How to create a character in pixel art style

When it comes to the pinnacle of high-resolution textures, high-poly 3D models, and sophisticated camera effects, old-school designs return with a bang. These skins evoke feelings of nostalgia already experienced by the 8-bit and 16-bit generations and give new players a breath of fresh air to step into the future with one foot in the past. Here are some tips to start creating a character in pixel art to survive and work the way it was done in the 90's. The methodology to be followed serves for characters as well as objects and environment.

INITIAL SKETCH

The first thing you need to do is either freehand or digitally draw what you want to turn into a little pixelated creature.

For drawing character and pixel art any photo editor can apply , be it Gimp, Photoshop or even Paint itself. If you opt for more advanced programs, they can easily be configured to draw the pixel in different ways. It's very easy to find information on how this type of software works for pixel art is configured.

Once the outline drawing is complete, it needs to be scaled to fit the Sprite is appropriately sized so that it still maintains the desired retro aspect.

Usually are Pixel art characters from around 30*30px to 300*300px , the latter being of considerable size.

In this case, a size of 200*200px was chosen.

After resizing the image, it's time to arm yourself with patience and get ready, since pixel art dedication required. It is often necessary to edit pixel by pixel until the result is the one you want.

OUTLINE

Next you must neaten the lines that define the figure . Remember that the lines need to be simplified as much as possible and try to find combinations of simple straight lines with simple curved lines.

It is important that you try to keep the lines regular and avoid small pixel jumps that can muddle the contour line or mark an incorrect silhouette.

With that in mind, we clean up the image, removing the offending pixels and trying to keep the straight and curved lines as simple as possible. Remember that the silhouette of the figure matters, so the simplicity of the lines always depends on the shape that the figure requires. A character that requires very complex lines doesn't need to keep all of their lines regular and simple.

TO DYE

The next step is the color selection. The cleaner the outline image, the easier it is to colorize. Tools like the paint bucket in Paint or the Magic Wand fill in Photoshop make this step quick.

The choice of colors, as well as their brightness and intensity, depends on the art style set for the character. Less saturated and dull colors are good for a more serious style, while bright colors us in more casual ones cartoon serve similar styles well . It is not advisable to choose more than three or four main colors.

SHADING

Now that the character is colored it's time to think about how to shade it. For this step it is important to choose a light source that affects the character . Here you need to take into account the design of the stage where the character will be or whether she herself will emit light.

In the picture you can see that the light source is the ball of energy that our character has in his left hand.

Taking this into account, the most distant areas of each part should be shaded, which we can look at independently from the drawing. For example each leg, each arm, the head, the muscles... The more independent parts we look at, the more detailed the base shadow will be.

To continue with the character creation process, it's handy to add another layer of shadows to give more detail to the character. This darkens the parts not receiving direct light and creates a lighter transition area to the area closest to the light source.

At this point the character could be used in a game if it fits the art style. As you can see, the contour lines are still black, giving it a traditional cartoon style.

ENLIGHTENMENT

To continue and dem Sprite to give more quality, the areas that receive direct light must be highlighted. It's highly recommended to always apply the highlights after you've drawn the shadows. Good shading is more important than light reflections , since shading can define volumes and shapes, while light reflections serve to add more detail and quality.

OVERVIEW IN DETAIL

At this point you can see that the character still has the black border lines. As we have already mentioned, it remains black when the graphics require it, but we will see what further steps can be taken to improve our Sprite to give more details.

What needs to be done is to consider the light source to know in which areas the black line changes color and what color it changes. In this way, the contour line of the skin areas will be flesh-colored lines, but slightly darker in tone depending on the intensity of light it receives at that point. The contour areas of clothing have a bluish tint, which becomes lighter or darker depending on the lighting. It is also recommended to add small details to give quality to the picture, e.g. B. additional shadows or light or magic effects.

At this point it is possible to think that the character is finished. Nothing is further from reality now it's time to keep checking the drawing for that colliding pixel and trying to add the other pixel that does this Sprite turns into a masterpiece.

The drawing of pixel art takes time and patience, but with practice, those little details that always disappear become a lot more noticeable.

It is important to note that with pixel art there is no miraculous method to follow. Everyone makes their way in the simplest way . Therefore, this tutorial can be understood as a small compilation of tips that can be followed to find a more optimal methodology.