Pixel Slam Jam PIXEL SLAM JAM Season 4 Trial I: Glitz and Gore

Cat: Simple, but I like how it turned out, too! I would recommend a dark blue or grey as a backdrop so you have room to add darker colors, like the black for Drifloon's tails. (strings?) The candy bucket is cute, too! I think some shading on it and more varied candies could really make it pop. The stars might be all the same, but they are a nice touch! Maybe some smaller stars in between to twinkle?

Monika: I agree with Cat on these points! Some additional things I would like to bring up to supplement is to maybe change brightness and colours of stars within the background as well, not enough to detract, but to make it more visually interesting. I would also start studying shading a bit, in the dark nothing looks perfectly bright, especially with only the light of the moon! I hope that whoever Drifloon stole the candy from gets replacements, at least they didn't snag the kid though!

Cat: So adorable! The candy stains from him drooling candy saliva are my favorite part. To best match the official games' artstyle (and in my opinion make the sprite work look nicer!) I would fit in some lighter shading on the outline! A ghosty costume is going to reflect some white and some soft greys would make the edges of the costume look softer. His treat bag likewise could use a little bit more shading on the outlines. I would have it at an angle as well, he looks ravenous and isn't going to take the time to hold his candy perfectly angled at the camera, right? The fallen candy is so adorable, I hope he manages to pick it up!

Monika: I love the ghost rag on this little Munchlax, very cute! My tips to elevate the vibe is to make it feel oversized/raggedy everywhere. The long sleeves and ripped bottom are a nice touch, but I think some eye and mouth holes could add a lot, maybe even some general wear and tear around the ears or other areas. I agree with Cat about the pumpkin bag, and would like to recommend keeping the light source consistent and think about where the bag is in a 3D space. I am very proud of them for trick-or-treating so well, that's a lot of candy :D.

Cat: Tom!!! I love how well you managed to sprite a jack-o-lantern from scratch! You could've fooled me that you're really not an artist because I am impressed. My only critiques are I'd make the stem a touch more three-dimensional, as they have to be thick in order to keep the pumpkin attached to the vine. Maybe a different or more realistic glow to the inside? But seriously, chef's kiss can't wait to see your next piece of art!

Monika: Tom :)! I agree with all of Cat's points and will say I love the simplistic but clean look! Some recommendations from me would be to try and angle the jack-o-lantern face so it's a little more centered on the piece with the body angle, and to either give it a bit of mood glow, or, a little peak inside to the poor little Surskit, you better help get them out! >:c

Cat: I love how this artwork turned out! I'm not even mad Nanu got to make a cameo as I'm a big fan of your work, haha. I think Sableye is a cute Pokémon so I'll allow it! I think I have to be a little tougher than most, but I think my one critique is the Jiangshi costume could have a more smoother texture, and the diamonds would be more patternable. Though Sableye's hands are pretty tiny, so maybe this leads to imperfections in his costume? Not much else to say but well deserving of the Pixel Slam Jam Badge!

Monika: Congrats on the Pixel Slam Jam Badge, this piece really deserves it! I love the colours and the expressiveness of both Nanu and the Sableye, and the shading really completes the work. Some general improvements I would not is to maybe change the background blue to have more contrast with Sableye's shading, since some parts of the outline get lost to the eye, and to be a little more mindful of pixel density? With a piece like this it's generally not an issue, but at some places it can look a bit jarring. Great work!

Cat: What a clever idea! I hope Vulpix likes painting because it's sure covered in a lot of paint! There are a few pixel errors, I think you missed the ears in recoloring and maybe the shading on Vulpix's back. Take it slow and enjoy the ride! That's my mindset when creating art, no need to rush it. I would also recommend some pink in between the paint and Vulpix's fur, as paint doesn't always stay the same color, nor is it always a solid color. Maybe some of its fur is stained or a thin layer of paint landed somewhere instead of a solid swipe of paint. The possibilities are endless, I think you have a solid design and I love it!

Monika: Wow, Vulpix is really dedicated to the cosplay! I noticed the same recolour errors that Cat did as well, but it still looks lovely! Depending on how or if you want to continue working on this piece I would recommend a bit more unevenness and layering on the paint, to give the illusion of an unfinished job. If you want to compound on the paint and spookiness, maybe some bloody pawprints too!

Cat: I'm happy to give feedback on this! I really like how the pumpkin came out. How it has the back strength to hold it, I'm not too sure... The hand is a nice extra touch which really added the perfect amount of gore we were looking for. Adorable smile too!

Monika: Very simple but super effective and cute! On top of all of Cat's thoughts I think the piece could of had a little more change. Like, maybe the pumpkin is so heavy it compresses Trubbish a little, or some... paint around Trubbish's face to imply there may be more of a hand in there. But we best not bother this innocent Trubbish any more!

Cat: Squirtle crow! First of all, clever name for it. My feedback is to make your art really pop, you want to match the pixel density over all of it. The Squirtle's twice as thick as the outfit you put on him, which makes his scythe super detailed. Speaking of, the details you added really shine! The ripped pants, the straw coming from every corner. It's definitely a scarecrow! Don't forget as well to add more colors to your palette, matching how Squirtle has three blues and one black on his head/tail, I would recommend his outfit have a similar number of colors (and use black for a shaded outline). I am shocked that you say this is your first custom sprite, you went super detailed for your first sprite and that deserves at least a little applause :D

Monika: Cat covers a lot of the feedback I would love to bestow upon this spoooooky scarecrow, but I would just like to follow up on the outfit, you did pretty well with following the shape of the body, but may I recommend following the shading of the body too! Emulating the shading on the body would add a lot of depth to this piece and make it sparkle, just like their scythe!

Cat: Spoooooky! Perfect for this month. It's a simple design but I would have loved to see the ears custom-made to better match Gengar's spiky ears. They're slightly different from Pikachu's spikes that I'd love to see them. There is some pixel density differences, be careful not to resize anything! Unfortunately with the craft of pixel art if you want to resize anything you should really redraw it instead. That'll keep the rags from being too thick and the tail from being too thin.

Monika: Oh no, Mimikyu's tarp dying skills are incredible! They looks terrifying, but I wish that the Gengar face was more integrated into the Mimikyu aesthetic. Mimikyu's face looks like it was drawn with crayon and I think that a Gengar drawn face would be similarly adorable.

Cat: I love the idea of Litwick rebelling against its trainer! I think the base looks a little too flat, I would look at the official sprite and see how they did it! I'm also not too sure on the design, are they arms? Wings? I think so extra detail so we can tell would definitely help. I'm excited to see what you cook up next round!

Monika: Uh-oh Litwick is going to... steal my soul??? My one main thing is that I wish you kept the customary purple flame of Litwick for that otherworldly aura and added some of that roughness to the head flame that you added to the arm flames! I definitely don't want to find out what Litwick will do to their trainer next D:

Cat: Spheal!!! Definitely a cute Pokémon. I'd love to see it a little darker, maybe a devilish Spheal? >:D Since he is descending from heaven, I would love to see some motion in the sprite, maybe his flippers flapping like his wings? Or his tail being held against his body more, instead of looking like a pixel-over of his official art (a good one, at that!) The halo and angel wings are nicely done, great work!

Monika: Dang that Spheal is wonderfully angelic!! My main feedback would be to look more into circle shading and to clean up the shading line a little more. I also wish the halo was a little brighter and maybe glowed a little bit? I just want to bask in the true glory of the angel Spheal coming down from heaven!!!

Cat: Properly spooky! I think you picked a solid design with Shiny Mega Gardevoir. Not much to give feedback on, I'd love to have seen some thinner lines to as I think it makes Gardevoir look dainty! The eyes are really impressive, and so is the witch's hat! With the pumpkin bag, I think it would look even greater if it was at an angle, as head-on facing the camera it doesn't match the handle over Gardevoir's arm (in my opinion). A strong contender, I'm really excited to see what you make next round!

Monika: A lovely piece, I enjoy all the little details and shading on the body and uh... the spooky rubber balls Gardevoir bought from the store. I agree with Cat's thoughts on the pumpkin and I also wish you darkened the shading within the eye's Iris and pupils a little more, just for a little bit more depth. Overall it was lovely and dynamic, I'm very curious to see what's in store!

Cat: What have you got there? A knife! NO!! An easy design but it's so cute! I can feel the love that you put into it. Simple but that's okay! My feedback is that I would have liked to see more Psychic power from holding the knife, if you look up what Psychic looks like in the anime, the eyes are also powered up and glowy. I'm glad you've returned for Season 4 and hope to see you next round!

Monika: Uh oh... where did Shuppet get that knife! It's very simple but very effective, and I love the detailing on that knife. I agree that some physic signs from the Shuppet would take it the extra mile, and maybe touching up the lines of the shading a little more, I think making it symmetrical would really give it that clean finish. It's really cute and fun, and can't wait to see another piece!

Cat: I'm a big fan of how spooky this game out! You did a great job incorporating the theme into the piece. It is a little hard to see, but it could be my monitor. My only feedback is maybe work on the 3/4 perspective, as a lot of the artwork is Mudkip looking straight forward. It'll make it look super professional! The eyes are a nice touch to fill the space, I would have love to see some more variation, maybe in color? Hope to see you next round!

Monika: Oh no, that Mudkip is in danger! (I'm not the one that's going to save it though). I think it's really fun and you really captured a terrified expression! My one feedback is to maybe add some variation to the background, the different sized eyes are a nice touch, but I think maybe some teeth would be an extra scary touch, I want to see what bit that Mudkip! I really like the shading and everything else, keep up the amazing work!