Custom Trainer Sprite Tutorial++Show me what you make!

[tehodis]

So I've received lots of PMs, asking me how I do my customized trainer sprites, and so I decided I'd just make a tutorial. I use either Paint or PSP when I make my trainers, although most of the time it's better to use Paint, so you're not tempted by fancy effects. You don't want to usy ANY special effects when making these. Anyways, on with the tutorial.

 

Step 1;

The first thing you have to do is find an already existing trainer image. You can find D/P sprites HERE and R/S sprites HERE.

I selected

for my use, since I'm going to need to do a trench coat, and I want to make this as easy on myself possible. Try to select something that already resembles what you have in your mind, or what you're working from.

 

Step 2;

This step is easy, you just grab the eraser tool, and erase what you don't need. You don't need to be very careful, you can fix things easily if you mess up a little. I just made it so that when I do the hair, his hat won't be visible at the edges.

 

Step 3;

Now, magnify your picture 800x. Start at the top, and work your way down. So that means you do the hair, the eyes and other facial features. I normally just take one color, like a very bright bright green or pink and just make the shape of the hair. Then go over it/fill it with the color you want. Make the color a little bit darker, and do some simple shading*. Make the color lighter, and add highlights*. Then make the color much darker (closer to black) and make an outline. Edit the eye color or the face however you want until you get what you want for the head.

 

Step 4;

Continuing with adding stuff, the next thing that comes is the top/jacket/arms. Do something similar with what you did with the hair. Draw the shape, pixel by pixel or blocky, color, shade, highlight, outline.

Keep in mind that on Pokemon sprites, not all of the outline is the darker version of the color you're using. Pokemon sprites also use black in their outlines.

 

Step 5;

And now of course, comes the pants and the shoes. Pants shading is different than shading in other areas. The knees should have more highlighting and should be dithered* to look softly shaded. The groin and around where the top would shadow the bottoms is where there would be more shading, as well as on the inner leg.

 

Step 6;

The final step is to just fix up anything that's a little chunky, and also to edit the accessories. The original sprite for me, was flipping a coin. I changed that to a bloody stone, I could also have erased it all together. It's all up to you.

 

Now you can just experiment, and keep trying new things un til you get what you want!

 

Shading: The areas where shadows would fall need to be shaded, in a darker color than the original.

 

Highlighting: The areas where light would hit needs to be highlighted, in a lighter color than the original.

 

Dithering: Using alternated colors (2+) to create the illusion of there being more than those colors. Example:

(ZOOMED V.)

 

Other Examples

 

Show me what you come up with! I'd love to see.

[Megayanma]

This is great! Thanks!

[tehodis]

No problem. ^^

[Tkill93]

So its a re-color with some editing? This could be done in all system too. Cool, I'll have to try. I'll post my result when im done

[tehodis]

Well, it depends what you're making. My Mort Rainey sprite was a complete edit. It took like...8 hours or summat. This is a simple one, cos you have to start somewhere. Maybe I'll make another one on doing scratch pixels. Or adding things, etc.

[gary9672001]

thanks i needed that to edited some stuff

[tehodis]

No problem. I hope you'll show me what you get! I'd love to see.

[notsohandyman]

Thnx! I can't find any trainer sprites

[notsohandyman]

Yay! It is bad.... i'll try again.

[tehodis]

Don't use default paint colors. They're really bad for pixel art.

[Silent Member]

do you know how to do a sprite from scracth

[notsohandyman]

okay

[JyShin]

Very nice tutorial Tehodis~! I used to play around with pokemon fusions in MSPaint a long time ago.. But then I got Photoshop and forgot how fun Paint was! Thanks for reminding me of the awesomeness of the classics~

 

Heres my attempt of a Yu-Gi-Oh Duelist. I used 2 of the trainer sprites, (sorry I still haven't got a chance to play Pokemon D/P so I'm not familiar with the names) one of them was used in your tutorial, and the other had yellow hair and a blue jacket. The duel disk was done from scratch.. But i'm pretty bad at visualizing final products in Paint because there's such small resolution > < Anyways~

 

 

Duelist Name : Stryke

 

Hope you like it~ Thanks for posting this tutorial Tehodis!

[notsohandyman]

Volkner! Eight Gym Leader and Uses Electric Types!

[MikeGallo]

Very nice tutorial Tehodis~! I used to play around with pokemon fusions in MSPaint a long time ago.. But then I got Photoshop and forgot how fun Paint was! Thanks for reminding me of the awesomeness of the classics~

 

Heres my attempt of a Yu-Gi-Oh Duelist. I used 2 of the trainer sprites' date=' (sorry I still haven't got a chance to play Pokemon D/P so I'm not familiar with the names) one of them was used in your tutorial, and the other had yellow hair and a blue jacket. The duel disk was done from scratch.. But i'm pretty bad at visualizing final products in Paint because there's such small resolution > < Anyways~

 

[img']http://i17.tinypic.com/682rqc4.png[/img]

 

Duelist Name : Stryke

 

Hope you like it~ Thanks for posting this tutorial Tehodis!

 

Hey, I like the duelist dude, I'm gonna make one but don't worry I won't copy yours :)

 

Oh and cool tut Tehodis.

[notsohandyman]

Is this good?

[JyShin]

Very nice tutorial Tehodis~! I used to play around with pokemon fusions in MSPaint a long time ago.. But then I got Photoshop and forgot how fun Paint was! Thanks for reminding me of the awesomeness of the classics~

 

Heres my attempt of a Yu-Gi-Oh Duelist. I used 2 of the trainer sprites' date=' (sorry I still haven't got a chance to play Pokemon D/P so I'm not familiar with the names) one of them was used in your tutorial, and the other had yellow hair and a blue jacket. The duel disk was done from scratch.. But i'm pretty bad at visualizing final products in Paint because there's such small resolution > < Anyways~

 

[img']http://i17.tinypic.com/682rqc4.png[/img]

 

Duelist Name : Stryke

 

Hope you like it~ Thanks for posting this tutorial Tehodis!

 

Made another duelist to go with it~ It's from the Marik Season with the "Rare Hunters".. Haha yeah, Old stuff, but I don't watch much yugioh anymore so it's all i know... ^ ^

 

 

Duelist Name : Rare Hunter

 

Didnt turn out as well because I had to do more pixeling and less editing... And I'm really bad at that on MsPaint.

[tehodis]

I like the second one much better than your first. It seems much more unique to me, Jyshin.

[mark24kid]

So I've received lots of PMs' date=' asking me how I do my customized trainer sprites, and so I decided I'd just make a tutorial. I use either Paint or PSP when I make my trainers, although most of the time it's better to use Paint, so you're not tempted by fancy effects. You don't want to usy ANY special effects when making these. Anyways, on with the tutorial.

 

Step 1;

The first thing you have to do is find an already existing trainer image. You can find D/P sprites HERE and R/S sprites HERE.

I selected

for my use, since I'm going to need to do a trench coat, and I want to make this as easy on myself possible. Try to select something that already resembles what you have in your mind, or what you're working from.

 

Step 2;

This step is easy, you just grab the eraser tool, and erase what you don't need. You don't need to be very careful, you can fix things easily if you mess up a little. I just made it so that when I do the hair, his hat won't be visible at the edges.

 

Step 3;

Now, magnify your picture 800x. Start at the top, and work your way down. So that means you do the hair, the eyes and other facial features. I normally just take one color, like a very bright bright green or pink and just make the shape of the hair. Then go over it/fill it with the color you want. Make the color a little bit darker, and do some simple shading*. Make the color lighter, and add highlights*. Then make the color much darker (closer to black) and make an outline. Edit the eye color or the face however you want until you get what you want for the head.

 

Step 4;

Continuing with adding stuff, the next thing that comes is the top/jacket/arms. Do something similar with what you did with the hair. Draw the shape, pixel by pixel or blocky, color, shade, highlight, outline.

Keep in mind that on Pokemon sprites, not all of the outline is the darker version of the color you're using. Pokemon sprites also use black in their outlines.

 

Step 5;

And now of course, comes the pants and the shoes. Pants shading is different than shading in other areas. The knees should have more highlighting and should be dithered* to look softly shaded. The groin and around where the top would shadow the bottoms is where there would be more shading, as well as on the inner leg.

 

Step 6;

The final step is to just fix up anything that's a little chunky, and also to edit the accessories. The original sprite for me, was flipping a coin. I changed that to a bloody stone, I could also have erased it all together. It's all up to you.

 

Now you can just experiment, and keep trying new things un til you get what you want!

 

Shading: The areas where shadows would fall need to be shaded, in a darker color than the original.

 

Highlighting: The areas where light would hit needs to be highlighted, in a lighter color than the original.

 

Dithering: Using alternated colors (2+) to create the illusion of there being more than those colors. Example:

(ZOOMED V.)

 

Other Examples

 

Show me what you come up with! I'd love to see.

 

this is still confusing, maybe that's because i don't use paint a lot, it's really difficult 4 me 2 do things that I don't normally do.

[greyshadow0]

heres my yugioh monk

 

[God GAK]

i made my own duelist image take a look: :D

 

[God Z3]

Before:

 

And

 

After:

 

My first one!!

[sum1wierd]

Before:

 

After:

 

This tutorial owns

[Cloud426]

Before:

After:

[sum1wierd]

lolage