Alirghty! Sounds good to me. The only complaint I have is a lack of Kent C. Koopa inside his shell. Thankfully, I addressed that problem right before I shaded some new Goomba parts. [img]http://i.imgur.com/L5kYk3H.png[/img]

Another complete set of sketches bites the dust! Unless I'm mistaken, I don't have to create anymore sketches until the next short I'll work on! That means that'll probably reach my goal of getting my puppets fully functional by April! *Claps with content* [img]http://i.imgur.com/7Dk3vC7.png[/img] By the way, to speed up the process a little bit, I wouldn't mind an additional artist to work on the shading for these parts. The only requirement is that their style compliments mine, so it wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. What do you guys think?

While this isn't exactly an update, it is something that relates to the progress of my project. You see, back when I was very active in the VG Resource, I frequently made livestreams that showcase the development of my artwork (including my Paper Mario progress). Considering that a friend of mine over on the VG Resource mentioned how much he missed my streams and how Twitch is providing a new service to stream artwork, I decided to give livestreaming another shot. http://www.twitch.tv/e_mananimates Since this is my first time using Twitch, I doubt that I'll get everything right on the first try. I'll see if I can at least start a stream on it. Speaking of starting a stream, what time would be cool for you? Since I live in the Netherlands, I'm actually six hours ahead. Personally, I think 6 PM in my timezone is reasonable, but you're free to suggest another time. Just be wary that I would prefer not to stay up as late as 12 or 1 AM in my timezone.

I think 6PM in your timezone is the perfect time for you to stream your artwork.

Finally! Unless I get some additional feedback, I don't need to worry about Kent C. Koopa's outlines anymore! [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/pBZd7I8.png[/img][/spoiler] Anyway, in regards to finding help for my artwork, I plan to recruit Soopakoopa if that's okay with you guys. He has a very nice shading style that is close to mine and if I could get his help, I'll be making these parts a heck of a lot faster! Sure, he might have to tweak it a bit, but I think it'll work out. EDIT: I asked him, but he gave me a few reasons why it wouldn't work out. As disappointing as it is, I respect his reasons and I'm glad that he took the time to reply to me. In any case, if anyone else knows of a good artist to shade parts, I'm willing to listen. By the way, before I go, I found this in a CD of old data from my computer. I made it back in 2008 when I started on the very first version of this project. [img]http://i.imgur.com/5SYHQyK.png[/img] I intend to keep this name, but if you guys have any other suggestions, please let me know!

Here's another update after leaving you guys in the dark for a bit. Unless I get anymore feedback, I'd say I'm done with all the outlines for the rest of this short! [img]http://i.imgur.com/zWOdcv9.png[/img] By the way, I also made updated versions of my logo (one of them even has a cardborad texture). [img]http://i.imgur.com/mARsf5W.png[/img] [img]http://i.imgur.com/cixczyk.png[/img] It's amazing what you can do with the rescale tool and colors that hue shift better.

Hey, is anyone good with Photoshop? [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/hdMDrFx.png[/img][/spoiler] I just received a critique over on my livestream to change the green to one that hue shifts better. If I were to commit to this change, I'll be spending at least the next few days hunting down all the individual layers and recoloring each one through a tedious process. I don't mind doing this if it's absolutely necessary, but in order to allow my project to get released by mid or late summer, having at least another guy helping me with the recolors could speed up the process.

I'm glad that I finally got this guy nearly done and dusted! Unless I get more critiques, all that's left is rearranging the parts into a sheet. Then this guy will recive the honor of becoming the first sheet I'll ever submit to MFGG! [img]http://i.imgur.com/UHboHe3.png[/img]

IT'S AMAZING!!!! Hm... someone needs to make a Paper Mario HD with that!!! Sorry , but photoshop.... isn't for me

*Shrugs* If anyone wants to make a Paper Mario HD with my assets, they're free to do so. Speaking of my assets, here's the Big Lantern Ghost arranged into a sheet. [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/dWyRmxd.png[/img][/spoiler] Also, enjoy these new Kent C. Koopa parts. They are his shell and his eyelids. [img]http://i.imgur.com/0OhOiMu.png[/img]

Lord, this thread sorely needed an update! [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/ijy6mwr.png[/img][/spoiler] So, considering the new Paper Mario game that's out, are you guys going to mind if the quality of my work fails to match the graphical quality seen in that trailer?

I think that progress for this project will be put on hold for either the next few days or about a week or two. You see, my computer is going to be sent away for repairs. As a result, I can't work on any files until it returns. I'm terribly sorry about this, but there's nothing I can do.

Hey, remember when I said that I probably will never update this topic again until I get my MacBook Pro back in working order? Well, I didn't quite count on the prospect of using a spare computer to cover for me. It's an old MacBook I used to use starting from 2009, but it still works. [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/Fbk4GGd.png[/img][/spoiler] By the way, even though I asked this before, should the lump on the side go? To me, it looks a little distracting and I want to get more opinions on it before I do anything hasty.

Oh! I forget to mention this, guys, but actually got my MacBook Pro back about ten days ago or so. Since then, I've been back working on progress for my Paper Mario stuff. [img]http://i.imgur.com/CkHo7Zn.png[/img] I was originally going to show this after I do the whole set of hands, but I wasn't feeling so great emotionally. As a result, I just wanted to get something out there since I haven't updated in a while.

Dang, this took longer than I would have liked, but here are all my Goombas at last! I'll be making these into sheets very soon, but if you have any suggestions I could do at the last minute, then I'll at least listen to them. By the way, before you ask, it was Vinny who suggested me to finally remove the side lump. [spoiler][img]http://i.imgur.com/t4DU4OG.png[/img][/spoiler]

That's a pretty big sheet; and lots of pieces to work with too. That'll make a large variety of poses. :0

It is quite a big one, but please note that the sheet in question has all the parts from three or four different characters. Sure, I'll end up with a bunch of sizable sheets in the end, but they'll certainly be smaller than that one. Anyway, in regards to progress, I've got a little something for you guys to look at. [img]http://i.imgur.com/KphkC2B.png[/img] What do you think?

Okay, just recently, I got a reply from Virt over on the VG Resource. Considering that he is one of the most talented artists on there and it became a bit tricky to speak with him as of late (he even referenced how I sent him messages constantly), I was hoping for some additional feedback from him. [quote="Virt"]Alright. Let me preface this: I acknowledge that you are going for a different style than the original. I acknowledge that you are going for your own artistic direction. For the duration of this, when I refer to the "Paper Mario style" I will be referring to primarily the style present in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door, but also SPM and Sticker Star. However, many things I bring up will also apply to the style of the original for the Nintendo 64. However, I am not of the opinion that the choices you are making are successful. One of the things that makes the original Paper Mario games visually striking is precisely the visual style they had. Their sense of proportion, space, color, and value are what make them appealing. By creating purposeful variations from this style, you are removing some of the charm the original designs had. Many of the drawings you've done thus far are chunky, blocky, and muddied up by an overuse of hue shifting and shading in general. The originals had bright (save the first game), clear styles with a lot of contrast between the colors and the outlines, and shading only where it was necessary. You've been messaging me a lot asking me to tell you what to fix, but there's not much I can say beyond "go more towards the original style." And that's simply because the originals look so good and work so well with the style. But if you don't want to 1.) Start Over or 2.) Just use the originals Simplify the shading. Mess with the colors. Work on some more interesting, appealing shapes throughout. Make the eyes less soulless. Hopefully you get something from this.[/quote] [url=http://www.vg-resource.com/thread-26049-post-614070.html#pid614070]Link to the original post.[/url] Regardless of the tone, Virt did bring up some valid points. If you compare my Paper Mario sprites with the actual ones, they actually portray depth to them. While this is normally a good thing in art, the original sprites fit the paper theme better due to the lack of any elaborate shading. I don't know how to successfully "simplify the shading" to the point that's satisfactory, but either decreasing the area of shading or the opacity of the shading layers could do the trick. Also, his comment about soulless eyes got me thinking about how to improve that problem. A good guess is to apply a tiny shine to the eyes you see in several cartoon-like characters, such as Kirby. Even though none of the Paper Mario sprites have any sort of shine in their eyes, this wound't even be close to the first time I took an artistic license for this style. In spite of how useful the advice is, some parts of it are very unclear to the point where I doubt if even he knows what's wrong with them. Saying that my designs are "chunky and blocky" barely tells me anything. It probably would make a lot more sense if he provided a visual example, so I'll have a solid clue showing how to make "more interesting, appealing" shapes. Also, his comment about contrast contradicts a bit with a statement regarding hue shifting. Unless I'm mistaken, contrast relies on hue shifting along with saturation and luminance. By saying that I overuse hue shifting slightly defeats the idea of the outlines having a lot of contrast. He probably means that I should tone down on the hue shifting, but you can see the logic I'm going for, right? Of course, the biggest problem I'm faced with now is whether or not I should completely comply with Virt's advice. Regardless of his logic, the most notable factor out of all this is that it's nothing more than his own opinion. It's a fitting conclusion because art is heavily driven by opinions. Even though he acknowledges (and possibly respects) my own spin on the style, the general tone of this critique is that what I'm doing is wrong and the originals are superior. This opinion would hold more ground if several others didn't like my sprites; however, while I do get some critique from other users, the overall reception of my sprites is very positive. Heck, regarding his view on hue shifting, there's even one guy who mentioned that I don't use enough hue shifting and wants me to try something wacky like using red shading for green boots. With all that said, I have a good reason to believe that this situation isn't all that black-and-white and Virt is being just a little too biased in this whole thing. Still, I'm very interested in hearing whatever two-cents you guys have to offer on the situation. Do you agree with everything Virt said? Was there anything I missed?

i think virt is right in that your designs don't follow fundamentally appealing design choices. something you don't seem to be understanding is that paper mario's art style is a deviation of the official super mario art style. [img]http://www.mariowiki.com/images/thumb/7/7e/Mariosmb3.png/467px-Mariosmb3.png[/img] -> [img]http://i.imgur.com/U3GP4KF.png[/img] your art, however, is deviating off of paper mario- you're deviating off of a deviation. how do i know this? let's figure this out. [img]http://i.imgur.com/8glokbR.png[/img] from here on out i'll be referring to this image. for the sake of simplicity, mario A will be the "official" paper mario, mario B will be your paper mario, and mario C will be mine, on the right. looking at your mario, mario B, you can see that it shares a lot of very specific similarities with mario A. the way the brim of the cap curves, the very specific shape of his sideburn, the shape of the hands, boots, etc. what this tells me is rather than redesigning paper mario in your own direction, taking cues from the "canon" standard mario design, you tried to redraw mario A, the "official" paper mario design, forcing needless deviations for the sake of calling it your own. this tells me that you don't have an understanding of what makes mario "mario" at a fundamental level, as you have to use very specific design choices from mario A just to be able to string it all together. you should also try and tone down the hueshifting, as this kind of design and look doesn't favor all too well from the same level of hueshifting one would give a sprite. overall it just comes off as trying to be like mario A, but missing the mark in a few too many key places. on the contrary, mario C is based on my personal understanding of mario. i drew him based on my own preferences, and not necessarily based on how mario A actually looks. this creates a more appealing design, showing both deviation and respect to mario A, treating it as its own design and take on the subject of a "paper mario". what does this all mean? stop what you're doing, and actually study the original designs of the characters you're trying to draw. if you've been doing this entire project taking reference off of just the official paper mario designs, you're more or less wasting your time- why bother trying to fix what isn't broken when you could be making something you can call your own?

Mit, you raise very valid points throughout all this. Unfortunately, I'm at a loss at what to do now. For me, I'm pretty much presented with three options. - I could take your advice to heart and draw my own variations on Paper Mario. I don't really want to do this because I like the overall shape of the original Paper Mario and your variation is not what I had in mind (not to say that yours is bad). Regardless, I'm at least willing to consider this option. Otherwise, I may as well trace over the original artwork and not use any shading (or maybe some basic shading, such as what you get from the gradient tool). - If I don't give up on what may as well be a lost cause, then I'll follow the route of a spiritual successor and make my own paper series without any preexisting IPs. That way, I'll be free to use my own variation of the Paper Mario style. - Just continue what I'm doing with little to no changes in my current work. Even if it's clear that my work has flaws, at least a fair amount of people like my work as it is now.