Hello! Firstly, is that your printable template? If it is, then it's quite nice :).
I just went through some of your previous submissions, and I noticed you've a come a ways to this point. With a little help, you could be on your way to something nice!
It's evident in the composition of your front here that you understand at least the basic principles of what makes a good design. The actual placement of the set pieces here - Olimar, walking along the ground with a trio of Pikmin below him - would if executed to the fullest possible extent create if nothing else an average, if not overspacious and a little bland design. However, the materials you're using are killing any concept you could work on in the first place! Here are some tips to rectify that in the future:
I can see how the image of Olimar you used would lend well to the front of box art - however, it extremely blurred, stretched and jagged. It's good to try to be resourceful in scouring materials, but if you cut out something of your own from a screenshot or video that's too or low quality to use, don't use it! For this box in particular, try to go through IGN's image gallery of Pikmin 1 and 2 as well as Pikipedia (link) for some high-quality renders. Also, what program are you using? It looks like Microsoft Paint, as far as I can tell, and you've stretched it pretty far as far as rendering images goes, but MS Paint simply cannot hold up to these kinds of major put-together designs, as evidenced by the good-quality Pikmin and logo on your front being cut wavily and jagged. You don't need to waste hours erasing white space by hand! If you don't have Photoshop, Gimp can do the job for you just as fine (link.
On the subject of the front background - hand drawings can sometimes lend themselves to the best of art, but not when they clash with the characters in the foreground! As a rule, try not to mix 3D images with 2D backgrounds, and vice-versa. In particular, MS Paint-drawn backgrounds aren't a very good place to start - you have to be something of tablet-wielding da Vinci to get good results out of Paint! You aren't expected to be able create realistically-matching Pikmin backgrounds yourself, of course - googling official wallpapers might give you a good place to begin (but for a background, not the entire front design!). I noticed you used such a wallpaper for your presentation - that's a good habit to get into if you make it work well, but again, stay clear away from using pixelated or blurry images you have to blow up to fit. Lastly, it's good that you understand the concept of screenborders but try to find ones that better fit the Pikmin style, and don't overlap them unless it's aesthetically pleasing; the one big rule of applying text is, don't put words over images that aren't washed out or contrasting enough with color to make them stand out, and don't use odd colors to compensate for that!
The rest of your mistakes are purely technical:
*The addition of ESRB and developer logos on the front would make it look more official.
*I'm not SURE, but I think your back design overlaps the template a bit.
*Put the name of the game or the logo on the spine! It deserves some love too, other than just a single-color background; nobody would be able to tell what game to pull out in their library, if that was the case.
Overall, if was made in Paint as I suspect it was, it's really not that bad, on a conceptual level. But it's time for you to move up to bigger and better things! Here's hoping you master Gimp and make this cover look like the way you pictured it. I hope I helped.
#2, write a fucking essay why don't ya? i got bored in the first 2 sentences. This kid is underage and no one should bother helping him. I was once banned for under-age he should too. Oh and technicallly i should be banned for trolling but i am reed so ya know i run this sight... LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOl
#2, Thankyou. I really appreciate it when an author goes to the effort of an in-depth critique. It's not my box, but, I really think that people like you go a long way in helping new artists.
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Pikmin Box Cover Comments
GameCube » Pikmin Box Cover humor
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Well, My first box with backround
Fav please so i will be rank 7.
P.D.
I want to be rank 7 cause i want to upload my printable templates
[ Reply ]
Hello! Firstly, is that your printable template? If it is, then it's quite nice :).
I just went through some of your previous submissions, and I noticed you've a come a ways to this point. With a little help, you could be on your way to something nice!
It's evident in the composition of your front here that you understand at least the basic principles of what makes a good design. The actual placement of the set pieces here - Olimar, walking along the ground with a trio of Pikmin below him - would if executed to the fullest possible extent create if nothing else an average, if not overspacious and a little bland design. However, the materials you're using are killing any concept you could work on in the first place! Here are some tips to rectify that in the future:
I can see how the image of Olimar you used would lend well to the front of box art - however, it extremely blurred, stretched and jagged. It's good to try to be resourceful in scouring materials, but if you cut out something of your own from a screenshot or video that's too or low quality to use, don't use it! For this box in particular, try to go through IGN's image gallery of Pikmin 1 and 2 as well as Pikipedia (link) for some high-quality renders. Also, what program are you using? It looks like Microsoft Paint, as far as I can tell, and you've stretched it pretty far as far as rendering images goes, but MS Paint simply cannot hold up to these kinds of major put-together designs, as evidenced by the good-quality Pikmin and logo on your front being cut wavily and jagged. You don't need to waste hours erasing white space by hand! If you don't have Photoshop, Gimp can do the job for you just as fine (link.
On the subject of the front background - hand drawings can sometimes lend themselves to the best of art, but not when they clash with the characters in the foreground! As a rule, try not to mix 3D images with 2D backgrounds, and vice-versa. In particular, MS Paint-drawn backgrounds aren't a very good place to start - you have to be something of tablet-wielding da Vinci to get good results out of Paint! You aren't expected to be able create realistically-matching Pikmin backgrounds yourself, of course - googling official wallpapers might give you a good place to begin (but for a background, not the entire front design!). I noticed you used such a wallpaper for your presentation - that's a good habit to get into if you make it work well, but again, stay clear away from using pixelated or blurry images you have to blow up to fit. Lastly, it's good that you understand the concept of screenborders but try to find ones that better fit the Pikmin style, and don't overlap them unless it's aesthetically pleasing; the one big rule of applying text is, don't put words over images that aren't washed out or contrasting enough with color to make them stand out, and don't use odd colors to compensate for that!
The rest of your mistakes are purely technical:
*The addition of ESRB and developer logos on the front would make it look more official.
*I'm not SURE, but I think your back design overlaps the template a bit.
*Put the name of the game or the logo on the spine! It deserves some love too, other than just a single-color background; nobody would be able to tell what game to pull out in their library, if that was the case.
Overall, if was made in Paint as I suspect it was, it's really not that bad, on a conceptual level. But it's time for you to move up to bigger and better things! Here's hoping you master Gimp and make this cover look like the way you pictured it. I hope I helped.
[ Reply ]
#2, what this guy said.
[ Reply ]
#2, write a fucking essay why don't ya? i got bored in the first 2 sentences. This kid is underage and no one should bother helping him. I was once banned for under-age he should too. Oh and technicallly i should be banned for trolling but i am reed so ya know i run this sight... LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOl
[ Reply ]
#2, Thankyou. I really appreciate it when an author goes to the effort of an in-depth critique. It's not my box, but, I really think that people like you go a long way in helping new artists.
[ Reply ]