Do the following [Download Vista’ MSPaint] (http://www.askvg.com/how-to-get-the-good-old-ms-paint-without-ribbons-working-in-windows-7/)
If you already have the software, ignore these steps.
Review
Paint is a popular program because it has been in the Windows package since the first version.
It is the main free program to do virtual drawings, and luckily for us, sprites and pixel art.
It is a shame that the earlier versions pretend to be a Photoshop wannabe.
The advantages of the program are Handling two colors with the left and right clicks, Transparency and having just One layer (yes in some cases it is an advantage).
The program lacks of the capacity of using Layers, Animation Frames and the Magic Wand, so we should use an auxiliary program that has that features.
Helping Softwares
There are some free softwares that allow you to do sprites, pixel art and animations. These are:
+
Power Point: Yes, Power Point, it is good because it allows you to work with layers as objects; and even if it is not an animation program you can use a diapositive as a frame.
+
Photographic Gallery of Windows Live: The Live version, it comes in the Windows Live Messenger, you dont have to install all the package, you can select just that program. It is good because it allows you to see the frames of the .gif files.
+
Gif Animator: [Download] (http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-gif-animator.htm) it is a free gif animator.
I’m going to show you the MSPaint tools.
1.1. Pencil (http://i.imgur.com/rbmrQN4.png)
Even if it is the default tool, I never use it. It can handle two colors with the left and the right clicks of the mouse.
1.2. Brush (http://i.imgur.com/jrW5dcd.png)
I use this at 1x1 pixels, and i use instead the Pencil because its cursor is way useful: instead showing an icon it shows the size and the color of the pencil allowing you to experiment without having to click.
1.3. Line (http://i.imgur.com/T3dmJ3I.png)
There are the Straight and the Curve line. For the Straight one you simply click, drag and release the line. Meanwhile for the curve one after you have done the straight line you have two clicks left to curve the line.
I prefer the Straight line over the Curve just if it is a small line, which is really common.
*In comparison with the Brush, the Brush allows you to do freehand lines but then you have to make the line thinner; in the other hand the Line doesn’t let you to do freehand lines but you have some cleaner lines.
1.3.1. Rectangle, Circle and Polygon (http://i.imgur.com/9TFLOh8.png)
You can chose if you want a shape with an outline with the Left Slot color, with the fill color the Right Slot one, or the shape without the outline. I never use them, Polygon is way inferior to the Straight line because if you Undo you lose all the lines that you did with that tool.
1.4. Bucket (http://i.imgur.com/qQNOw0M.png)
Some of my first hand tools, it doesn’t need a deep explanation just that it also handles two colors with the L/R clicks and you have to close the gaps of the lines in order to use it.
1.5. Dropper (http://i.imgur.com/6OBpzoX.png)
I use this tool along with the brush, really useful when you have to keep changing the colors of the brush, also has the L/R click function. It is the main tool of an imitator.
1.6. Eraser (http://i.imgur.com/Ju0N6R3.png)
We are not going to use the eraser as an eraser, for that we use the Right Slot of the brush with the background color.
This tool becomes helpful when we want to do a color separation, changing just one color without affecting the others, its use is going to be explained later.
1.7. Zoom (http://i.imgur.com/xwHcV7j.png)
I recommend the Vista Version because it also comes with a Zoom out feature and you can adjust easier the zoom gradating it. In a zoomed in area is recommendable to have “Thumbnail view”
1.7.1. Thumbnail view
(http://i.imgur.com/iGIP8Hf.png)
In Spanish is “Vista en miniatura”, I don’t know if it is the proper translation.
Anyways it is recommendable because it shows what you are doing in the real size file, and along the brush it allows you to experiment without having to click.
1.8. Color Palette
(http://i.imgur.com/S09KvQG.png)
It contains the Left Slot and the Right Slot color (Left Click and Right click respectively). I prefer the Vista’ version, because it has better distribution of colors. I always use the dark green as the background color, except if what I’m doing is also green I use the 2nd darker gray.
1.9. Selection (http://i.imgur.com/TJlSo6h.png)
Square and Freehand selection, once you have the selection you can Right click to access the Edition Options and Image Options, it also has the Invert Selection feature.
It also has the Transparency feature that is really cool because it allows to change one color of all the selection using a technique. “Transparency technique” also explained later.
1.9.1 Edition Options
Cut, Copy, Paste, Erase, Invert colors, Select All, [Copy to, Paste From] (Last both involves using files).
1.9.2. Image options.
*Note: I use the Spanish version so maybe the commands are not the same
--Flip or Rotate (Ctrl+R): Flip Horizontally or Vertically. The Rotation option is clockwise: 90° means 90 degrees to the right, 270° means 90 degrees to the left and the 180° rotation.
(http://i.imgur.com/cnG1QQr.png)
Rotsprite is a freeware that allows you to rotate in any degree saving the colors. [Rotsprite] (http://info.sonicretro.org/RotSprite)
--Change Size (Ctrl+W): Useful when you want to edit from a style to another, even if there are some suggested percentages values, these are not officials, it also changes from char to char (If it is Male/Female Big/Small) and you can do yours by experimenting and having a close reference.
(http://i.imgur.com/NkwHDQd.png)
--Trim/Cut: When you want that the selection you have becomes the new work space.
(http://i.imgur.com/yJOR7FL.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/JOZY5bg.png)
--Invert Colors (Ctrl+I): Even if it is not common use, if we do after the “Transparency technique” and we restore the non-inverted colors we can check the purity of the image. This is because the lack of the Magic Wand.
(http://i.imgur.com/h3xh4q7.png)
--Attributes (Ctrl+U): In a new file is good to resize the work space to 1x1 pixel before you paste, this is to have more control of it.
(http://i.imgur.com/qbSnkCn.png)
It also has the cool feature of using White & Black colors to do 8bit like images. Even if it may sound like the same thing, saving as a Monochromatic Bitmap is cleaner than the White & Black option, but when you try to use the bucket it mostly fills pure black so we save the file back as a 24 bits bitmap and do the W/B Option, now we can use the palette.
Original from AlucarDracula:
(http://i.imgur.com/YA8qscg.png)
White & Black option:
(http://i.imgur.com/5MgiWPI.png)
Monochromatic Bitmap:
(http://i.imgur.com/WSxJYB8.png)
Filling in Monochromatic Bitmap:
(http://i.imgur.com/YH3JihX.png)
From Monochromatic to 24 Bits with White & Black option:
(http://i.imgur.com/9Y1xMR4.png)
Monochromatic and W/B colors allow you to have cleaner lines.
--Erase Image: Never used it I always Select all(Ctrl+A) and erase(Supr)
1.10. Airbrush and text (http://i.imgur.com/KbdajyL.png)
Airbrush is good to do foliage or graffiti and text converts in image the text after it is written so you can´t edit it again.
Ok now that we know our tools we are going to use them. We are going to do a Gem Pocket Iori Portrait.
Using these two, [FaseRockman] (http://falserockman.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#/d4ag34c) and the KoF XIII portrait:
(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/263/8/e/chibi_iori_by_falserockman-d4ag34c.jpg)(http://www.fightersgeneration.com/np9/characters/iori-flames-kof13.jpg)
One for the drawing style and the other one for the pose.
2.1. Workspace
The first thing we do is to select the size of our file, using Attributes (Ctrl+U) or moving the vertical horizontal resizers, we select our background color and place it in the Right Slot, that is associated with the background. And we paste all the necessary References of the style we are going to do/imitate.
We get the references for this style here: [Spriters Resource] (http://www.spriters-resource.com/arcade/supergemfighterminimix/sheet/31728)
I always work in the superior left part so i let a space there and i choose some references
(http://i.imgur.com/180mkpS.png)
Gouki & Ken: because they are men, also Iori.
Sakura: She has shoes and because the legs and arms pose
Lei Lei: Face direction.
Ken: Arms pose
Gouki: Legs pose
2.2. Lines
If you want to imitate a style always remember this: anatomy proportion (sizes of the body parts), scale, colors quantity, and palette. For that we use a lot of references, taking care if our char is Male/Female, Big/Small… Use the closest looking one.
In this style we start to note some parameters:
-These are chibi so the head and the limbs compared with the body are huge.
-There is the use of pespective in this style: if an object is close to the viewer is bigger than the one that is in the background
-Dinamic poses: A pose of a movement that resembles the character
-Foot position, particularly for this style the characters look like they are floting, there is no floor.
-The face is always iluminated, even if the char has a lot of hair(like Felicia) or a hat (Tessa) that covers the face.
To see it clearly, this is what do you have to have in mind while you do the proportions:
(http://i.imgur.com/IiCoUMn.png)
even clearer, doing this in a file helps you more that if you have it in mind:
(http://i.imgur.com/grHofVV.png)
This last image is done in a proffesional program, but later im going to show you how to clear the images in MSPaint.
2.2.1 Getting the Lines
If you are a good artist you may do the lines easily, but if you want to use another people painting, or if it is scanned or colored you may want to retrace it using just one color, always remember to give credit if it is not yours.
You can save it as a Monochrome Bitmap/White & Black Option to have just the outlines and the background, but if is a complicated/detailed image you may want to retrace it.
We edit the FalseRockman' Iori with MSPaint or with a Program that uses layers, and we save it as a monochrome:
(http://i.imgur.com/8YJwcqt.png)
Im pretty sure we can work with this one, we make the same grossor of the line as the style uses.
how i edited that image? with Power Point
Spoiler: Power Point (click to see content)
Power Point
Power Point is popular as Paint for the same reason, it always has been in the Windows package.
Im going to explain you two features: Using Power Point as a Layers Program, & Using it as a pseudo animation program.
-PowerPoint As a Layers Program:
We need to use MSPaint too for this one.
1. In MSPaint you select and cut the parts of the image that we are going to edit, freehand selection is useful in this part. In this case: head, limbs and torso.
(http://i.imgur.com/9CaxJ3i.png)
2. We Paste them in PowerPoint. If you need to separate even more the parts, cut them back to MSPaint and select the part you are going to cut.
(http://i.imgur.com/1mepiav.png)
3. We give them a transparent background: the 2010 version of PowerPoint has a Transparency feature. You double click the selected images, click the "color" label-> define transparency color, choose the white in this case.
(http://i.imgur.com/PVFFLJN.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/PB6wCIP.png)
4. We edit the parts using the references, always compare.
(http://i.imgur.com/eoMjXS8.png)
5. Once we have the image we do a screenshot of the image at the zoom we are going to work, this is because pasting from Power Point to Paint may change the size. Or we simply copy the image back to MSPaint and we save it as a monochrome.
(http://i.imgur.com/8YJwcqt.png)
-PowerPoint As an animation Program:
It does not save the file as a gif, is just to use the diapositives as if these were the frames, mainly to check the animation.
So for every frame you put an image.
You can do Pivot Animation.
If we are comfortable with the result you may want to do screenshots and send them to the Gif Animator Program i recommended you.
__________________________________________
Here are even more techniques:
Spoiler: Cleaning Lines (click to see content)
Even if we don´t need the KoF XIII Iori portrait anymore im going to teach you how to clean it.
(http://i.imgur.com/xLmut3a.png)
2.2.1.1. Retracing
Making sure that the proportions and the size are the correct ones (using the edition tools), a program that uses layers is recommended, we start to do the outline of our image with a color that is not in the image and is contratsing with the rest of colors of it.
Using the Straight Line Tool if the image is going to have outlines, or the Brush if we are going to use the Bucket later and we don’t need the outlines.
(http://i.imgur.com/ewDfIHp.png)
2.2.1.2 Cleaning the lines
Once we have the outlines is recommended to use a program that has the Magic Wand, if not, it is going to be a bit difficult to clean them.
We are going to downgrade the quality of the image and I’m going to teach you the “Transparency Technique”, “Tonicide” and “CS Eraser”
Making Sure that the outline color is different of the rest of the image, a contrasting one, like red/blue/pink, we save our file as a 256 colors bitmap, then as a 16 colors, (or directly as a 16 colors, sometimes, it has different results) and if you think that is pretty clean you might want to save it as a monochromatic bitmap. Always remember to save it as another file because you can’t Undo the file saving option.
(http://i.imgur.com/TihEU5p.png)
If we are still in the 16 color file and our image isn’t clean yet but if we save it as a mono it doesn’t work too well, make sure that the outline color is not repeated in the background image, and we do the Transparency Technique:
(http://i.imgur.com/scjjoKG.png)
-Transparency Technique-
1. Using the dropper, we Right Click the color we are going to change
2. Using the dropper or selecting the color from the palette we select the result color in the Left Slot.
(http://i.imgur.com/hfmZFXL.png)
The change of color goes from Right Slot to Left Slot
3. Now we do the selection of what we are going to change (All/Specific part).
(http://i.imgur.com/AcNJxX4.png)
4. We cut it
(http://i.imgur.com/t7Lo8is.png)
5. We select the Bucket tool and we fill the space with the Left Slot Color, the new one.
(http://i.imgur.com/6Ty2Rr7.png)
6. Paste the image and activate the Transparency option in the selection menu.
(http://i.imgur.com/BWBsTnB.png)
(http://i.imgur.com/WxlVZeN.png)
*This technique comes out handy when you want to change the colors to a sheet.
There is another technique that uses the Bucket tool and its two slots, I call it “Tonicide”
-Tonicide-
1. We select two colors of the image that are neighbors.
(http://i.imgur.com/hSJEZpj.png)
2. Clean the image Clicking Left and Clicking Right.
(http://i.imgur.com/bLulePc.png)
3. Keep changing the color to its new neighbor.
(http://i.imgur.com/am7W3S8.png)
This is a possible result:
(http://i.imgur.com/VRnGSzP.png)
*Neighbor is the one that shares a similar space, not the one that has a similar luminosity.
The point of this is to reduce the number of colors that are in the sheet, and then you can use the Transparency Technique.
And finally, the third technique “Color separation with the eraser”
-CS Eraser-
1. Using the dropper, we Left Click the color we are going to change
2. Using the dropper or selecting the color from the palette we select the result color in the Right Slot.
(http://i.imgur.com/it0EBjk.png)
3. We select the eraser.
(http://i.imgur.com/5b5YLK8.png)
4. Now, we Right click and move the mouse to the place we are going to change the color. This technique is good because it just affects that color.
(http://i.imgur.com/HmBNouT.png)
*You may get dizzy, but the direction of the change of colors goes in the otherwise of Transparency Technique.
Transparency Technique goes from R->L
(http://i.imgur.com/hfmZFXL.png)
CS Eraser goes from L->R
(http://i.imgur.com/it0EBjk.png)
Transparency technique and CS Eraser just work with one color
We repeat these techniques until we have the clean outline. The result:
(http://i.imgur.com/WnOi36F.png)
I do this just to show you some techniques, but YOU CAN AVOID ALL OF THIS if you simply use the line tool and in a professional software use the MAGIC WAND to cut the lines.
2.2.2. Thinning/Refining the lines
We are doing organic elements, so we cannot use hard edges, we always go for soft.
(http://i.imgur.com/8evp5Tw.png)
I use the brush with just two colors in the slots The outline color(Left slot) and the backgroung color (Right Slot)
(http://i.imgur.com/keeYAx9.png)
How we can know if we are doing it right? If you have any doubt you can draw a circle that has a similar size to the corner.
2.3. Filling
Once we are sure that our outlines are ok, it means there are not gaps, we can start to fill the image with the bucket tool click by click.
(http://i.imgur.com/pjJxVRt.png)
But there is another way.
-Transparency filling-1. Making sure that the actual background color is in the color palette, we let in the Right Slot the new color.
(http://i.imgur.com/OGv4jnw.png)
The new color:
(http://i.imgur.com/UkLQybx.png)
2. We select, move and drop in the same place the selection.
(http://i.imgur.com/tS4EBdV.png)
3. There is the trick: now you change the color in the Right Slot (the New One) to the actual background color, that´s why it has to be in the color palette.
(http://i.imgur.com/zqZV0Xj.png)
The result:
(http://i.imgur.com/HLSBjvv.png)
4. With the bucket you click and clean the external places of the image.
(http://i.imgur.com/AeTOVqA.png)
*You should use this technique if the interior of the image has a lot of details compared with the outside. Of course it can be done with parts of the image and not the whole image.
*If the interior of the image is going to have more than one color you should use the bucket normally with the others and use this technique with the color that has more detailed lines.
Hint: I work with the references color first and when im going to finish the image i search the final ones.
2.3.1. Distributing your palette
With the dropper you select the colors that are part of the image and classify them by item: skin, hair, (eyes), skirt, pants…
(http://i.imgur.com/pxfZGfH.png)
If you know some basic facts of the colors, that must be indexed, that must be a divisor value of 8 you can do your own palette, if you don´t feel too confident you may want to check these sites:
[Fight a Base] (http://www.fenixware.net/fab/index.asp)
[Emu Gif Animation] (http://www.emugif.com/)
[SF Palettes] (http://www.zytor.com/~johannax/jigsaw/sf/)
[Zweifuss SF3] (http://www.zweifuss.ca/)
2.4. Detailing/Giving it a style
Now we have one color per object, generally is the darkest to do later the bright spaces, but it depends of how many space it has in the final image.
(http://i.imgur.com/LqiZyBf.png)
An important part of the image is the light source, if you are not sure how is it, don’t ask to the others, compare the image with a reference one, if you are imitating. If you are creating your own style you maybe want to ask for help anyways.
Result
(http://i.imgur.com/1CYxXse.png)
This can be done with the Brush+Bucket or the CSEraser technique.
2.4.2. Borders/Outlines
Depending of the style there are different forms of distributing the colors in the image, like dark-light dampeners, etc. Always look at the references, and it is better if you zoom in.
This is when MSPaint shows it superiority for its Left Slot & Right Slot feature, you can handle two colors at the same time.
(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/147/0/e/iori_gempocket_portrait_by_chamat-d51bz9b.png)
At this point I think you are pretty ready to do your own images in MSPaint.
I want to thank eFeX, because he is a pioneer and showed to us all that we can imitate the big companies.
The Kyo´s portrait is from [alucardracula] (http://alucardracula.deviantart.com/gallery/2313267?offset=24#/dfnf8m)
The Iori's portrait is from [FalseRockman] (http://falserockman.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#/d4ag34c)
Talking about credits, I really hate when a person doesn´t give credit to the source images, ¿it's that difficult?, i hate when such "artist" doesnt give credit. Learn to draw or learn to credit, Bitch!
Ok more than trying to do a funny rant, if you don't credit, you are commiting plagiarism, it pisses off the real authors, even more if you are getting money for it (The Warnarbe noobs), also you can be sued by the real author.
Also, avoid to download software illegally, even more if you get payment for your work done with that software. But if you are good, buy the program, and with the commissions you will get, you get back the spent money.
----------------------------
Anyway after this rant here is [my Sprite Gallery] (http://www.mugenimperiolatino.com/index.php?topic=250.0) so you can see what you can do in MSPaint. If something, my [Erick Hernández] (http://www.flickr.com/photos/96247203//www.google.com.co/imgres?q=Erick+Hern%C3%A1ndez+mai&um=1&hl=es&sa=N&rlz=1C1SNNT_enCO463CO463&biw=1292&bih=640&tbm=isch&tbnid=cqUp3bfC0qY_HM:&imgrefurl=http://www.amazing.com.mx/galeria.htm&docid=oZy3u44b_o1nsM&itg=1&imgurl=http://www.amazing.com.mx/10mai.jpg&w=345&h=480&ei=MGzBT5bTBMrJgQfp1ZTSCQ&zoom=1&iact=rc&sig=111848967888945018179&page=1&tbnh=152&tbnw=109&start=0&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:67&tx=56&ty=68), but he based in [this one] (http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/9020/maishiranuistudiokatsum.jpg).
Vemos
Using a single sprite, Based on an already done animation (But you can do your own too), uses the same number of frames.
(http://i.imgur.com/pMdR3.png)(http://i.imgur.com/wbDyK.gif)
Cut all the moving parts and organize the layers, i use Fireworks Professional 8 for this.
A hint for cutting, using Lasso Tool cut first the arms/legs with the hands/foot and then the hands/foot, bigger parts-->smaller parts. You need to keep cutting between some frames.And when finishing the loop try to use the first frame (without that lot of layers) with the next to last to make them match
(http://i.imgur.com/KhcyZ.png)
Use the head as a Pivot, in both animations, the reference one and the new one, and you look how many pixels the parts move in X and Y between each frame.
Make sure which frame are you going to use as the first one (with the same pose) an make sure that the animation loops
(http://i.imgur.com/l1gSQ.gif)
example between some frames.
(http://i.imgur.com/JTPFP.gif)
Result
(http://i.imgur.com/LcQCd.gif)
The last thing you do is to Fill the spaces(not done) and give it proper axes(using the first frame head of the original as a reference)
(http://i.imgur.com/bF8NV.gif) (http://i.imgur.com/wbDyK.gif)
also it doesnt have the details of the cloth and other details
(http://i.imgur.com/pMdR3.png)
here is the .PNG if you want to edit it using layers
Vemos