Build Any Build Advice?

I've been trying to get into the Wynncraft build team for a while now but haven't had any luck, so I thought I should probably get my builds criticised by a bunch of people I don't know to help.
https://imgur.com/a/ZvBAEmW
I used the Wynncraft texture pack for this, so i didn't have access to a couple of tools I would normally use.(World Edit and Voxel Sniper) but I think it turned out alright. at the moment this is the best build I have ever made so that should give you some insight on my skill level, though my best usually changes whenever I make a new one so there's that too.
(please criticise)
BY THE WAY! I think this thing could be a much better thread if everyone asked for questions on this page! sort of like a build tip channel, not just for me. so if you do have questions you want to ask you can post it ehere!
(this edit was made at the start of page 3)

 

Pretty good! The house is a bit obscured but looks otherwise good. I like the chimney and the vines.

Only thing I would say is that the tree on the right is kind of weird

 

Yeah I've been practicing with different tree designs recently and haven't quite found the perfect one. And the picture is pretty blurry becuase my computer is extremely budget. Like linux kind of budget. Plus I think the picture was compressed.

 

Grian himself actually has a good tutorial on oak, spruce, and birch trees. I usually follow that, except I don't add wood to the branches of spruce trees. And with the wynn resource pack you can use birch fences instead of logs. It's something that takes practice.

 

so basically i need to improve terraforming (not a surprise). I've just updated the trees so they should be better now, the spruce ones anyways, and ive added it to the imgur post.
(I'm really trying to milk this forum post as much as possible, in case you couldn't tell).

 

The spruce trees need work the leaves are too blocky/chunky imo

 

The structure is fine right now, but you need to make the leaves look more bushy/fluffy. The way you do this is by adding more leaves that aren't connected by a block face, but rather a corner or an edge.

I would also advises against using logs in the branches. replace them with leaves. Spruce trees don't have thick branches like oak trees do, but they still have huge amounts of leaves.

And on the topic of leaves, mix them up a bit. add some other leaf types into the mix.

 

yeah normally that would be a good idea but with the wynn pack the difference between oak and spruce is unbelievable. obviously oak and spruce aren't the only types but I haven't really thought about that during the building. and the branches do help me visualise the tree, though I could replace it later.

 

I just updated the post again, i would appreciate it if any more suggestions could be given. i took the advice and it seems to have worked, though I'm not sure as an outside opinion is almost always needed. And if there are any tips or criticisms on the house it would be helpful too.

 

Maybe texture the sand with a few sandstone slabs, and expand the pond into a small lake, and add a little dock since the house looks a bit like an 1800s settler house in Maine. Also maybe remove the vanilla birch tree and replace it with a custom one. (I build in vanilla 1.16 though so I'm not too familiar with 1.12.2 building) .

 

well actually the recourse pack is in 1.9 and I also usually build in 1.16, plus their are a bunch of blocks they added just in general(Best one being dirt slabs),but I thought that building with their textures could help me visualise more of what they could use. but yeah thanks for the advice, i'll certainly try to make it look good(key word being try).

 

Wait the pack is in 1.9?

 

apparently. at least the one I'm using, which i am pretty sure is the official but I'm not really entirely sure

 

post has been updated, not much has been done but i only built for a couple of hours.
Again any criticisms are aprreciated

 

The biggest thing you could improve are those trees. I'm no expert, but it may help to stretch the trunk and branches up taller. I've found a good starting point for how thick to make the leaves is to make a 3x3 cube/sphere of leaves around the end of each bench and add more to rough it up.

 

As everyone else has said already, the trees definitely need some work. Smaller branches (specifically on the birch, since birch trees are generally more tall rather than wide like oak), more voluminous leaves, and just making them larger would probably help out a lot. I would also recommend not using the rotated logs in the branches because they destroy the continuity of the bark and honestly just don't look good. If you have worldedit you can set the rotated blocks to full bark, or alternatively you can just use a different properly colored block.

As for the structures, the primary issue for me is the lack of color. The palette consists of spruce, oak log, stones, and a couple flowers. Pretty much nothing but brown and gray. Without any contrast you lose any points of interest and everything blends together. The build is also really reminiscent of the old Wynn style, which generally has an issue with trapdoor/slab spam. By adding too many details (especially that are the same color as the framework) you lose most of the contrast the walls give, as well as the depth you made with your framing, and everything begins to blend together. Try to lighten up on the details, and if you struggle with that, a good rule to go by is that if you can't see at least 1/3 of the wall behind, you should to remove some detail. Obviously this depends on the style and whatnot, but it's a good starting point.

Finally for the tower, it also suffers from a weak palette, as well as lacking depth. Especially with the thin towers, it's really easy to begin to make completely flat walls, but you want to try to avoid that as much as possible. Try to add shape and depth wherever you can. Even turning it into a more circular shape rather than a square helps a lot, and would probably even be better in this situation because of the more organic shape and style.

Main sticking points: More diverse palette - less details - preserve depth - slab/trapdoor spam is uncool - Remember that some of this stuff also depends on the style so it can vary from build to build.

You obviously understand the basic building principles; at this point you should begin refining them and experimenting with new things. Try out different ways to create depth. Try to work with more layers of depth than you're used to. Even try working with only a half layer of depth (stairs, panes, etc). Mess with various palettes. Try out new detailing techniques. One of the best ways to get better is to look at work done by other builders and examine the way they detail and utilize space. Try to incorporate some of their techniques into your own work.

You're on the right path

 

yeah. normally i would but it takes just way to long to have forge load so i couldn't get world edit, and i do have a server on 1.16 but weirdly the texture pack is in 1.9.

Thanks for the Encouragement! it really helps considering the only encouragement i get is from my sister who says everything i do is amazing. i have recently been trying out different ways to detail and add depth(believe it or not, most of the detailing in my builds is window frames. so i could probably make those a bit less complicated). I do often base some of my builds off of other builders techniques, but usually try to keep it more of an original style. and i do some times work with half block depth(other than windows, which are always panes). but the pattern does kind of decrease the feeling off just having another wall, and the shape of the tower has to do with the size I wanted it to take up, I felt like i needed to balance out the build, so i decided to make a tower there, however if I were to make that much bigger, it would have thrown off the balance even more than it already had.( the balance thrower being the massive balcony on the right side.) and I agree that i should probably work on my pallets a bit more. I'm used to suing mostly just wooden and stone blocks. with leaves and greenery being the main point of contrast. And as for the trees, i have been working on the oak ones a bit more, which are now almost completely different(in a good way) but i will try getting the birch trees a bit better. thanks for the help, its really appreciated!

 

I've changed up the pictures to something i made ages before this thread, but seem to nail down the depth aspect. I'm not sure about really anything else though.(terraforming is actually so bad, so try to not notice that.)
again, please criticise.(accept for terraforming, I know its terrible.)

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there is also a newer house there.(built a bit after this thread.) thought there isn't much terraforming in it.

 

ohh I know Im a little late but there we go:
-like some said above please use more colour
-focus on the shape of your building. Try to make it interesting (with a nice looking tower, a stable outside, a wheat field, round shapes and pillars... whatever you want basically)
-Use more blocks in your build and give it more depth with having different layers
-less slab and stair spam
-more straight lines (pillars, those things under windows ...)
-Just add something to the House to make it look good

Just to show you, this is the wizard tower I want to build on my Housing Plot in the new update. I build it a few days ago and it is inspired by the new Wynn Build style
https://imgur.com/a/dDDFk6V

See? It has less detail but the detail is more ... "natural" or "unseful" ?
Idk

 

ok first of all nice tower. second, yeah i try to decorate my buildings as little as possible, but usually it ends up looking very bland and just boring to look at, however these are some very old buildings and I havent updated in a while. also dont worry im taking anything possible from this so i don't think any ones really late, also I changed the buildings in the imgur post, so youre actually looking at something different then everyone else has. however you mentioned the new wynncraft stlye, now i would check that out and learn from that but im only lvl 48 and havent been able to explore more recent places, like i would want too, but luckily there will be an update soon that i can check out so hopefully they will be really good to study.
thanks for the advice, and ill try to incorporate it into my builds as much as possible.(and ill try to update the pictures as soon as possible)