So chances are you’ve probably seen a game on the forums that has crazy pixel art (@luke ahem ahem…) so I got questions. What are some tips for pixel art in games? (not just for me, I bet a lot of people are wanting to improve!)
:
well, pixel art is … art?
anyways, I would think abt pixel art as a kind of spectrum from low res → higher resolutions, where more high res art uses more “normal” methods of drawing, and lower resolutions have more methods distinct to pixel art.
In games, art tends to be around ~16 ish pixels scale, but I have made large scale stuff like Vortex in MKF3, and the character sprites from Card Delver so learning how to make pixel art on both ends of the spectrum is quite useful. Much of the same ideas apply to both small and larger scale pixel art, and even just art in general (like colour theory and shading!)
#1: Use REFERENCES
When unusure what something looks like, or just drawing something complicated, google around and collect some images to work off. It is important to look at and choose your references carefully (don’t take the first dodgy AI generated pixel slop that shows up lol). Remember that you’re trying to find bits and pieces that you want to include and influence your artwork, this could be an object, a colour, a colour palette, a texture, a pattern, anatomy etc…
For Vortex I collected a style reference for the lighting and colours (and just kinda the mood imo), a reference for the high collar, and 3 for the suit as I wasn’t sure what I wanted vortex’s outfit to look like.
here is a super common img that i use when animating walk cycles (i’ve prolly referenced this for like 5 seperate sprites lol). I’ve used this in for Red Line for the player (16x16) and also for larger enemy sprites (32x32)
When drawing smol scale pixel art, it’s useful to search for the object + “pixel art” to see how other artists have done it as getting an object recognisable at low resolutions can be very challenging.
for this lil frog I referenced this adorable froggo in a car
Keep in mind that you can use both pixelly and non pixelly references!
If you want to go further you could also try to understand how and why, learning how to draw things more generally. For example, i wasn’t sure how to proportion vortex’s arm correctly, so i went and looked at this website. https://gvaat.com/blog/learn-to-draw-arms-once-and-for-all/ . Recently, I was struggling to draw fabric so i went here https://sketchaday.app/tutorials/6prtGOPaKV69MPN7jJHB to understand how to do it properly.
On hindsight, I should have done this when drawing vortex because the lack of folds is quite apparent now that i look at it again lol.
Also I HIGHLY HIGHLY reccomend this website, it’s got amazing tutorials for like everything pixelly.
This blog also has some excellent pixel art for inspo.
I would expand on these next points more but this post is alr way too long lol im sure you don’t want me to ramble on more.
#2: Look at Artists!
some of my favourites (specifically pixelly ones else we’d be here forever)
angry_snail
ventiique
gawrone 
WARNING GORE:rotating_light:(and beautiful art)
brandon james greer
pixel overload
slynyard
saint 11
polyducks
#3: Colour palettes (please DO NOT use default palette 
)
here’s my bookmarks of my favs!
#4 Deconstruct into shapes (or volumes!)
#5 Sketch! (work iteratively)
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oh and also tip for pencil shading, don’t smudge, use a 6 or 5B pencil to lay down a consistent tone and/or do hatching with it.
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I mean I’m only good at drawing kind of art. Also wow this is really helpful!
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well pixel art can be very much like drawing digitally, it’s actually just way more precise as literally every pixel in the artwork is placed individually and purposefully lol
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@ChimbroDaPro made the game, it’s The MakeCode Forums 3: The Multiversal Convergence, the final game out of 3. I just helped out on some of the art
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It was a TEAM effort 
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Hehehehehe it’s been a while…
And my art level is WAY BETTER oml.
Evidence Number Two
This one is less likely to be guessed. And it’s also a bit…funky with how big his eyes are.
Anyway, tell me if you know who they are… IF YOU CAN MWAHAHAHA
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My first guess for number 1 would be Lara Croft but I honestly have no idea
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looking much better!!
my biggest tip is don’t draw eyes, noses, mouths, etc, draw the 3D shape of the head and try not to focus on specific features. The nose is nothing more than a box, the eyes are spheres in a cavity in the face, the lips 2 bands curving around the rounded egg of the mouth, etc etc.
you’re not drawing a face, you’re drawing a very very very complicated 3D form which we’re hard wired to recognise (pareidolia lol)
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Wait, it does look like her, what?!, it’s not her tho. It’s a real person.
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𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬. 𝐈𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬.
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Thanks 
Yeah, I think the biggest problem with my art rn is the order of which I do everything (Why cant I just finsh one half of the face before starting on the hair like wth 
)
The before of the girl drawing of whom I am yet to announce the identity of
Like, thank goodness I spent another hour on rehsaping the jawline after two hours of drawing, right : D
BEFORE:
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Anyways.. I also despise drawing that second eye sometimes… why won’t you just be like the other one
I also got a charcoal set for my birthday and OH MY GOD I FEEL SO ALIVE- i draw way better with it. Maybe I’ll update with my current thing I’m drawing
Enough of my art rant tho : )
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charcoal is great but it’s very messy lmao
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Fr. I tried it for the first time and thought it was meant to be just normaly gripped like a pencil or smth (I have like, a handheld charcoal… block?) Anyways it got all over the counter tops from me setting it down and my hands were a mess 
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