06-25-2020, 07:59 PM
@jace1313: I'm not sure if this helps, but when I first started making sprites what I did was find sprites that were close to what my end goal was (pose, facial expression, body type, etc.) and just copied the outline. Once the outline was copied I filled in the sprite with the colors of the character I was trying to make, then I added whatever extra accessories they had. I can't guarantee this is the most efficient way of doing things, but it worked for me. If you'd like, I can PM you an example of my process with an old sprite of mine. I second SQUIDWORD15's advice to start with a single item or character you like and drawing it in the Sonic 2 style. I could even help you find references if you'd like.
Another thing you may want to consider is playing around with different software. SQUIDWORD15 touched on this as well, but MS Paint isn't exactly the best tool to use when it comes to spriting. At least it wasn't when I last checked it out. I haven't actually used MS Paint in ages, so it is possible that has improved dramatically, but the MS Paint I used was kind of terrible. For one thing it didn't support layers and I use layers heavily. I've been using GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) myself. It probably isn't perfect, but it does what I need it too and it is open source.
Another thing you may want to consider is playing around with different software. SQUIDWORD15 touched on this as well, but MS Paint isn't exactly the best tool to use when it comes to spriting. At least it wasn't when I last checked it out. I haven't actually used MS Paint in ages, so it is possible that has improved dramatically, but the MS Paint I used was kind of terrible. For one thing it didn't support layers and I use layers heavily. I've been using GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) myself. It probably isn't perfect, but it does what I need it too and it is open source.