ShangXian's art Reviews on Newgrounds

[Sunreal]

Ok, I must admit that this artwork (like all your Gallery tbh) makes me speechless for its beauty, talent and inspiration that gives. As someone who barely started pixel art between last year and this year, mainly due to Pixel Day but I plan to make more outside this holiday, looking at this especially the WIP not only inspires me to make further pixel art but it strongly motivates me since this work is helping me to realize some things when making artworks.

And I am not only referring to pixel art but to art in general. I would like to first review the WIP since it's the part that truly motivates me to keep going on with pixel art:

-the first thing I've noticed is that you started with the background or better the environment. A things I've noticed many people tend to do, and I do it too sometimes^^', is focusing first on the character and then thinking about the background as if the character should be pasted onto it when in reality a character should be part of an environment. The character shall feel the environment and this should be experienced by the viewer him/her/themselves. One of strong points of this composition is how Sunflora feels the whole environment, she is well inserted, she is part of it and she is vibing to it. This creates a dynamic structure highly pleasant to look at and is one of main points that motivates and inspires me.

-linked to what I said above is how the environment is basically built on two colours (first GIF) and then two lines (second GIF). Many people ignore how something more complex, like the final product we see here, is more than often the result of smaller and simpler structures whether they are colours or lines, or even both. I've noticed that the third GIF is what the entire artwork will be about. I can see your whole thought process by looking carefully at your WIP even though I don't pretend to know every thought you had when making it. That would be arrogant on my part. But definitely I can sense that you started with a basic idea: sunset and Pokemon. Then you built around it your childhood memory (your Pokemon from Soulsilver, btw I always loved Soulsilver, Jotho region is my favourite along with Sinnoh). Then on this idea you started to build the "skeleton" of what will be the composition starting from the two initial colours, then the outlines of the sea and the main, big cloud.

-and speaking of the cloud, I admit it's the part I love the most about the environment composition. The cloud is clearly a cumulus cloud. They tend to develop on clear, sunny days when the sun heats the ground directly below (a phenomenon known as diurnal convection). This is where they get their nickname of "fair weather" clouds. They appear in the late morning, grow, and then disappear toward evening. What I love the most about this cloud is the rounded, puffy, and a brilliant yellow when sunlit, while its bottoms is flat and relatively dark. The magnificence of the cloud is enhanced by the curvilinear perspective aka five-points perspective.

small fun fact about it: curvilinear perspective was formally codified in 1968 by the artists and art historians André Barre and Albert Flocon in the book La Perspective curviligne, which was translated into English in 1987 as Curvilinear Perspective: From Visual Space to the Constructed Image and published by the University of California Press.

back to the the perspective of the cloud and sea. I can see the geometric relationship, if we want to break it into more simpler shapes the perspective would look like this: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/%C5%9Aciana.png
(work made by Kuba Fober on 3 February 2011, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license)

Well if we look carefully the distances a and c between the viewer and the wall are greater than the b distance, so adopting the principle that when an object is a greater distance from the observer, it becomes smaller, the wall is reduced and thus appears distorted at the edges. This is how it would appear from the viewer's point of view: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/%C5%9Aciana2.png/640px-%C5%9Aciana2.png

The choice of this type of perspective gives the sense of vastness and openness, plus the colours, entire colour palette give a feel of cleanliness (the water, the reflection of mountains in the water, etc.).

-speaking of water I liked how mountains reflect in fifth GIF, they look so crystalline and even without adding the more soft shading of the next GIF, they would look amazing. I understood the choice to make the reflection blend on water: ti give a more natural and realistic sense to the environment. As I said I love both possible alternatives (the more crystalline look and the more blended look) because art is about making decisions and depending on what you want to convey a solution works better than another, and I can see why you choose to work on it. The entire composition would have been refined and detailed so leaving the crystalline look would have resulted in something that clashed too much.

-I love how around the main cumulus one can appreciate cirrus-like clouds around them. It gives a really natural feel of movements and size (I mean the size of the cumulus cloud). Nice job when you started with simple strokes of the brush and the you built around to sculpt the final shape.

-I found very interesting that you initially places the lifebuoy at the bottom right but then decided for a more central focal point. I don't know what made you change idea, maybe to initially place the character as reminder to do it later and place at the center of the lake. Anyhow I like it and I like the change of shades between the 8th and 9th GIF. I also noticed the disappearance of the small light blue highlight on the lifebuoy's left part in the 11th GIF^^ (lovely detail in the WIP process).

And now the final work:

-I just love the whole composition especially after watching carefully the entire WIP and changes that occurred before reaching the final product. The composition is well balanced in both colours, perspective and the character chosen. Grass types get along well with water after all.

-The colours. I love the cold colours sequence that can be appreciated in this artwork. The only warm colours are given by the giant cloud which reflects the light of the sun which is about to set, but the real protagonists are cold colours and the shades of blue, light blue, purple and light blue. Blue is a colour linked to calmness, meditation, contemplation, rationality and thinking. Surveys in the US and Europe show that blue is the color most commonly associated with harmony, faithfulness, confidence, distance, infinity, the imagination, cold, and occasionally with sadness. In US and European public opinion polls it is the most popular color, chosen by almost half of both men and women as their favorite color. The same surveys also show that blue also the color most associated with intelligence, knowledge, calm, and concentration.

another fun fact about blue colour and gender: in the early 1900s, blue was the colour for girls, since it had traditionally been the colour of the Virgin Mary in Western Art, while pink was for boys (as it was akin to the colour red, considered a masculine colour). Blue was first used as a gender signifier just prior to World War I (for either girls or boys), and first established as a male gender signifier in the 1940s. Sales was a particular motivation for the gendering of clothing, as well as the invention of prenatal sexing.

In United States the expression "true blue" means faithful and loyal, and after reading your description I like to image that your Sunflora was true blue^^ and this artwork well show this! In Paganism blue is associated with peace, truth, wisdom, protection, and patience. It helps with healing, psychic ability, harmony, and understanding. This artwork gives me peace, serenity and almost a hypnosis to keep looking at it over and over since blue is also a calming colour.

-This artwork truly managed to send a very, strong positive vibe and I would hug that Sunflora for all the positivity she gives me with her easy-going and chill attitude. This is almost very Zen as message, at least this is what I see^^

Congratulations for the FP, really deserved. If only I could fave and re-vote other 1000 times^^
Keep rocking you and Sunreal!

---------------------------------------------

I see the inspiration and it fits perfectly to Sunflora^^ many times the simplest things bring the most substantial results^^ nice job! I am listening to the song of the video while looking at your work, it's incredibly adorable!
And you are welcome, you deserved it.

VulpsVulps responds:

Well, thanks a lot for taking the time to analyze it, the idea is a bit more simple tho
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9uFQv3t1AU

it was just that and trying to make it look more aesthetic, also, a bit of a tribute to her, so it's the least I can do.

Once again, thanks for the kind words

[Cute Girl]

Wow, I really love this coloured digital piece! I liked the different gradient hues on her body, notably on her left side. Nice pose too. I like the slightly inclined angle, it gives a sense of grandeur in terms of size. The Y2K style makes everything really enjoyable to look at because despite the simplicity of the composition, it's a nice mix of futuristic and nostalgic elements. The vibrant and bright colours make everything highly eye-catching.

It's a candy for the eyes I admit. It's a style I am recently discovering and I find it interesting, I may try it one day for some of my artworks, who knows. But back to the drawing: I've noticed the linearts differ and I see the basic theory applied here. What do I mean? I mean that it's important to draw outlines thicker while details shall have thinner linearts. This gives a nice sense of volumes and details are more highlighted like in this case. I can see that this contrast helps the viewer to focus on the character herself.

The only thing I would like to point out is the way the right arm is drawn. It is not possible to see the inclination of the forearm well, the perspective of it seems a little off. To get around this problem I might recommend first drawing the skeleton of the body you want to draw, a circle for the head, rectangles for the torso and abdomen if you like, straight lines for the limbs and small circles for the joints between the limbs. Starting with lines and geometric shapes also helps you see potential problems with perspective and angle. Art is about decision making, about what you want and deciding everything you do will be affected by it.

The uniform is beautiful, I would suggest just a little more pleats, just enough to give a touch of extra detail even if I can fully understand the choice of a minimalist style :)
Colours are nicely vibrant and I like that the background has this hue gradient. It makes everything more pleasant. I am very happy to see your coloured, digital works. They have lots of potential to be very pleasant to look at. Keep it up.

By the way this is my 69th review^^ you got the funni number, lol.

SouSTAR responds:

Thank you very much for your review, ShangXian! :D

I do use the 3D shape method, but I forgot to draw the right arm this way lol
I'm still trying to draw different outlines, but as you can see, it's not perfect yet ^^
Thank you very much for your support :)

Funni number is funni! XD

[pico so cool]

I always fall in love with lineless artworks, they look so beautiful and visually appealing because they manage to show the overall structure without sacrificing details in their simple structure. I really like the colour gradient that can be seen on Pico's pants, shirt, hair and gun. It adds a nice depth vibe to the composition.

Despite Pico's readiness to fire (the index finger on the trigger) we can notice his tired look, a look of someone who had to go through many traumatic events, starting from Cassandra incident. I like the overall pensive atmosphere this composition has starting from the background. The use of cold colours and simple shapes further enhance this feeling: a feeling of tiredness, necessity to collect thoughts and maybe relax. Even in the title there is this concept and I like the possible pun between Pico's school and Pico So Cool if one reads it fast.

The circular shape of the whiteish circle of the background give a calming vibe and the curved pose Pico has almost looks like a fetal pose. This speaks to me as if Pico entered a new life; a life made of action, guns and dangerous enemies. A difficult life that can have a toll on his mental health and we know he suffers from schizophrenia, insomnia and homicidal tendencies. At the same time he is not an asshole nor he's sadist, he can be a pretty cool guy who gets his job done in an efficient way.

I like this depiction of Pico, it differs from the usual hot-headed gunner we usually see, don't get me wrong I like those depictions too, he is a man of action after all even though he's not reckless, but I don't mind at all more relaxed depiction of our favourite redhead. I also like the bullets as decorative elements of the background, they act as a signature of Pico since he uses guns as his main weapon.

Really great job! I love everything about it and I admit I have to thank BuupDraws's blog about their favourite works found on NG since I found your work from there: https://buupdraws.newgrounds.com/news/post/1505980

Keep the amazing job up!

ramujin responds:

thank you very much for writing such a detailed review! im glad you liked it, i honestly barely but thought into my drawings, but what you said really made me look at the drawing from different perspective! thank you!

[PROJECT 151]

WOW! This is simply fantastic! I love it so much, I love how everything turned out, from the Pokedex, the simple background used to each Pokemon. I just love how they show their unique traits and how your personal style enhanced each of them. Nice choice using the Inline way of showcasing them because it makes the overall work fluid to look at while scrolling down (and it's perfect for those who use mobile). It makes you want to keep scrolling down to reach the end.

I love so much Aerodactyl's look, that small eye really give an antediluvian vibe of an almost forgotten fossil. Nice use of different shapes to convey the Pokemon's traits i.e. Rapidash's elegance and strength, Gyarados's dangerousness compared to its pre-evolution (the use of round lines highlights this), Eevee's cuteness and so on. Each Pokemon is well stylized in this lovely way of rendering their characteristics. I love the band-aid on Graveler's right shoulder, it's a nice detail that shows its tendency to confront with dangers and possibly other Pokemons (I assume other Gravelers). Missingno is quite cool because I always wondered how people would render this mysterious Pokemon with such intriguing yet complex external look that is not always to render in such tangible way like you did. I commend you!

I love how you made Growlithe, he's such a good boy/girl. It's one of my favourite 1st Gen fire type Pokemons. And can we talk about the starters? I love how you gave them different personalities in the way they send their glare or are positioned. I can feel Charizard's self confidence with the way he curves his neck and looks at a potential challenger, Blastoise's readiness of wit in case a fight is inevitable and Venusaur's willingness to be left alone without giving up a fight if situation requires it though.

With this artwork you brought me such nostalgia because Kanto region and its awesome pokemons were the first I experienced when Pokemon arrived where I live. You hit me right in the feels with this lovely artwork. I still have the cartridge with Pokemon Red and I didn't delete in years its data: I have a Mew and Mewtwo in my team along with my lovely Arcanine, Dragonite, Gyarados and Venusaur. I tend to almost pick Bulbasaur but Squirtle is another great alternative (I love water type pokemons and in the game I could increase the overall number of pokemons in the game since there are many water type pokemons). I rarely used Charmander, I opted for Growlithe instead.

I can see the dedication put here so despite I gave you 5, just know that in my mind this work gets 10 stars. Keep the amazing job up, you have a fantastic Gallery and superb talent!

Kotico responds:

WOW OMG TYSM FOR THE WORDS!!! What a cool review I think the best I had received so far xD, both in terms of analysis of the designs as well the connection you have with the franchise, I'm very glad you liked my interpretations of Kanto region! Tried to give each one of them an unique twist and personality to reflect their characters designs the best xD, and you seem to be a very hardcore pokemon OG fan so FR FR TSYM for your comment!!! And as well appreciate the time you put on this, really struck me to the hearth :,3. Will take those 10 stars hehehe, again tyty!!!

[A Funky Couple!!!]

I really like how it turned out as your first FNF fanart! I like the simplicity of the background that is balanced by the title and the arrows that immediately give the feeling of the game. I also like the perspective from which you drew BF and GF, they are usually depicted in a 3/4 view-like perspective. Despite GF's right shoulder seems a bit rigid compared to BF's left shoulder, I like the dynamism put on them because it shows nicely their synergy.

You also caught nice their attitudes by drawing their eyes differently, trying to stay loyal to the original style but being unique to your style at the same time. Maybe the only thing I feel to suggest next time is adding some shading, cell shading is more than enough, because it gives more real life vibe and it's visually appealing but I also know that in some compositions flat coloured pieces work as greatly as shaded pieces. Maybe the background would have fit better with a gradient hue such as a darker red at the bottom and then a bright red at the top. This would have made the characters stand out nicely.

Aside from this I really like this work, it's adorable (a happy couple) and full of bright colours to give the funky vibe the series has. I also like you gave your personal stylistic touch to your work. Keep it up!

SouSTAR responds:

Thank you so much for taking the time to review my drawing!!!!
(＾▽＾)

The gradient is a very nice idea thank you!! I will keep your review in head and note it for next time I draw again! :D
I gotta find a good shading technique too!

Thank you again @ShangXian for your support I really appreciate it!!（＾ｖ＾）

[300 follower raffle winners!]

I am so freaking happy to see how this turned out and I am not only referring to my oc but also to other characters. I love so much the feel your colours combined with lineless style give, it's a magical visual sensation similar to the sweet taste of a chocolate cake enjoyed after a busy day.
I know it's a strange synesthesia but that's what your art gives me in terms of vibes.

I love the vibrant colours and the way things are shaded with that soft and delicate touch that almost gives to some components of the background a cloud-like appearance. The style is very lovely and it would fit a cartoon show^^

I love how you rendered my microraptor and I commend you since it's not a dinosaur drawn by most paleoartists despite it's not an unknown species. I am glad the reference I gave you helped you to grasp her main features notably the hand, wrist, second pair of winged feathers and tail feathers. It's not an easy species to draw and the presence of iridescence adds further difficulty but I really love how you managed to add this element. Microraptor were a crow-sized dinosaurs with iridescent black plumage. In March 2012, Quanguo Li et al. determined the plumage coloration of Microraptor based on the new specimen BMNHC PH881, which also showed several other features previously unknown in Microraptor. By analyzing the fossilized melanosomes (pigment cells) in the fossil with scanning electron microscope techniques, the researchers compared their arrangements to those of modern birds. In Microraptor, these cells were shaped in a manner consistent with black, glossy coloration in modern birds. These rod-shaped, narrow melanosomes were arranged in stacked layers, much like those of a modern starling, and indicated iridescence in the plumage of Microraptor: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1213780

Besides the external look, I congratulate you for nailing very well Xiang's jolly and light-hearted nature. She is a personal favourite of mine among my ocs because I use her to see my own emotions and to remind myself that sometimes I should be a bit more optimistic or think more positively sometimes. Truly great job, I enjoy a lot how it turned out. Keep it up and again congrats for 300 followers, more than deserved!

whimsical-wife responds:

the ref was super helpful and well done!!

[The Great Homer Collab]

I already explained myself in my last Homer post why I loved this collab so much so I won't repeat myself but I take advantage to thank DioShiba for this fantastic experience that to me lasted four months, making this my longest collab I ever participated. I also want to thank Taytonium for making all of this possible with his daily Homer drawings that inspired DioShiba to continue his legacy.

You two made a unique experience where creativity, inspiration, talent and different skill levels could meet and fuse together. I love seeing everyone's contribution to this collab, I can genuinely feel Homer's essence in each drawing, an explosion of yellowness and fantasy!

I also love the animated Homer put at the left bottom corner of the collage, it's a nice touch that add further creativity and different media that already mixes different media (traditional and digital to be more precise). I would also like to mention how much I love the positioning of each Homer, it's funny and well-thought. For example I've noticed that my thick-billed raven Homer is on top of H.P. Simpson's head as if he perched on purpose on his head. And I remember that Halloween episode that quoted Poe's poem "The Raven" (Bart was the raven there), so I saw a nice, subtle reference to that, plus Poe and Lovecraft are masters of American horror literature.

I find fantastic how Poe’s work influenced Lovecraft in important ways, while at the same time Lovecraft’s fictional, critical, and poetic reception of Poe irrevocably changed how Poe’s work has been understood by subsequent generations of readers and interpreters. This essay talks about it even if you have to download through your school or library in order to fully download it: https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/edgar-allan-poe/article-abstract/18/2/248/200616/The-Lovecraftian-Poe-Essays-on-Influence-Reception?redirectedFrom=fulltext

I also loved how paired are my Homer on Tankmen' tank and the Homer with NG shirt, it almost looks specular. Another funny interaction I've seen in the composition PLJerry's Homer hiding from Bundelux's zombie Homer XD
Other Homers look at other Homers with curiosity and/or concern. Homers in superheroes costumes put together adds a nice semantic grouping to the composition (heroes with heroes). One of the funniest Homers is the one thanking for the Marge-loaf XD that made me laugh and I find it cute.

Despite one might think that the composition may look random, it's not because if one pays attention the focal point is slightly at lower position, more specifically Homer Liberty Statue from which rays of different Homers radiates and if you mentally break the composition with the Rules of Thirds you will notice how each square is unique in terms of themes, semantics and Homers. So I commend you for thinking about each Homer!

Again thank you for this collab which I consider my personal best experience in terms of collabs I made during 2024. To me it's the top number one collab of the year in terms of personal experience because I've found a very welcoming environment, talented people, works that inspired me (notable pigeon Homer made by TikkiToon) and I've enjoyed following the forum thread, it's one of the very few forum threads I actively followed (in terms of hitting that heart button I mean). I loved how the collab organizer was always ready to answer everyone's question and very patient with some users that didn't always follow the rules of the collab despite he showed them in a very clear manner.

Thank you to all people who participated to this collab and who made possible this event, the FP is totally deserved and I approve the feature for the Tuesday Takeover.

I hope in future to be able to participate to another collab, DioShiba, if I have time ofc, but in case I am free and you want to make another art collab or a collab that involves also art, I will gladly join. I won't forget this experience for sure, I wish you all a serene Christmas, and serene winter holiday if you don't celebrate it! Thank you, I love you all!

DioShiba responds:

One of the things that needed to be applied in order for it to work was having that knowledge of composition in the back of my mind so this would look visually appealing for the beholder.

The problem narrows down to the fact that, how do you be able to maintain that when a lot of the submissions that you're given from other people have been drawn in their style and how can you bring it all together to keep people's eyes moving around without getting terribly distracted? There's some solving that has to be done in order for it to work and that's where having that gained knowledge helped in being able to create the collab as it stands while having the rule of thirds in the back of my mind and that's where I played around with the scales and rotations of some of these submissions that I threw in between submissions like the King Gohomer Meme piece and the submission that has the big homer head close by all the 3D piece submissions.

And that's just the trick is that for some of the pieces I had to be VERY deliberate in where I placed them and that's where those two pieces, the Homer of Liberty, and even the aesthetic 80's sunset homer at the very top become key pieces for the composition to work.

If a piece didn't work in a specific placement, I would move it to a place where it would work better. Some times I'd even do a horizontal flip to the submission and it's to a point where I was able to keep the composition flowing without it breaking the experience. There was a point or two where that almost happened but it wasn't hard to go back in and fix it in Clip Studio Paint and move those pieces before I exported the image sequence to go into Krita.

Which is another thing I had to do in order to problem solve making sure that Chdonga's Homer could remain animated without having to reduce the size too much. In the end however I resized the canvas to about 75% of what the original size was but had I not done that I would have not been able to upload the final product to newgrounds at all. (I tried to do that and it didn't work, even as I left my computer on overnight. It's that big of a file.)

Hope that insight adds some context for the readers with your analysis ShangXian, it was awesome to have you be a part of the collab and hopefully once I'm ready to do another one in a year or so I would be happy to have the opportunity to work with you again!

[Wizard Fight]

Hello I was lurking in the Review Request Club and I found your work that caught my attention to write down what I think based on what you asked there. But let me first say what I liked and made me want to review this work. I like the colours very much, how bright they are and how catchy to the eyes they are, particularly in the fighting scene where the contrast of them make the visual appealing and this brings to the first thing I want to point out in terms of colours:

in the first three panels the colours of the background is too similar in hues to the purple magician and this makes him blend too much in the environment unlike the blue wizard that stands out nicely. But at the same time I like the sketchy look of the shading because it fits well the style you want to convey with these types of comics. I like it.

In terms of comics readability I didn't find difficult following the scene and pace of narration rhythm. I also find it creative with this use of round shapes instead of the classic rectangular or square shapes you typically find in comics. The font is nice and fits the style of comics overall.

Characters expressions are good enough to make the reader understand what's going on both in terms of scene and character's emotions. A thing I would like to point out though is the way you made the upset/annoyed purple wizard's face in the small panel at the left side of the second main panel (when he discovers the coffee grinds all over the kitchen). The basic emotion can be noticed but the lack of curved muscles around the mouth and eyes wide open makes the face look a bit stiff and I've noticed this in his surprised look when he is about to destroy himself. Maybe instead of putting his eyebrows high, a more irregular shape added to them would have increased the feeling of surprise/astonishment.

I show you how I rendered the face of the purple wizard using Krita:

https://imgbox.com/qAxjcXVW

The red arrows show the tension of muscles and where you have to focus emotion energy when drawing a cartoony's facial emotion. Ofc I am not an expert nor a professional in terms of art but I also think that this website may help you with this element:

https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/cartoon-fundamentals-create-emotions-from-simple-changes-in-the-face--vector-16278

This helped me in the past with facial expressions. The blue wizard's expressions turned out good especially in the main fighting scene and in the last panel. You caught well his sense of astonishment and surprise.

When it comes to elements that appear a bit off in my opinion the pose and perspective of the purple wizard's arms during the fighting scene. He looks a bit stiff and gives an overall rigid appearance. This other resource from the same artist I linked above might help you: https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/cartoon-fundamentals-how-to-draw-a-cartoon-body--vector-18651

The blue wizard balances this though. He is drawn in a nice dynamic pose of someone who is about to get hit by the blast.

In terms of comedic value despite probably something I miss that didn't make me fully appreciate it, it made me genuinely chuckle in last part because the overall idea of an exaggerated reaction out of something this mild on the annoying element scale that resulted in something comical at the end is funny to me. Globally I enjoyed this comic, the overall dynamic poses of the wizards particularly in the last scenes, vivid colours and funny characters.

Keep it up and yes, visit Palestine (I've noticed it at the beginning of the comic).

UwUwizard responds:

Oh wow, thanks for such an in depth critical perspective! I really appreciate the detailed references and I've saved the articles to come back to when next blocking out comics. Definitely agree with you about stiff posing, that's something I really need to work on. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

[Everything, by Everyone]

Posso dire che è uno dei più bei tributi tanto a Tom quanto a buona parte delle serie che caratterizzano questo sito fantastico? Quando ho aperto il pacco questa mattina, per la mia medaglia quotidiana e per vedere i graduali cambiamenti che si aggiungono al gioco man mano che si va avanti, mi è venuto mentalmente da dire "awwwwwwwwwww"

Adoro la scelta di Tom nel suo profilo giovane e gioviale dei tempi scolastici poiché aggiunge giovialità e rinnovato spirito di speranza in questo periodo dell'anno. Anche se lo sfondo è semplice e dai toni scuri mi piace la scelta per via del bel contrasto sia cromatico che luminoso del globo di neve, esaltando la composizione.

piccolo fun fact: la prima descrizione certa dell'oggetto risale all'esposizione universale di Parigi del 1878, ma si ha notizia di sfere ancora più antiche, sin dagli inizi del XIX secolo.

Mi piace la combinazione di serie vecchie con serie più recenti che caratterizzano Newgrounds, ho amato in modo particolare il cameo di Club a Seal, gioco del 1997 se ricordo bene, accanto a Pico nato invece due anni dopo. Mi è piaciuta l'unione dei due come a simboleggiare il Newgrounds delle origini. Ma ho anche notato che i vari edifici del globo di neve simboleggiano le varie sezioni del sito. In effetti NG è come un mondo, un luogo dotato di edifici, infatti l'ho sempre visto in ottica urbana dove i singoli account sono come delle case o appartamenti dove uno entra vede il mondo fatto dal suo creatore e ne può apprezzare la bellezza.

Il sito nella sua totalità me lo immagino come una città alla Philadelphia, il che non è casuale la mia scelta della città visto lo stato americano da cui proviene il nostro caro Tom.

Trovo molto bella e toccante la scintilla sulla guancia di Tom, quasi come fosse una lacrima ma di gioia per il lungo cammino fatto e i grandi traguardi e successi raggiunti nonostante anche momenti più difficili (del resto la vita non è solo gioie). Bello anche lo shading sulle mani di Tom e l'uso dei chiaro scuri in un atmosfera che combina colori caldi a colori freddi. Mi piace molto anche come hai reso i capelli.

Ottimo lavoro, adoro quest'opera e il FP è più che meritato. Continua così!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

English translation for those who don't know Italian:

Can I say that this is one of the most beautiful tributes to both Tom and a good chunk of the series that characterize this fantastic site? When I opened the parcel for my daily medal and the gradual changes that are added to the game the more you advance through days, I mentally said "awwwwwwwwww".

I love the choice of Tom in his young and jovial profile from school because it adds joviality and a renewed spirit of hope in this time of year. Even if the background is simple and dark toned I like the choice because of the beautiful contrast both in color and light of the snow globe, because it highlights the overall composition.

fun fact: the first certain description of the object dates back to Exposition Universelle of 1889, but there are reports of even older spheres, dating back to the beginning of the 19th century.

I like the combination of old series with newer ones that characterize Newgrounds, and I especially loved the cameo of Club a Seal, a game from 1997 if I remember correctly, next to Pico born two years later. I liked the union of the two as if to symbolize the earliest days of Newgrounds. But I also noticed that the various buildings of the snow globe symbolize the various portals of the site. In fact NG is like a world, a place with buildings. I have always seen it in an urban environment where the individual accounts are like houses or flats where one enters sees the world made by its creator and can appreciate its beauty.

I imagine the site as a city like Philadelphia, which is not a coincidence that I chose it considering Tom's origins.

I find the spark on Tom's cheek very beautiful and touching, almost like a tear but a tear of joy for the long journey made through these years and the great goals and successes achieved despite even the most difficult moments (after all, life is not only joys). I like the shading on Tom's hands and the use of chiaroscuro in an atmosphere that combines warm and cold colors. I also really like how you made the hair.

Great job, I love this work and the FP is well-deserved. Keep it up!

MKMaffo responds:

Grazie del super commentone, mi ha fatto molto piacere leggerlo e sono rimasta sorpresa dal vedere un commento in italiano hahah rappresentanzaaaa
Grazie ancora! :abbraccio:

[Bound By Power]

You totally deserve that scout and the frontpage of your very first post, your art is truly beautiful and full of talent. I have deep respect for pixel artists since I find it more challenging than mere digital art. I only did two pixel art pieces and I can see how you have to calculate accurately every step especially for more geometric or symmetric stuff.

I like very much the glowing effects on golden chains and I like how the worried yet determined look of your OC seems to balance the subtle dangerous atmosphere surrounding her. Nice outfit and colour combination, it makes everything so pleasant to look at. The presence of those chains gives me a nice dynamic effect of them moving around the character and I like how the background is: simple in order to let the viewer focus on the witch (judging by the tags in your work).

The title is interesting, "bound" by power. Power corrupts but absolute power absolutely corrupts said a politician some years ago and judging by both the title and the cryptic description of this character I assume (but that's just a speculation so I might be wrong since I don't know the character yet) a strong power has been unleashed and seems connected with the protagonist of this work. A tale of power and control, subjugation and freedom, who knows. As I said it's just a speculation of mine I like to make when I see a work that catches my interest.

Mysterious look! I love it. Keep it up!

venomdorian responds:

Oh dear. Thank you so much for the support!

Indeed pixel-art is quite a challenging medium. You sacrifice on a lot for the chance at gaining a lot of personality. Specially when you want to translate a frontal and simple view to a 3D space.

As for Lillie. Those chains are her powers. Restorative (healing) magic that she shapes into chains to "connect" with her targets. Or just restrain if need be. Her powers placed on her a responsability, be the strenght of the clan and ensure its future. I don't want to delve much deeper in a response but, her power left her with little to no choice.

Once again, thank you so much!