Apologies. I'm on mobile. I've done a couple of pages and will do the rest tomorrow.
Game art copied from elsewhere
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
The Steven Seagal image in IK+ was traced earlier in this thread, but I've also tracked down a Chuck Norris image in the cover.
IK+ cover (Hit Squad release)
Cover of 'Black Belt' magazine, September 1988
IK+ cover (Hit Squad release)
Cover of 'Black Belt' magazine, September 1988
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Well spotted!
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
By the way, does anyone know how the artists copied the art in a predigital age? Did they use a pantograph to produce a sketch, then paint over it?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantograph
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantograph
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
hehe, simple but effective!Rorthron wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:32 am By the way, does anyone know how the artists copied the art in a predigital age? Did they use a pantograph to produce a sketch, then paint over it?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantograph
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
In my experience they just started drawing on the Spectrum screen, usually with Melbourne Draw, without any aids. Seeing Mark Jones accurately draw outlines a pixel at a time via the keyboard was impressive. I don't think any talented artist would have used a pantograph, it's just too clunky for accurately reproducing small images.
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
I'm sure you're right for loading screens, but for the cover art there must have been some method for copying the images from the sources mentioned in this thread. A pantograph is the only one I can think of. Does anyone have any other suggestions?Bizzley wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 12:48 pmIn my experience they just started drawing on the Spectrum screen, usually with Melbourne Draw, without any aids. Seeing Mark Jones accurately draw outlines a pixel at a time via the keyboard was impressive. I don't think any talented artist would have used a pantograph, it's just too clunky for accurately reproducing small images.
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
You can use a grid; draw a grid of squares on a clear plastic sheet and lay it over the original.
Draw a square grid in light pencil on your drawing paper, and reproduce the outlines and then details using the grid lines as a guide.
This method also helps you scale things to the size you want.
There's also a trick of looking through a sheet of glass at the work you're doing, and having it partially reflect the image you want to copy. But you have to sit very still and only use one eye to make your sketch line up with the ghostly reflection of the original, so I've never got it to work.
For my ZXArt screens I crop and scale an image down to 256x192, enhance the edges and contrast, then scale it up by 9/8 to 288x216 and delete the duplicated pixels. That leaves me with individual 8x8 squares with white or black pixel lines in-between.
I use that as a guide to the detail I can achieve in each character square, and the original full-size image as a guide to layout and colour.
But then I start with a blank screen with a character grid, paint in roughly the attributes I want to use, then draw in the detail pixel-by-pixel
Draw a square grid in light pencil on your drawing paper, and reproduce the outlines and then details using the grid lines as a guide.
This method also helps you scale things to the size you want.
There's also a trick of looking through a sheet of glass at the work you're doing, and having it partially reflect the image you want to copy. But you have to sit very still and only use one eye to make your sketch line up with the ghostly reflection of the original, so I've never got it to work.
For my ZXArt screens I crop and scale an image down to 256x192, enhance the edges and contrast, then scale it up by 9/8 to 288x216 and delete the duplicated pixels. That leaves me with individual 8x8 squares with white or black pixel lines in-between.
I use that as a guide to the detail I can achieve in each character square, and the original full-size image as a guide to layout and colour.
But then I start with a blank screen with a character grid, paint in roughly the attributes I want to use, then draw in the detail pixel-by-pixel
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Drawing with the aid of a grid has been used for hundreds of years and is still in practise today, especially when doing larger work. It's a pretty easy method once you get it down.
Edit: Joefish was quicker.
Edit: Joefish was quicker.
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Photocopy + lightbox.
That's how my brother did this sort of thing
EDIT: Of course getting it into the game is another trick, which is what you were asking. Derp.
That's how my brother did this sort of thing
EDIT: Of course getting it into the game is another trick, which is what you were asking. Derp.
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
A coincidence?
Movie poster for Ninja III: The Domination (1984)
Advert for The Last Ninja, by System 3
Details:
Movie poster for Ninja III: The Domination (1984)
Advert for The Last Ninja, by System 3
Details:
Last edited by Rorthron on Mon Oct 15, 2018 2:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Movie poster for Ninja Terminator (1985)
Cover of Ninja Commando, by Zeppelin Games
Cover of Ninja Commando, by Zeppelin Games
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
And the "deadly ninja weaponry" note as a lure is just brilliant!
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Yes, more like Anorak Terminator!Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Mon Oct 15, 2018 6:11 am It seems they're not ninjas, just a couple of guys wearing raincoats
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Freeway Fighter book cover:
Podder ZX Spectrum game inlay cover:
Podder ZX Spectrum game inlay cover:
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
This doesn't count as copied game art, but it also happened the other way round for the re-release. Notice how the drivers have been edited out.
Battlecars inlay (1984):
Freeway Fighter gamebook (2005):
Battlecars inlay (1984):
Freeway Fighter gamebook (2005):
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
When I saw that Free Fighter cover, the first thing it came to my mind was the Stainless Steel inlay, apparently not much to do with it, but I see a guy with a gun, a girl in black and a red car, all in a deserted plain... maybe 'strongly' based on it?
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Separated at birth: Ricky Steel and Towers of London's Donny Tourette!Juan F. Ramirez wrote: ↑Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:59 am When I saw that Free Fighter cover, the first thing it came to my mind was the Stainless Steel inlay, apparently not much to do with it, but I see a guy with a gun, a girl in black and a red car, all in a deserted plain... maybe 'strongly' based on it?
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Satan (Dinamic, 1989):
Strong resemblance with Charlton Heston in 'The Ten Commandments':
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049833/me ... 1050655488
Strong resemblance with Charlton Heston in 'The Ten Commandments':
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049833/me ... 1050655488
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Good spot! That's definitely the source.
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
It's a pretty ironic choice of image, given the title!
Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
Really? The game is called Satan but you don't play as Satan. You play as a hero who has to defeat Satan. And the inlay shows this hero.It's a pretty ironic choice of image, given the title!
He's even wearing the Jewish star of David
One thing is not obvious to me. Do we have one hero or two heroes here? If it's one hero then does it mean that he can transform magically from a warrior to a mage?
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Re: Game art copied from elsewhere
According to the instructions, "the forces of evil have taken over the world blah blah blah... only a warrior can stop this nightmare but he must first turn into a mage as the mission of destroying the evil forces are only reserved to a mage". I don't remember there was two characters in the game and the instructions doesn't say anything about it. It seems he starts the game as a warrior mage.
I'd have prefered a ninja mage instead of a warrior mage, definitely. It'd have been cooler!