] [list][li]This is a game development site, and so your piece [b]must[/b] be a potential piece of a functioning game. Whether the game is real or not doesn't matter. Full screen mockups work best in this regard, but other types of art will function as well (character sprites, backgrounds, example tileset, etc.)[/li][/list] [list][li]Wednesday, July 8th, through Saturday, July 11th is the deadline for entries. To be eligible for judging, pending extreme circumstances, pieces [b]MUST[/b] be submitted within this time frame. (If you wish for your own to remain private/unexposed, PM it to myself or one of the other judges.)[/li][/list] [b][u]Note[/u][/b]: We are allotting more time for entries [b]so that participants can make use of it[/b]. We know how busy everyones' personal schedule can be, but we've upped the scale and resulting prizes for this event, so we're ex8ecting quite a bit more! [size=18pt]Judging and Assessment[/size] As noted, all submissions will be critiqued on a variety of factors. These elements are composed of the following: [b]1.) Adherence to Theme[/b] [b]2.) Originality/Creativity[/b] [b]3.) Detail/Use of Color[/b] [b]4.) Style and Form[/b] A total of ten points will be indicative of each major category; adding to the total of 40. This score is an idealized, nearly infeasible goal, and simply reflects the totality of what can be achieved, not what we're looking for. [size=16pt][b]Judges:[/b][/size] [list] [li]BlindMind[/li][/list] [list][li]Karsuman[/li][/list] [list][li]Sovan Jedi[/li] [/list] [size=18pt][b] Prizes:[/b][/size][size=14pt] [b]1st: $100[/b] [b]2nd: $50[/b][/size] A prize of [b]One Hundred USD[/b] will be awarded either via Paypal or postal system to the 1st place winner. (Likewise, fifty dollars to second place.) Further, we're open to a fourth potential judge. If anyone may also be interested in that position, or has general questions on scoring, feel free to contact me and/or post here. [img]http://www.pixeljoint.com/files/icons/full/caramba.gif[/img] [size=9pt][b]Copyright [url=http://www.foolstown.com/]Fool[/url][/b][/size] [size=18pt]Participation[/size] [list] [li]Darken[/li] [li]Cop Killa[/li] [li]DE[/li] [li]Blitzen[/li] [li]D-Bones[/li] [li]^646[/li] [li]Tau[/li] [li]geodude[/li] [li]Natook[/li] [li]arcan[/li] [li]Deacon Batista[/li] [li]boobledeeboo[/li] [/list] I was immensely pleased with the outcome of the last event, yet I hope to surpass it with this iteration. I hope everyone shall consider!