Block Making Tips

[mariokirby]

Ok I thought, instead of complaining about this new block creator I might as well do something to fight it. I have decided to make a list of techniques I use when I create blocks.

1) Take advantage of the undo button. The undo button can save you a lot of time and is a whole lot easier than going back and trying to fix the block yourself.

2) Draw pixel by pixel. Set your brush size to one and zoom all the way in. If you want most of your block to be one color, before you start, make the entire block one color. Drawing one pixel at a time is a way to easily add detail.

3) Use the alpha option. This can tint your blocks to make them look better, or when you're erasing, you can make your blocks appear ghost-like.

4) Blocks don't have to be complex to look good. My blocks are all really simple, but I can still make them look good.

5) Shade and fade. Shading and fading are great ways to add effects to your blocks. Use dark colors for a shade and light colors for a fade.

6) Add onto your existing blocks. This is really helpful for me. I can just take my old blocks and edit them to make new blocks.

7) Along with shading and fading, use different shades of the same colors to do shading and fading.

8) Use the shift button. If you click then press and hold the shift button, you can make straight lines. If you need to make diagonal lines, click in a spot, then move your mouse to another spot and press and hold shift, then click.

9) As if it wasn't obvious enough, use all these techniques together.

10) DO NOT USE THE NEW BLOCK CREATOR PROGRAM!!!

I am hoping this will help at least a few people with making blocks. If you are already good at making blocks, you don't need this. I would also appreciate it if you would add some of your own block making techniques to help fight against this new program.

[ΤhatOneNewbie]

I especially like the first tip.

[Drugs are bad, Mmkay.]

Kool.

[Tyypo]

I like number 10.

[zero vs the world]

Interesting tips even though I'm not gonna make blocks anytime soon ^_^

[Drugs are bad, Mmkay.]

Interesting tips even though I'm not gonna make blocks anytime soon ^_^

Lawl.

[zero vs the world]

Lawl.

y so funnybro

[XDaReThUnDeRX]

Ok I thought, instead of complaining about this new block creator I might as well do something to fight it. I have decided to make a list of techniques I use when I create blocks.

1) Take advantage of the undo button. The undo button can save you a lot of time and is a whole lot easier than going back and trying to fix the block yourself.

2) Draw pixel by pixel. Set your brush size to one and zoom all the way in. If you want most of your block to be one color, before you start, make the entire block one color. Drawing one pixel at a time is a way to easily add detail.

3) Use the alpha option. This can tint your blocks to make them look better, or when you're erasing, you can make your blocks appear ghost-like.

4) Blocks don't have to be complex to look good. My blocks are all really simple, but I can still make them look good.

5) Shade and fade. Shading and fading are great ways to add effects to your blocks. Use dark colors for a shade and light colors for a fade.

6) Add onto your existing blocks. This is really helpful for me. I can just take my old blocks and edit them to make new blocks.

7) Along with shading and fading, use different shades of the same colors to do shading and fading.

8) Use the shift button. If you click then press and hold the shift button, you can make straight lines. If you need to make diagonal lines, click in a spot, then move your mouse to another spot and press and hold shift, then click.

9) As if it wasn't obvious enough, use all these techniques together.

I am hoping this will help at least a few people with making blocks. If you are already good at making blocks, you don't need this. I would also appreciate it if you would add some of your own block making techniques to help fight against this new program.

wow suprised you did't get thanks most people just thank them for have a big paragraph lol

[Tendus]

wow suprised you did't get thanks most people just thank them for have a big paragraph lol

Yes, because in those big paragraphs are nothing but jumbled words with no real purpose.

Good Idea MarioKirby, also post this in the Sparkworkz forums as not many of us on JV use the block creator.

[mariokirby]

Yes, because in those big paragraphs are nothing but jumbled words with no real purpose.

Good Idea MarioKirby, also post this in the Sparkworkz forums as not many of us on JV use the block creator.

Yeah I really should put this on Sparkworkz's forums because anyone that sees it here probably isn't a noob who would steal blocks.

[Darke~]

Nice guide...This will be really helpful for newbies...Also,I like the fact you don't like the "Epic Block Thief" application.

[Red Hackdaw]

or ......u could just use the block creator

TROLLLOLOLOLOLOL!!!

no im kiddin. Nice guide

[*~H~*]

I always make most of my blocks 1 color and just add shading or coloring. LOL!!!

[teh kirby]

Ok I thought, instead of complaining about this new block creator I might as well do something to fight it. I have decided to make a list of techniques I use when I create blocks.

1) Take advantage of the undo button. The undo button can save you a lot of time and is a whole lot easier than going back and trying to fix the block yourself.

2) Draw pixel by pixel. Set your brush size to one and zoom all the way in. If you want most of your block to be one color, before you start, make the entire block one color. Drawing one pixel at a time is a way to easily add detail.

3) Use the alpha option. This can tint your blocks to make them look better, or when you're erasing, you can make your blocks appear ghost-like.

4) Blocks don't have to be complex to look good. My blocks are all really simple, but I can still make them look good.

5) Shade and fade. Shading and fading are great ways to add effects to your blocks. Use dark colors for a shade and light colors for a fade.

6) Add onto your existing blocks. This is really helpful for me. I can just take my old blocks and edit them to make new blocks.

7) Along with shading and fading, use different shades of the same colors to do shading and fading.

8) Use the shift button. If you click then press and hold the shift button, you can make straight lines. If you need to make diagonal lines, click in a spot, then move your mouse to another spot and press and hold shift, then click.

9) As if it wasn't obvious enough, use all these techniques together.

10) DO NOT USE THE NEW BLOCK CREATOR PROGRAM!!!

I am hoping this will help at least a few people with making blocks. If you are already good at making blocks, you don't need this. I would also appreciate it if you would add some of your own block making techniques to help fight against this new program.

What happens if I use it but I'm good at making blocks?

[Yoshi29pie]

What happens if I use it but I'm good at making blocks?

Then why are you using it?

[mariokirby]

As I said in my post, don't use this if you can already make good blocks. And good for you that you make your own blocks.

[Come up to meet you]

Sparkworker: U r wrong spesially wit teh numbah 10.
Using the blok creator is cool and funz!

[omicron09]

I say if your a good artist then use the program to speed up the process and go use your talent somewhere better where you can take full advantage and make something out of it if your that good.

Whether you want to do pixel by pixel in the default editor or pixel by pixel in photoshop the end result is the same and doesn't change how good you are as an artist.

You guys can keep pounding the negatives of the program (which I can still say I've never once mentioned any of them anywhere) but I'll stick to preaching the positives of the program. You want some reasons to use the program:

1. The server is down right now and has been for a while now, too bad you can't make any blocks or anything cause you can't even access the editor. Make them in photoshop and use the program to draw them when it finally does come up.

2. You spend time making something just to find out the server isn't allowing you to save it because its lagging/crashed or something else causing you to have to redo it all over which still doesn't guarantee the server wont crash/lag again before you finish it a second time making you have to repeat it all over. I've had this problem happen to me even using the program to make something, which it can draw in as little as a minute and I would have to do it sometimes 5 to 6 times in a row before I can save it, so I can imagine it happening to people who make there art by hand.

3. Making block sets of multiple colors. You can make a block set of 10 different types of blocks in 1 color by hand, but then if you want to have those blocks as red, green, blue, black, orange, you have to remake them all in those colors. Using something like the program you can add a simple color overlay to your blocks in photoshop and have all your blocks remade in multiple colors in minutes.

4. Animating blocks. I'm not even sure how blocks are animated in the editor but I'm sure its a pain in the ass as well you might not have to remake each frame completely but the processes can still be made faster by first doing the animate in an art program and then convert it to a gif and extracting each frame from it to make some nice animations.

5. Time. Speaks for itself. I don't know about all of you but like I said in my first post on these forums, I'm 26, have a full time job programming, a wife, and a baby on the way; so I don't have the time spending hours making some nice block sets in the default editor when I could do it a lot faster in photoshop which I'm much more efficient in.

I'm sure there's more I could say but those 5 alone are enough to make me use it. The program can also work for background layer art. All I need to do is remove the 40x40 image restriction on the load image part and you can draw images on layers in the background the same way, the program is not limited to just blocks. Technically you can use it now to draw stuff on the background layers but they can only be 40x40 big.

[Tyypo]

Omicron to #1:
I bet you crashed the server to get people to use your program.

[Starnoid]

@mariokirby, Oh and, get a drawing tablet.