1- This steps is relatively "easy". Just search you "desk-slam" sprite to edit. (I've used my "objection" sprite because the "deskslam" pose from my character isn't side face)
2- We aren't interested in the small proportion, but we don't know how much bigger we must draw the character. It's that so, just search some Zoom-in sprite from AA and copy you sprite with the correct proportion.
3- Now, draw the lineart (guide lines) again while following the line.
When it was finished, it will be something like this:
4- Now it's time to be patien because we will coloring some "Base Colors" (You don't need to paint the skin yet, but I've done it because I prefer to do it... but it's more pratice if you don't do it. Some steps foward you will see it)
Note: Yap, I forgot the necktie, but I fixed with some yellow lineart.
5- Shades... I know this is heavy, but it's necesary. First use some medium dark color for every section to make your shades guides (or brightness if is the case)
6- Guiding by shades, use other darker color (or lighter in brightness) to define your shades bit to bit. Keep in mind the forms of clothing and hair (this is intuitive I think, so I can't explain it... My apologies... But I'll try to tell you some tricks)
-----6.5
A- This is my favorite trick, but more dangerous and heavy. Use all tones than you can to define the shades and brightness... if you can do it 10 or more times you will get a gradient effect. Interesting, right?... but watch out, this will steal you a lot of space for your colors (Try to don't cross the 256 colors, I've done it one time and I lost my work... so I've had to edit it in that moment) and your "energies" (I don't know how to explain it in English...) so maybe there's a posibility than you will leave the sprite in the process.
B- Other alternative (and in AA sprites they use this sometimes) is to use "pixel gradient". Just paint with some pixels of space between each same tone.
7-Ok... the black guide isn't aesthetic indeed. Well then, draw other line with some color similarity than the color wich is near to.
-----7.5
Remember the "jumps" between pixels and how to solve it.(Review the tutorial "How create your mouth sprite & animate it")
8- This is what I was saying. Use the old sprite to guide you in the creation of the face.
9- Draw again some guide lines approximately. They will be our eyes/eyebrows, nose and mouth.
10- Shades again... How exciting, right?. Anyway, use the protocol 5 and it will be ok(but I'll give you others tricks to give realism)
-----10.5
In this case, the light will be in the top (It's dificult to see it, but the light impacts with some inclination angle from the front... It's in the space (R^3) and not in the plane(R^2)... but it's only a comment, it's not important in this tutorial I think but maybe it usefull to know)
A- The eyelid usually give very good impression because they give profundity to the sprite. But it's not necesarry if you don't want... But other alternative is try to use a line to define it.
B- Other shade than can give profundity. Normally the mouth it's not plane, so it makes some shades... If you want, do it... but remember maybe you'll must to create other shades for the "talking" sprite too.
C- This shades it's only for the aesthetic. The blood usually accumulates in some "corners" in the body (That's why the nose becomes red when it's cold) and in a light skin person you can see it (nose, fingers, elbows...). If you're character is a man, you don't need to do it.
Uhm... Is this tutorial big? Maybe you should to take a break, because it's not over...
11- I'll not explain again the guide again because maybe you're bored of that. So I just tell you somethings:
- Dark guide will be in the top. Middle between the others.
- Normal guide will be inside the eyelash
- Light guide will be under and at the ends.
-----11.5
A- Paint the eyes with the color than you want. Remember the brightness in the eye ball. It's usually under.
B- Draw the eyebrows. Use the darker shades to lighter in the direction of the arrow (because the eyebrows becomes more skinny at the ends)
C (Maybe this must be the "B")- Paint a gradient in the arrow's direction. Remember than the pupil must be in the middle (obvious, but I prefer to say it). If you prefer... you can paint it with a plane color (the same color) in all the eye. Ah! Other detail. Under the eyelash it's more dark, so paint other shadow there.
D- I've done this before because I know where it will be, but I'll explain it now because it's more easy to paint it in this moment. Normally the bridge of her nose and eye sockets should create some shades, but if you paint a dark shadow maybe the character will seem than he hasn't slept. So use a light shadow to define it... but this is maybe innecesary because it's difficult to see anyway...
At finished, it will be something like this:
Note: The original design of my character has this form, but usually the pupil should be a circle.
12A- The nose... I don't know how to explain this exactly but I'll try give again some tricks. Usually the small nose in the women is beatifull than the biggest, but if you draw a small nose it seem she hasn't nose. In that case, use normal/light colors from the middle to outside maybe it can give a smaller effect without the effect "noseless". In the male case, medium or big nose it's ok (with shades, of course)
12B- In my case, I've decided a nose with angle... but if you prefer you car use other inclination to see others details in the nose. I didn't draw it, but I'll leave a sketch...
13- About the mouth... not much to say. Just remember the steps from the other tutorial (but now we have more space to work. This is good and bad at same time). Well, like always I'll comment somethings...
-----13.5
A (female only)- Now we can paint other brightness(top) in her lips because we have more space. But don't exaggerate it, ok?
B - And again... the light impacts comes from the top. That causes more clearly above the mouth and down shade it. In the upper lip you can draw some dotted lines to mark the lip... but this isn't neccesary if you don't want, it's difficult to see it too.
Finished. Our work may seems something like this:
Now just animate it with the steps in the other tutorial (second section). One thing about... You don't need to create "talking/closing eyes" sprite because I didn't see any zoom-in with that. Other one... Usually in the Zoom-in's Mode the characters are talking more fast than usual, so maybe the time interval will be small (but do it if you want)
