8th Street process

I cranked up the difficulty level with this one. When I first started I had doubts I could pull it off, but I was determined to to delve deeper into my foray of realistic pixel art. In the end, I'm really excited with the results.

Effectively capturing perspective and lighting in an urban environment requires more precision than natural environments. Furthermore, I had to really get inside this picture as if I was solving a jigsaw puzzle in order to bring clarity to all the details. Overall, the process went smoothly, it just took time. I didn't keep close track but I think I spent a little over 20 hours, which is the same as Golden Sky Mountain. However, this piece was more complicated, so I feel like I've developed some proficiency in this style.

In the second image you can see the reference photo I used and the composition I pulled out of it. As I drove into town from one of my country drives I noticed the position of the sun lined up with the east west running streets and was creating lovely lighting effects off the concrete. Furthermore, the photo is a little crooked, as I took it while driving past the intersection. No problem, easy fix to level it out in post. Also, notice I removed the stop light. I actually tried implementing this but felt it spoiled the composition and created a different mood than I wanted.

I started by roughing out the basic comp, but you'll notice I detailed the left section before I blocked out the entire comp. This helped me prove the concept before expanding the composition. After seeing how one section looked with refined details I could see the path to the finish, it would just take time.

One of the most stand out features of this piece to my usual work is a high color count of 62. That's probably the most colors I've deliberately selected for a single piece, however I've gone over that as a result of using transparent layers. I felt a bit nervous working with so many colors, but by the time I was finished I felt intimately aware of all 62 colors and where they are applied.

Well, I'm satisfied with how this turned out and it stokes my excitement to continue pushing for more complex realism. But don't worry, preserving the pixel art aesthetic remains paramount.

204x172px
62 colors
Photoshop

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