From Zero to Hero, Pixel Art!
by Danielle Woods (Woodspixl)
When you think of pixel art, you might think of Mario, Pokemon and or Zelda. With
the world becoming more technologically advanced with graphics becoming more
realistic and gameplay more engaging, people thought the era of pixel art was over
but that was further than the truth. The genre of pixel art is becoming more and more
popular now for brand new pixel art games coming onto the market from smaller
studios. AAA has left the door wide open for indie studios to fill the players hands
with wholesome, fun, action and much more pixel art games!
PLEASE NOTE: This guide will focus on the reader having next to zero knowledge
or an introduction level of pixel art and what I think is important to learn and provide
basic tutorials on how to approach, tackle and work towards setting up to becoming
a pixel artist. If you disagree with any of the pointers suggested in this guide, please
feel free to contact me as I am open to feedback and other opinions on how others
might work in the realm of pixel art. I have included a wide range of artists who have
produced tutorials of the sort and will be the bulk of the information along with
commentary and pointers about each topic.
Now with any guide or tutorial, please know that I have included a lot of the same
kind of videos but providing more will aid a wider range of readers as each video
might be more understood by different audiences and I hope that you enjoy your
time reading and watching!
Personal Lore:
Now for a little backstory. If I told myself that in 2022, I would be a successful
Freelance Pixel Artist, I would’ve doubted myself and laughed. Life can take
turns for the good and for the bad and that is what happened back in
2018/2019. I finished my university course in Video Games at Salford, UK
with a First Degree Honours and looked into the future with a mildly optimistic
eye. Even though I had achieved the highest grade but still lacked a strong
definitive art style, focus and job opportunities, I honestly felt ”Where do I go
now?”. After a month of working a dead end job living with my mother, I then
took the bold decision to move to a new country, and live with my current
boyfriend and see where things take me. I finally was able to sit down and
draw. I needed time to find myself and find my art style, my passion for a
creative medium. Until I realised that I thoroughly enjoy the medium called
Pixel Art.
Many people now will tell me that pixel art is the easy option or that you don’t
need a strong art direction or talent. I will tell you that it is a lie. You have to
take time and practice just like any other hobby or skill and that is what I have
done for the past three years while working and studying. Now I can finally
proudly say I am a Freelance Pixel Artist within a great community where
people can build each other up, and work on what we enjoy.
Just a picture of me (far left) with my final year team at graduation in 2018.
The Legendary Guide:
Prologue:
1) Tools of the trade:
Like any artist, you need your paint brush and a surface to create what you
want, however, unlike traditional art. You will need a program to be your brush
and surface and picking the right one for you is going to be tough as there are
MANY to choose from.
Below is a list of the most common programs available to the public for
creating pixel art and the highly recommended few by myself and other artists.
Highly Recommended
🌐
🌐
💲
a) Aseprite (PC)
https://aseprite.org/
Also on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/431730/Aseprite/
💲💲
🌐
🌐
b) Pro Motion NG (PC)
https://www.cosmigo.com/
Also on Steam
https://store.steampowered.com/app/671190/Pro_Motion_
NG/
💲
🌐
d) Pixaki - 💲 (IOS)
🌐 https://pixaki.com/
c) PyxelEdit (PC)
https://pyxeledit.com/
Middle Range Recommendations
🌐
🌐
💲💲
e) ClipStudioPaint (PC/IOS)
https://www.clipstudio.net/en/
f) LOSPEC - Free (PC)
https://apps.lospec.com/pixel-editor/
🌐
💲💲💲
g) Photoshop (PC)
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html
Non Popular Recommendations
🌐
h) Krita - Free (PC)
https://krita.org/en/
🌐
💲💲💲
i) Photoshop (PC)
https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud.html
🌐
j) GIMP - Free (PC)
https://www.gimp.org/
🌐
💲
k) Paint.net (PC)
https://www.getpaint.net/
I included Photoshop in the Mid and Low recommendations and this is
because Photoshop is OK to create pixel art within due to the fact Photoshop
has very little support/tools. The programs semi redeeming factor is that it is
readily accessible without actually paying for the software (I do not support
this) so I wouldn’t recommend it personally but I do understand how common
it is among
At the end of the day, The program you chose is up to you but from this point
on, I will continue to explain further but in the perspective of using Aseprite
and the benefits of using Aseprite.
Now you know what programs are available, let's take a look at some basic
tutorials to help you get started and I will provide links to each video and their
creator so feel free to check out more of their content.
▶️
What Program to use for Pixel Art?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90BghUX7SD0
Brandon James Greer : A great introduction to a huge selection of tools
available online ready to use and create pixel art within, states the pros
and cons for many programs so a wonderful insight into each program.
▶️
Aseprite Guide for Beginners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md6W79jtLJM&
MortMort : An in depth tutorial guide to the program Aseprite,
explaining the simple brush/line/bucket tools, keyboard shortcuts, and
project management within Aseprite.
▶️
How to Pixel Art In 10 Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ibXM3xBjg
Reece Geofroy : The overall premise of this video is a short
introduction to the medium along with a overall guide on programs,
where to start and canvas sizes and I agree with Reece in this video
because he recommends that new pixel artists start small and then
work their way bigger and bigger which is what I recommend as well.
▶️
An Aseprite Crash Course In 30 Minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Y6OTzNrhk
AdamCYounis : Similar to Reece’s Video above, Adam gives a
20 minute longer one on one guide with the program Aseprite’s
workspace, workflow, tools and much more in depth. Even a short
introduction to tiles which I will touch upon further in the document.
▶️
The Ultimate Pixel Art Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfR7Qj04-UA
Saultoons : Quick and to the point introduction to what you will need,
what tools you can choose and overall basic pixel art process. As well
as a nice explanation on how one might approach pixel art in different
ways. And on that note let’s explain each method a little further.
Different ways to approach Pixel Art :
In the video above, Saultoons gives three general ways you can start
your pixel art starting off with Silhouette, Construction and Rough. All of
these can be applied when working both small or large and even when
working on environment pieces.
Silhouette :
A method that I personally love to work with is the silhouette approach,
where you do not necessarily work with lines and details from the get
go. Figuring out the shapes and form will help with the overall size as
well since personally when I use this method for designing characters, I
can clearly tell if a leg or arm is too short because there isn’t a bunch of
detail hiding the fact or the problem. Overall great starting point and
easy to master!
PROS
⭐ My Recommendation
⭐ Stylised characters/objects
⭐ Great form from the start
CONS
⚠️ Hard to work from without a vision
Construction :
Construction is the second method of approach and is used also by a
lot of digital artists, but this method can be used to start your piece off
in pixel art as well. This approach is all about the construction of a
character or an object by using lines into then blocking out and refining
over time similar to the previous but with more steps.
PROS
⭐
⭐ Proportionate characters
⭐ Build upon and idea slowly
CONS
⚠️ A lot more steps to refine
⚠️Can be difficult to understand your sketch
⚠️Proportions might be difficult to get right
Rough to Refined:
The rough approach is a method not a lot of pixel artists use from my
experience as it can be very difficult to break the rules of making all of
your pixels perfect and clean-. But in this situation it’s all about using
colours to work out your composition and depth. I find this method
really comforting and relaxing when creating nature in particular as
nature is all about shapes and form over lines and structure. I would
recommend trying it out from time to time.
PROS
⭐
⭐ Proportionate characters
⭐ Build upon and idea slowly
CONS
⚠️ A lot more steps to refine
⚠️Can be difficult to understand your sketch
⚠️Proportions might be difficult to get right
⚠️Difficult to achieve with a mouse
2) The neverending battle, Mouse VS Tablet:
It is weirdly believed across the art world that in order to level up your
drawing skill, you need a drawing tablet, and a fancy one at that. In
some cases of high detail and pixel perfect precision might be the case
but when working within the realm of pixel art, it isn’t so.
There are many artists, including myself, that in some cases, a mouse
can prove more beneficial over a stylus. For example working on small
sprites (below 50x50 pixels) can easily be done with a mouse, but a
more larger environment piece might require more of a fluid stroke
which the tablet will always prove better for.
And lastly, the ultimate reason why I use a tablet over a mouse at this
current time is to protect my wrist from cramping up after spending
hours upon hours a day drawing. Holding a pen in a natural pose is
much healthier than using a mouse.
▶️
Aseprite Brush Tips and Tricks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLESnHw2dPE&
MortMort : Continuing on from Mortmort’s basic introduction video, this
is a more advanced video looking into the different ways and methods
to use Aseprite’s different brush options such as saving custom
brushes, patterns and tile brushes. All in which will help with working
with tiles or simply speeding up the process of creating.
Constructing Lines and Curves in Pixel Art
▶️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye21r27kN9I
Brandon James Greer : When it comes to lines and curves within pixel
art, this video will help with understanding the term ‘doubles and
jaggies’ and how you can avoid these by using the option ‘pixel perfect’
within Aseprite and counting the pixels to make the curves
symmetrical.
3) The importance of canvas sizes:
I get this Question a lot and the answer is always difficult to determine
as it both depends on what you are creating and what your skill level in
pixel art is. Working on character sprites does not require over hundred
and hundreds of pixels as it defeats the purpose of ‘pixel art’. My
recommendation is to work small and build up if you need to.
Pixel art is very flexible when working upscales compared to down,
both are not good so trying to nail your canvas size is important to get
right first.
What pixel size canvas should I use?
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad-3dn2qUUs
Brandon James Greer : A very common question myself and others get
in the pixel art community from new artists is “How big is this piece or
How big should I work at” and in my opinion, working smaller is a good
place to start and if needed, you can always make the canvas size
larger. But Brandon does a good job in explaining a few examples of
games that use different canvas sizes and what you might want to aim
for.
What is the Right Canvas Size?
▶️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upEGBGCiWEw
AdamCYounis : Another video highlighting the issues of picking your
canvas size, on top of that, Adam speaks about the issues of canvas
resizing and ‘bands’ of extra pixels in existing games and looking at his
personal work and what his preferences are when it comes to canvas
sizes. Taking that into consideration, I believe the canvas size is also
influenced by your own art style such as I prefer working in smaller
canvas’ to make my artwork look more ‘retro’ then over-detailed.
4) Choosing you colour palette:
LOSPEC
🌐 https://lospec.com/
Lospec is the go-to website for artists when it comes to finding premade
palettes as they have a great system of easy downloading the palettes you
want to even giving you examples of what you can achieve with the palettes.
Something that is also great is that it is completely free to browse and you can
even upload your own work onto there and share with others.
Beginner Tips, Colour Palettes
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCOmUSUSado
MortMort : Something that catches new artists off guard is that they
NEED to make their own palette. This is not the case, You are free to
use any colour you want and Lospec is a great source to find millions
of premade palettes to use! You can also use Aseprite’s built in Palette
selection or use the ‘create palette from current sprite’ where Aserite
will create a palette based on the current sprite. I do this a lot and I
highly recommend it since you can learn what colours you then want to
use from a completely new palette and not something that someone
has created for you.
How to create a palette from a sprite:
Burger Button > Create Palette from Sprite > ‘insert number of colours’ > OK
As you can see I have the default colour palette but I want to copy 25 colours
from the sprite I have loaded. Within Aseprite, load the sprite and select the
‘Burger Button’ just below the ‘Home’ tab.
Once the drop down list appears, you want to select the last option “Create
Palette from Sprite”.
Then a window will appear with several options, The most important one is
the first or second. The first option will create X amount of colours from the
sprite and completely replace the previous palette. The second option will
replace the amount of colours you currently have (in the example it will
replace all 32 colours with 32 colours from the sprite and if there aren't
enough colours, it will create transparent blocks which isn't ideal.)
The last two are all about ‘Alpha colours’ and ‘indexing’ Something that
doesn’t need to be explained at this current point. Just keep them unticked,
press ‘OK’ and enjoy your new colours.
5) Outlines VS no outlines:
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW1G_FLsuEs
3 Pixel Art Techniques for Beginners
MortMort : This is a great video about the terms ‘doubles’ and ‘jaggies’
and how to create clean overall pixel art. Something that a lot of new
beginners forget to do is enable the “pixel perfect” tool in Aseprite as
this will ensure your lines are always one pixel wide and maintain the
clean outline. You can easily achieve a perfect outline around your
sprite by using the Shift + O keybinds to open the ‘Outline’ window and
it will apply to the whole sprite on the layer(s). This will also apply to all
the frames/layer(s) you want to apply to just by selecting everything
you want and using the same window to apply them.
6) Creating a comfortable environment : Aseprite
When you spend many hours everyday looking into a monitor, you
need to make sure you are taking care of your eyes and body and one
thing that might be worth looking into while working in Aseprite is
themes. Make your workspace comfortable for you and what Aseprite
offers is a light and dark mode once you obtain the 1.3 Version.
1. Default Themes:
a. Light VS Dark:
When you spend many hours everyday looking into a monitor, you
need to make sure you are taking care of your eyes and body and one
thing that might be worth looking into while working in Aseprite is
themes. Make your workspace comfortable for you and what Aseprite
offers is a light and dark mode once you obtain the 1.3 Version.
2. Downloadable Themes:
Github is a great place to find all kinds of downloadable
themes/extensions for Aseprite and I would highly recommend taking a
look as changing from that horrendous default theme made pixel arting
in Aseprite SO much more enjoyable and I bet my viewers also agree.
🌐 https://github.com/aseprite/themes#readme
7) Tile Maps
Tile maps are something pixel artists will touch upon in their lifetime most
likely as creating environments within pixel art is a long and hard task without
a system as you cannot depend on shaders, auto placements and scripts to
create the environments for you.
▶️
How to make a Simple Tilemap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o16EmvSyNg
MortMort : In this video, Mortmort will run through the basics of
creating your own 2D platformer tile map/set where he begins with an
already created set where he shows piece by piece how the map
comes together and can be used to make massive maps.
▶️
My Tile Map Workflow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btnH0x7_1g8
MortMort : A timelapse of mortmort’s workflow in a more quick and
snappy fashion. He also takes advantage of the ‘Custom’ brush tool to
paint in his tiles which will help with speeding up the workflow/process.
8) Top Down VS 2D Platformers
The most common approach when creating pixel art games are 2D, straight
forward ‘Platformers’ and the more traditional ‘RPG’ top down style. Both are
great styles for pixel art games to function within but how does one make or
even think about how to approach this from an art stand point.
Tile mapping like mentioned above can be used for both of these as it all
depends on the perspective you create the world in. 2D ‘top downs’ are where
the world has been created from the bird's eye perspective and the other is
created as if you are watching a child’s ant farm.
Top Down perspective and the 2D platformer perspective are both very unique
but share very similar approaches as both can be done with and without using
‘tile maps’ but making each within tiles will increase the workflow overall.
For example my fan art piece only has reused sprites and very minimal
repeated tiles.
Top Down Style Analysis and Tutorial
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JCG4fCmeHk
AdamCYounis : In Mortmorts videos above, he talks and shows a lot
about how to create tiles for platformer styled games but lets discuss
top down.This is a very VERY long and in depth guide on how to
approach, think and overcome making top down worlds instead. Adam
does a great job looking at game references to easily explain how to
successfully grab the players eye. For example where the player can
and cannot walk and foreground objects against the background. Adam
also does a great job of breaking down the workflow and how to start
by creating a draft with the viewer. A great video to watch if you are
considering making a top down game.
Pixel Art Tutorial, Top Down Worlds
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gij7lpQv-qo
Saultoons : Saultoon’s Tutorial is a brilliant video on how to start your
world and thinking about the different objects, buildings and layout
options you might want to use for your project. He also gives very good
tips on how you can create easy and simple tiled objects such as tree’s
being as easy as duplicating your layer and offsetting them. Overall a
very informative video to watch!
9) Techniques, tricks and other valuable knowledge:
I am not going to go into too much detail about this section as each of
these but these topics are for the later more developed stages of one’s
pixel art journey such as Animating and perfecting character designs
however I would recommend watching Adam’s Reference video as it
isn’t key to making pixel art but it might help you overcome hurdles in
your design and help you figure out what a certain thing, object or
motion looks like in the real world.
1. References
▶️
AdamCYounis : How to use References Effectively
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbi6e8vQ_kY
2. Parallax
AdamCYounis : The Perfect Pixel Art Parallax Tutorial
▶️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMXgLBwtsvI
3. Character Designs
▶️
AdamCYounis :Creating More Engaging Characters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdoycEGHye0
4. Animation Basics
▶️
Saultoons : Aseprite Animation Tutorial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0enS9BJne4
I left animation out of this guide as it is a whole over world boss in its
own right and if truth be told. I wouldn’t start animating anything too
serious until you grasp the basics of the program you are using, the
mindset of pixel art and feel comfortable with what you are making.
5. Animation Tutorials (GIF’s)
🌐
Pedro Medrios : Saint11
https://saint11.org/blog/pixel-art-tutorials/
This website was created by Pedro where they have published a ton of
animation tips through the use of GIF’s where the reader can read and
learn about the different types of animations such as wings flapping,
human body movements, special effects and much, MUCH more.
Last words of encouragement:
In the end of this online guide, I want you to feel inspired to continue learning
pixel art, even if you feel discouraged now. Like any hobby/skill, it takes time.
I hope you enjoyed this “Guide” and found it useful overall. If you feel like
supporting me in making this project then please feel free to check out my
socials in the Bibliography. I will aim to continue to work on the guide and
include more and more topics, points of interest and more pixel artists.
And Remember-
▶️
Never Give Up!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYzMYcUty6s
Bibliography:
Saultoons
https://www.youtube.com/c/saultoons
https://twitter.com/Saultoons
https://www.twitch.tv/saultoons
MortMort
https://www.youtube.com/c/MortMort
https://twitter.com/MortMort_
https://littlelove.mortmort.net/video-library
ReeceGeofroy
https://www.youtube.com/c/ReeceGeofroy
https://twitter.com/ReeceGeofroy
AdamCYounis
https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamCYounis
https://twitter.com/AdamCYounis
https://www.twitch.tv/adamcyounis
BJGpixel
https://www.youtube.com/c/BJGpixel
https://twitter.com/BJGpixel
Pedro Medrios
https://twitter.com/saint11
Woodspixl
https://twitter.com/Woodspixl_
https://www.twitch.tv/woodspixl
https://ko-fi.com/woodspixl