Lemma Soft Forums

I see a mixture of these two main art styles in most visual novels that aren't 3D: cel shading and painted. By "painted", I just mean art that is so highly detailed, colored, and blended that it is reminiscent of a painting.

I'm not sure I'm going to have time to do anything more complex than gradient shading, so there's that too. I need to find an art style that I can quickly and easily reproduce from pose to pose. Another thing is that I'd like to also have the same style in my CG artwork, for which I intend to have quite a few drawings.

Which do you prefer and why?

I think it really depends on what your goal is for your VN. When I see painted art, I assume it'll be all elegant and whatnot (which really isn't the type of game I like to play personally). On the other hand, I find that cel shading gives off that unique, distinct, sharp look that I personally really like (think Dramatical Murder).

Overall, I personally really like cel-shading. Not only is it quick to shade, but it's really pretty in my opinion, and it doesn't go down that uncanny route that painted artwork can sometimes go in.

If I was forced to choose, I would prefer a simpler coloring style and a larger variety of expressions/poses. I can't say for sure whether I prefer one or the other because I honestly think it really depends on how well the art compliments the story.

For a victorian gothic drama, a painted style would work well even with limited poses. For a shonen-type fantasy action/adventure, a simpler rendering style with more poses will give characters more individuality.

When in doubt, stick with flats. You can always go back and add more detail/shading/rendering if you want, and it's better than burning yourself out halfway.

I like something more along the lines of semi-painted color styles! I think they're gorgeous, and really add a finishing touch to any artwork. Personally I use cel shading as it's easier for me, but I know some people find it easier to do painting or something not cel shading. If anything, try both styles, and figure out how much more time one style is over the other, how easy it was to do, how it compares tot he genre and background.