Welcome to HamsterMan's spriting tutorial! I've updated this quite a bit from the orginal version; and started to add more of my own work. I learnt to sprite from ShowKaizer's tutorials and CCOA's tutorials; other than that, just plain old practise. Don't expect to be like ShowKaizer or ccoa straight away; it takes time. And only practising will make you better. With that; let's get started!

I recomend making a pallette, before you start.

Contents:
Templates
Hair tutorial
Shirt tutorial
Trousers/pants tutorial


Male Kaizer


Female Kaizer


Some random templates I found
Male

Female


RTP templates
Male

Female I made this as an edit of the male template


Kaizer-Child
My new favourite, because it fits with RTP and looks cool



Hair

Start by making the outline of the hair in the darkest shade of the colour you're using.

Fill in the entire block of hair with the next shade up.

Make a 'zig-zag' with the next shade up, and fill in the rest of the hair, leaving the top 'zig-zag'.

With the next shade up, create another 'zig-zag' again, don't forget to leave the lest on your created.

With the next shade up, fill in the bottom parts of the hair, but don't make it a straight line, it doesn't look natural.

The finished product:


The reason you use so many different shades, is because it makes it look more natural when it's finished. When your hair grows, it changes colour slightly, and when it does, it does so in a 'zig-zag' sort of fashion. Hence the zig-zags.

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Clothing

Make the pallette out of the colour you want, for this exapmple, i've used shades of blue.

Make the outline of your item of clothing, for the example, i've chosen to make a t-shirt. Make sure you choose the darkest shade of your colour, because this is what 'defines' the outline.

Imagine a light source, and picture what parts would look darkest on your sprite. This is crucial, because shading is what makes your sprite look realistic. Use the next shade up (From your pallette) to 'lighten' the shirt up around some of the edges, and also parts of his body which you want to be more 'defined' (E.g. Chest, stomach).

Add yet more shading with the next colour up. Don't forget, don't go over the top because you ave about another 4 shades to go. With this shade, concentrate on his sides, arm-pitts and shoulder area.

Again, add more shading, concentrate on the lower part of his body, and the should areas.

Add yes more shading with the next shade up. Concentrate on his arms and shoulders again. Don't forget to visualise what it should look like. Add more around the stomach area and shoulders; almost finished!

Finally, fill in any more of the light spots. Things that petrude more from the human body will have a lighter complexion (If that's any help). THings like a chest, will be lighter because they're closer to the light source.

And the finished product:


I will show you how to make this look more 'baggy' later on.

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Trousers
Right, i've finally got around to making the trousers tutorial for you, this tutorial will be followed by the 'baggy clothes' tutorial, and then by the shoe tutorial

First, as always, start off by making the outline in the darkest shade of your colour. Make sure you go around the edges, and even if you have to 'double up' on your pixels, do so because it will make no difference in the finished product. Don't forget to make the top of the trousers rounded, otherwise it won't look 'realistic' (Well, as realistic as a drawing gets).

Now, take your next darkest shade, and concentrate on the crotch area, this is because it's the next darkest part on your sprite. Also, pay a little bit of attension to the 'knee' area of your sprite.

Again, concentrate on the crotch area of the sprite, and this time pay more attension to the knee area of your sprite; this is because there is a slight 'bend' in the sprite's knees.

This time, take your next shade up and shade in the left and right hand sides of your sprite, this makes his/her legs look 'rounded' and 3D.

Take the next shade up and shade in the edges even more, making it look yet more 3D.

Fill in the remaining spaces with the lighest shade you have, thus finishing your trousers!

And the finished product:


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this is a great tutorial! but uhh.. what paint program are you using?

I'm using GraphicsGale

It's free by the way

This is good it's useful but do you think you can do a body one cuz that's what i have the most hard time with?

this can apply to the body, Santa, just do the same thing when applying cloths.

Yep, and don't forget that when you do clothes, you have to make folds darker, and shading has to be a lot more accurate.

Well i never tryed to make clothes on a template before i only have just edited from what clothes where already there So am really saying i don't know how to start it off 8P i guess i can try from what you said about the hair but that's hair O,o

can i have a tutorial to use the program plz

All the way down!! All the way down!

hehe great tutorial, reminds me of the old days with games factory with painting active objekts

great job h-man it brought my spriting to a new level GREAT!!!

Thanks guys And I can't really give a tutorial on the program, it sort of speaks for itself anyways

wow... nice!

can you do a tutorial on guys hair and shading on clothes? mainly just shading and wrinkles...

Well, guy's hair works on the same principle, only shorter Here:



From close up, it doesn't look very impressive, but from further away:



It looks a lot better

And i'm already started on a clothes tutorial; probably won't post it until tomorrow though.

meh... tis was hoping spikey hair or that kind of floppy roundish hair... Like mushroom cuts kinda!

lol To be hinest, I haven't mastered spikey hair yet But i'm working on it