Pixelblog - 22 - Top Down Character Sprites / October 21, 2019 by Raymond Schlitter

Intro

Welcome back to the charming world of top down pixel art. In the previous 2 Pixelblogs we covered basic ground tiles, and various environment objects. Now, in the 3rd part of the top down series we’ll bring the world to life with fully animated character sprites.

Character sprite Process

In order to animate a top down character you will need to represent the sprite in at least 4 directions. Unless you’re using dramatic directional lighting, or your character has an asymmetrical design you wish to accurately display based on orientation, the side facing version can simply be reflected for right and left movement. Therefore, our first goal is to create a character facing in 3 directions of the screen; up, down, and to the side.

Before you jump into character design it’s important to establish the sprite size, as the size of your characters can strongly affect the look and feel of your game. Generally, tile size is the best gauge for determining sprite size. As shown in the lower section of the above tutorial, relative sprite size usually conforms to a tile unit, or multiples of the tile unit. The height and width can multiply independently. For example, 1 tile wide by 2 tiles tall is one of the most common sprite sizes, and is the size I’ve chosen for my example.

Basing the character size on tile units allows the sprite to naturally fit in the grid-like structure of the tile based world, with simple collision bounds also defined by tile units. While modern tools allow one to break the grid and create sprites and environments of arbitrary size, the snug logic of the grid-based approach is still common convention.

Note, the frame of the sprite size is relative and the character doesn’t have to completely fill it edge to edge. However, you don’t want there to be too much empty space around your character, as to avoid pronounced gaps with adjacent sprites and parts of the environment with collision. Conversely, pixels spilling out of the frame may lead to unwanted overlap. With the top down viewpoint there is implied depth along the Y axis, as we assume objects lower on the screen are closer. Therefore, it looks perfectly natural and improves the sense of depth to allow the top half of a 2 tile high sprite to overlap sprites that are just a bit higher on the screen. However, overlap along the X axis is arbitrary and confusing to the eye.

Walk and Run Animations

Once you have created the idle position of the sprite facing 3 directions you can begin creating a walk/run animation. It’s best to keep the sprite very basic at this point and add details after you are satisfied with the motion.

I often establish the animation with a dummy sprite composed of clearly defined solid color body parts like the above image. In this case, since the sprite is quite small and some of the lighting details effect the appearance of the motion, I skipped the dummy step and straight up animated the details on the first pass. However, I recommend always starting with a dummy, especially if you are working with larger more detailed sprites.

While my walk cycle is 4 frames and the run cycle is 8, you don’t really need to create that many unique poses. The walk cycle borrows all its frames from the run cycle, but simply omits the frames where the character is in full stride, and the playback speed is slower. The frames with the arms swinging can simply be reflected for the up and down facing versions.

Once you are satisfied with the animation you can use these frames as the base for all characters in your game with similar proportions. I suggest starting with a basic nude, which you can easily build off and accessorize.

Although we only have the sprite in 4 directions, you can still implement 8 direction movement and it will look acceptable when any of the 4 directions veer off at an angle. Applying 4 directions to 8 directional movement was common practice with many 16-bit games and still looks good to me. Secret of Mana, and A Link to the Past, are a couple examples that come to mind. But if you want to get fancy, you can try adding the 4 angles. I think the absence of the angles only becomes jarring if the sprite is large and detailed.

Character Sprite Reference

After you have created a base model for a character sprite, the real fun of designing unique characters can begin.

As a basic proportion guide, I created various heights to distinguish between male, female, young, and elderly. Of course, there can be exceptions, and I permit some wiggle room for slight variation in height between the same types. However, when working with such limited information, I find it best to stick to a system and not challenge the player’s expectations too much. Remember, the part of the sprite in the upper half of the frame can overlap sprites, so no need to worry about the empty space at the top of the frame.

The smaller the sprite the more condensed and abstracted the proportions tend to become. When working with limited size the head usually takes up a third to half of the total sprite. This is to emphasize the expressive features of the character, which helps the player form an emotional connection to the characters. Going for realistic proportions at such a small size will result in a stick figure, which can be an interesting style, but lacks personality. While a small canvas seems to allow little room for stylistic choice, there is always potential for creativity. I challenge you to create your own unique style of characters.

House

Wherever you have people, you are sure to find dwellings. I just couldn’t help myself, and had to make a bonus tutorial for creating a house!

The size of the house is also based on tile units, so it logically fits into the game world with no odd gaps or unwanted overlap. Furthermore, it could be broken into tiles and expanded into different structures by adding various filler and connection tiles. For now, it’s just one large sprite.

The scale of buildings in top down games is often shrunk in relation to the characters, appearing tiny on the outside, then magically become spacious when you step inside. This partly originates from technical limitations, but also makes navigating a village much more practical, especially if the game doesn’t have a run feature. While it’s still an acceptable convention and has a certain charm, I like my buildings to at least have a believable scale in relation to the character sprites. Once you go inside, it’s still perfectly acceptable to expand the layout of the building.

Screen Size

The screen size/native resolution of your game should be established in the early stages of development, as it can strongly affect aesthetics and gameplay. When working with pixel art it’s especially important to pick a screen size that can perfectly scale to fit common displays and remain pixel perfect. 1920x1080p is one the most common display resolutions, and many displays have a 16:9 ratio. Therefore, the basic guideline I use is to make sure your native resolution perfectly multiplies into 1920x1080. However, you should also consider other common displays, such as 1366x768.

480x270px native resolution feels just right for this mockup.

In order to preserve the pixel art aesthetic there’s a limited range of acceptable resolutions. Too high resolution and it no longer appears as pixel art. Too low resolution and it becomes abstract blocks. This leaves us with a handful of acceptable options that perfectly scale into 1920x1080, and closely fit other common displays.

320x180(6x) Quite chunky when viewed on a large display but still an acceptable retro look
480x270(4x) A good fit for my top down mockup made with 16x16px tiles
640x360(3x) This is the resolution of the shmup I’m making, Thyrian Defenders

Of course, your resolution is not limited to these options. There are complex scaling solutions that allow other sizes to display with a pixel perfect look, but my technical knowledge is very limited on the matter. If you choose an arbitrary resolution your game may not be able to display pixel perfect at full screen, leaving borders around the play area. However, I find this more acceptable than distorting the pixel units in order to fill the entire screen.

When choosing a size It’s important to consider the relative size you want your sprites to appear on screen and how this may affect gameplay. The higher the resolution the smaller the pixel units become, or more zoomed out everything will appear. Therefore, the higher resolutions might be a good fit for something with fast scrolling, and fast moving sprites. If you’re going for something less twitchy, or simply want a retro look, perhaps you want to try one of the lower resolutions. Ultimately, screen size is something you should mock up and test for yourself before deciding on.

Final Thoughts

Well, this is the 3rd and final part of my multi-part series on top down subjects. From the start, I had a general plan with the intention of creating a cohesive game world with lessons that build upon each other. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what I would end up with when all I had were grass and dirt tiles, but with each lesson the world grew more lively. Now, it’s starting to feel like a real game, and I almost wish it was. I hope you have learned much on this journey with me. I know I have. Although it’s a bit sad, I’ll move on to a new subject in the next Pixelblog, but I don’t think you’ve seen the last of this world. There’s still plenty of opportunity to expand this world with new lessons on top down subjects.

RESOURCES

Assets featured in this Pixelblog are available in Top Down RPG Starter Assets Pack

Source file used in the making of this Pixelblog is available in Tutorial 55 Source File

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-By Raymond Schlitter

Pixelblog - 21 - Top Down Objects / September 24, 2019 by Raymond Schlitter

Intro

In Pixelblog 20 I introduced the fundamentals of making tiles with various 16x16 pixel grass and dirt textures from a 3/4 top down projection. Now I will continue developing the environment with some natural, and man made objects. Since the base ground is made of 16x16 tiles it’s important to consider how the objects will fit onto the tilemap. In this case, I break my objects down into 16x16 tiles so they can easily be used in a tile editor and laid out in a logical manner.

Tree

Of course, we’ve gotta have trees. A grassy environment without trees just feels lonely. So let’s get to it and spring up some green darlings!

The ball shape design is a cute approach, but more importantly, simple shapes with symmetrical balance create visual stability, fit together nicely onto the tilemap, and look good when used in repetition. Furthermore, they can be placed in staggered overlapping rows to create a solid forest pattern with no odd gaps or noisy pixels. To keep the asset feeling fresh, try a simple color swap here and there. A more unique, asymmetrically shaped tree looks good when used sparingly to create a point of interest, but will look odd if often repeated on the same screen. This is a general rule for any kind of objects used in repetition.

Using simple shapes and visual symmetry, a pleasing canopy of dense forest can be made with a single base asset.

Rocks

Well, we have grass, dirt, and trees. What next? You guessed it, rocks of course!

This approach exhibits a blocking technique, which is basically throwing down the basic shapes with solid colors and progressively refining the details as you introduce more colors. I usually use this technique if the sprite is not very big(low res). However, for larger sprites that are especially angular I sometimes start with an outline approach.

When designing your rocks it’s good to think about the geology of the area and what type of rocks you would realistically find in the environment. I imagine my rocks are some kind of limestone found in a prairie land. Moreover, I use warm colored blocky forms with a hint of smoothness, as these sedimentary rocks are susceptible to erosion and oxidization. Whatever the style of rock they will often share some of the same, or very closely related hues found in the dirt. Otherwise they are likely to look out of place. For more about rocks check out Pixelblog 13.

Man Made Objects

No matter what the environment, it seems treasure chests just seem to pop up out of no where. Curious, isn’t it? May as well cover some other common man made objects while we’re at it. I’m sure a village can’t be far away.

Here are some common man made objects you often find scattered around human settlements in top down rpgs. All except the large treasure chest snuggly fit into a 16x16 tile. This makes it so they can be cleanly placed on the tilemap, and fit together nicely when used in repetition. The large treasure chest is a bit irregular, sort of half filling a 32x32 space. However, in this case I think it’s okay, as it would be a rare object, usually placed off on it’s own.

Due to the precise geometry of man made objects the consistency of the sense of perspective is especially apparent. Make sure all your objects adhere to the same projection rules. For more about graphical projection, and 3/4 top down in particular, check out Pixelblog 3.

Cast Shadows

Cast shadows help make objects feel like they actually connect with the ground. It’s best to keep them subtle and not cast out long in any particular direction, as to minimize conflicts with overlapping adjacent tiles. In some cases where the shadow can easily be contained within the frame of the sprite, such as my tree, it’s okay to bake the shadow into the same asset. However, in most cases I make the shadows on separate tiles and place them on a different layer than the sprites. This allows me to just have one base sprite, and create shadows for different surfaces as I need them.

Final Thoughts

After creating the base ground tiles in the previous blog the real fun is just beginning. It can be tedious at first, but once you start to develop a substantial set of assets it becomes addictive to create tiled environments. I find myself wanting to flesh out this world with more and more assets! In the next Pixelblog, this world will truly come to life with the introduction of character assets.

RESOURCES

Assets featured in this Pixelblog are available in Top Down RPG Starter Assets Pack

Source files used in the making of this Pixelblog are available in Basic Nature Source Files

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Pixelblog - 20 - Top Down Tiles / August 27, 2019 by Raymond Schlitter

Intro

Like most pixel art inventions, tiles are a product of limitation. Back in the day when computers had very little memory, developers were able to cleverly fill the screen with animated graphics by breaking everything into small square images that can be repeated and seamlessly fit together in various combinations. Constructed in a grid, these small squares are referred to as tiles for obvious reasons. Tiles can not only greatly reduce memory costs, but also the time it takes to create art for levels. Additionally, the precise structure of tile-based environments provides a logical base to map gameplay onto. When done well, tiles create a consistent aesthetic that marries perfectly with pixel art. Even with the powerful computers and art creation tools of today, the tradition of tile-based graphics remains strong.

This is the first of several lessons that build upon each other as I create the assets for a cohesive top down game world. In this lesson I focus on several different 16x16px tiles from a top down 3/4 projection. I think this is a good place to start with tile making, as the small tiles can be edited easily, and complete scenes can be made without a need for background tiles.

While tile-based graphics may be described as an economical approach, don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s easy to make tiles. Tile making is a precise art form that requires supreme attention to detail. Although part of the charming aesthetic can be attributed to repetition, you don’t want the tiles to be too obvious. The trick is in trying to hide the patterns within consistent non-distracting textures.

Grass Tiles

The good ol’ grass tile. This is where the grand journey begins. It may appear simple, but a perfectly balanced grass pattern that looks good tiled over a large area is difficult to achieve in so few pixels.

Ultimately, a grass texture made up of only one tile becomes monotonous, no matter how awesome the tile is. I find it works well to mix in spaces of flat green with textured areas of differing vegetation density, which can create visually pleasing gradations. The variation feels natural, while the negative space helps reduce noise and lets the environment breath. Don’t forget occasional flower variants to add a splash of life.

Dirt Tiles

Where there is grass there is surely dirt. Let’s dig in!

Most likely you’ll want to combine grass and dirt tiles. In that case, it’s important to think about what style will mix well with your grass tiles. Dry and cracked, muddy slop, flat clay; dirt comes in many different consistencies and colors. It doesn’t hurt to consider the geology of your environment.

Connection Tiles

Now we are going to gracefully merge the grass and dirt tiles into a set of connection tiles. I bet you can hardly contain your excitement!

I decided to combine the dry dirt texture with a simple green grass, as the busy dirt pattern contrasts well with the more airy grass texture. However, there is no right or wrong. Play around with different combinations of textures and style of grass edging. Once you have grass tiles, dirt tiles, and a set of connection tiles, the real fun of arranging the tiles into level maps can begin! Well, it’s still a bit simple for a game level, but at least you can create an interesting base ground to begin building a world on. More to come in the next lesson!

Key points

Balance - Strive to achieve a homogenous distribution of visual weight within a tile. If any area of the tile has a visual dominance the pattern will become too obvious. Include clusters that overlap the edges and loop around the tile to help hide the seems.

Consistency - Define key clusters and shapes and repeat them in several cases to create a pleasing consistency. Avoid touching key clusters with other key clusters, as they clump into different irregular clusters and create noise. Touching corner to corner is okay.

Limit colors - You only need a few colors to make a rich texture. Too many colors and the texture will become blurry. Also, strong contrasting colors in the case of a texture pattern may result in displeasing noise.

Contrast - Consider contrast when combining different textures in the same environment. A busy texture next to another busy texture may exhaust the eyes with too much noise. Negative space is your friend.

Reflect - Often tiles can simply be mirrored to create tiles of different orientation. This saves time, and the symmetry creates a pleasing consistent look.

Resolution - You can make tiles any size you want, but the larger the more laborious. Anything over 32x32px seems like overkill for pixel art. 16x16px is probably the most common size and is sure to do your pixels justice.

Software

In order to proficiently make tiles, it’s essential that you can see how the seems are connecting in real time. Some software lacks this feature, while some does it better than others. Here’s a bit of info on making tiles in the programs I’m familiar with.

Pyxel Edit

I purchased this program for the purpose of making tiles, as it’s specifically designed to make the process easier. For the most part it does just that by allowing you to create and save tiles into an atlas, which can then be stamped onto a tile map. You can edit any placed tiles and it will update them all in real time, allowing you to easily refine tiles while building scenes.

Everything is pretty straight forward and easy to learn with this program, thanks to the clean ui with helpful hover hints. To make a new tile click the + button in the tile window. Place as many of the tile on the canvas as you want with the tile placer tool(a), then draw on any of those tiles and watch them all fill in. Press the tab key to show what tiles are placed where so you don’t lose track of where you placed blank tiles. This is important, as you can also draw freely on any layer without using tiles.

Aseprite

I haven’t used this program much for tiles but it seems to offer a reasonable workflow. A full on tile editor is reported to be in the works. I will definitely give it a spin when it comes out.

For now, the most handy feature is ‘Tiled Mode.’ Start with a small canvas exactly the size of the tile you want to make. Then, turn on ‘Tiled Mode’ under ‘View’ in the menu bar and choose the axis to have the image tiled.

Now you can see how your image tiles and anything you draw will live update in all the cells. Easy peasy tile making in just a few clicks!

Photoshop

I use Photoshop for just about everything, except making tiles. However, if you take the time to customize your setup and implement a few tricks, it becomes a reasonable process.

For general workflow, make each tile on its own layer and organize your finished tiles in a separate project file off to the side, which can then be used as a tile atlas.

The pattern fill function can be useful for tile creation. Select the area you want to turn into a pattern, then choose ‘Define Pattern’ under ‘Edit’ in the menu bar. Name your pattern in the following prompt.

Once you have a pattern saved, select an area on the canvas you want to fill with the pattern, then choose ‘Fill’ under ‘Edit’ in the menu bar.

Choose ‘Pattern’ in the fill options window.

Choose your pattern and select ‘OK.’ Your pattern will then automatically tile itself to fill the area you selected on the canvas.

While Photoshop doesn’t have a tiled mode or live update, smart objects provide a close alternative. To make a smart object, right click/control click on a layer and choose ‘Convert to Smart Object.’ In this case there should only be one tile on the layer. You don’t have to make a precise selection around the tile, just select the layer and convert it to a smart object.

After you convert the tile into a smart object you will notice a small document icon on the layer. Double click this icon or right click/control click the layer and choose ‘Edit Contents.’

The tile you converted to a smart object will then open in a separate file. You can now make edits in this window, and as soon as you save it (command S) the changes will appear in your main project that contains the smart object. So it’s almost like a live update, you just have to save every time you want to see the changes.

With any pixel art design and no matter what program you use, it’s very helpful to have a preview window open that displays the scene from a zoomed out view, allowing you to see how it appears from a normal viewing distance while staying focused in on a specific tile/area. Basically, it cuts out the need to constantly zoom in and out.

I normally don’t place much importance on software, but when it comes to tile making it can make all the difference. Personally, I struggled a lot with tiles until I started using Pyxel Edit. However, I only use it for tiles and prefer Photoshop for just about everything else. End the end, use what you got, what you can afford. There’s always a way.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Honestly, this was one of the most challenging tutorials for me to put together, but I’m so glad I did it. Much was learned in the process. I hope these tutorials and tips help you on your way to becoming a tile master. I intend to continue the lesson in the next Pixelblog with more top down environment objects, and eventually create an animated top down character. Stay tuned as I flesh out this world and pass on the knowledge and assets.

RESOURCES

Assets featured in this Pixelblog are avialable in Top Down RPG Starter Assets Pack

Source files used in the making of this Pixelblog are available in Top Down Grass Dirt Tiles Source Files

Get caught up on all my downloads

Pixelblog - 19 - Mecha Mania / July 23, 2019 by Raymond Schlitter

Intro

It’s all about the giant robos! While the term mecha can encompass all things mechanical, It’s most often used to describe huge robots piloted by humans. Mecha can vary greatly in form and size but are most often humanoid, and quite large. Nowadays, with drone technology the idea of piloting a mechanical hulk seems quite impractical, but there’s no emotion without a human in the heart of the action. Furthermore, the idea is greatly celebrated in works of art and fiction. To become a mechanical giant sure has its appeal.

In this lesson I will focus on 3 different mecha designs, all presented in my favorite 3/4 side-view. I find this projection describes angular forms with clarity, and the illusion of depth captures a sense of weight. Therefore, a great way to present mecha in my geometric style. The level of detail in the following tutorials may be quite a challenge for beginners, however they build off concepts presented in several of my previous lessons. If you feel overwhelmed, I suggest reviewing Pixelblog 3, and Pixelblog 12.

Humanoid Mecha

The intuitive pairing between human form and machine provide the best overall tactical balance on the battlefield. A robust choice of projectile and melee weapons further enhance versatility.

Of course, I had to start off with a humanoid design, the most common representation of mecha. The human figure provides a sense of scale. If you want to make the robot feel larger, juxtapose with a smaller human, or vice versa for a smaller scale. However, in staying true to mecha tradition, it’s important to imagine a space for a pilot. As you can see from the cutaway diagram, the cockpit is already pretty cramped at this scale.

I like to save the paint job for last and use striping that wraps around the forms, further enhancing the sense of depth. Once a design is established you can play around with different poses, and try adding weapons. I rank this medium difficulty for pixeling, as well as piloting.

Tank Mecha

While the tank mecha lacks the mobility of the humanoid, the solid footing provided by tank tracks allows for heavy weaponry. A variety of side arms paired with the mega canon make this an offensive powerhouse!

You could swap out the side arms with a variety of weapons, or humanoid arms if you like. I went with a set of sidewinder missile launchers. No cutaway provided but I imagine there’s a nook in there for the pilot, cozied up next to that huge canon. I rank this easy for pixeling, also the preferred training machine for new pilots.

Scorpion Mecha

Combining the best of both worlds, the scorpion mecha provides high mobility and deadly firepower. The biggest downside in this particular model is the exposed cockpit leaves the pilot vulnerable. But at the same time it provides maximum visibility, and makes for a hard target.

This design was a bit too complex to break down all the details into animated steps. However, it follows the same principles shown in the humanoid and tank designs. I rank this hard for pixeling, and a bit of a wild ride that should only be piloted by a pro.

Final Thoughts

Well, that was fun! Surprisingly, I haven’t explored the world of mecha much in my pixel art, yet it’s a perfect fit. Definitely plan to do more in my art, possibly more tutorials, too! If you’re into it.

As always, I want to stress the importance of self discovery. Feel free to go off the rails whenever inspiration strikes. Try out your own paint jobs, weapons, and body parts. Most importantly, have fun!

RESOURCES

Assets featured in this Pixelblog are available in Mecha Mania Assets Pack

All assets in this feature use my custom palette Bright Future

Get caught up on all my downloads

Pixelblog - 18 - Age of Flight / June 18, 2019 by Raymond Schlitter

Intro

Thanks to my dad’s experimental aircraft business, I was privileged to grow up around airplanes and spend a fair amount of time in the cockpit as a kid. It’s no wonder my art often features a variety of flying machines. In particular, I’ve always been fascinated with the Wright brothers and the early age of flight that ensued after they first took to the skies in 1903. So much innovation and fantastic looking contraptions in the form of biplanes, triplanes, and dirigibles.

Aircraft

Awkwardly large to be airborne, airships always have a fantasy aspect to them, even the ones in real life. If we didn’t have video documentation of the Zeppelins, and dirigibles used by the US Navy in the first half of the 20th century, I’d have a hard time believing they actually existed. Of course, we have modern day blimps, but they don’t capture the imagination like their hulking predecessors.

Although most of those early dirigible designs crashed and burned in catastrophic fashion, their bold designs still capture our imagination and make us ask, what if? What if, they figured out how to make it safe and practical? Who knows what kind of contraptions would be in the skies today. Perhaps, explorers would have traded in their sales and fashioned dirigibles to their ships.

While airships proved to be too dangerous and costly, small airplanes took to the skies in droves. In the early days, the biplane, and even some triplanes dominated. With a great roll rate and slow stall speed, multi-wing designs were advantageous for the military operations of WWI. However, advances in materials and design would eventually give monoplanes the same advantages, without the extra drag and poor visibility. While modern day biplanes are still good for aerobatics, they’re more about nostalgia than performance.

My above biplane is based on the Fokker DVII, a German WWI plane. I economized some details to adapt to my pixel style, but it’s a fairly accurate representation.

ClouDscapes

The marvel of flight lofts our view into the skies, where we can not only see the earth from a new perspective, but also allows us to be amongst the ethereal beauty of cloudscapes. Here’s a quick reference of the main cloud types to help inspire your sky backgrounds.

Apparently, there are more than 100 specific cloud types, but all variations fit into these 10 main types. Some of these are hard to distinguish, with only altitude being the main difference.

Cumuls - Small puffy clouds with flat bottoms, found at low altitude. Spaced out enough to still be sunny.

Stratus - Low, flat, relatively featureless gray clouds that sometime come with light precipitation.

Stratocumulus - Low fluffy clouds, similar to cumulus, but darker and thicker with only patches of sky peering through.

Altocumulus - Common mid altitude that dot the sky in round heaps or sometimes parallel bands. The heaps are sometimes likened to sheep’s wool.

Nimbostratus - Low, gray clouds thick enough to blot out the sun, usually bringing heavy precipitation.

Altostratus - Mid altitude, thick flat clouds that blanket the sky in a gray haze, but the sun stills dimly shines through.

Cirrus - High altitude clouds that appear as thin white wispy strands, streaking across blue sky.

Cirrocumulus - Formed at high altitudes from ice droplets, and sometimes called cloudlets, these clouds appear in white patches, often arranged in rows.

Cirrostratus - High altitude, transparent, whitish clouds that are wispy like cirrus clouds but thicker. Light refraction caused by the ice crystals in the clouds often creates a halo around the sun.

Cumulonimbus - These are large towering clouds that span the low, middle, and high altitudes. They are flat and dark on the bottom, and mushroom into anvil shapes the top of the billowing towers. These are thunderstorm clouds and are sure to bring sever weather.

Final Thoughts

When I make step by step tutorials, I expect many will follow along pixel by pixel, but it is always my hope that some will discover something on there own along the way. In fact, I encourage you to iterate and modify at every step to really make a design of your own, simply using my direction as a foundation.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our little journey through the clouds. Personally, I can never get enough aircraft and clouds in my pixel art. It was difficult to narrow it down and focus on just a couple designs. Expect more aircraft related topics in the future!

RESOURCES

Assets featured in this Pixelblog are available in Age of Flight Assets Pack

All assets in this feature use colors derived from Bright Future

Get caught up on all my downloads

If you're not ready to commit to the subscription model of Patreon, make a one-time donation and receive exclusive art and resources. Fan support is necessary to keep producing content. Thank you!

-By Raymond Schlitter

Pixelblog - 17- Human Anatomy / May 21, 2019 by Raymond Schlitter

Intro

In every artist’s journey there comes a time to draw naked people. Understanding human anatomy is not only essential to successfully draw people, but it’s an important lesson in seeing. Developing a keen sense of observation is one of the most fundamental skills for any visual artist. Therefore, even if you have no interest in illustrating people, anatomy is an important core lesson and should be reviewed on occasion.

Body Proportions

Within the limited restrictions of pixel art, the human form is often stylized and deformed. However, one should first understand the proper forms in order to make sensible abstractions. Ideal adult male proportions often uses an 8 head model. However, this is quite tall and elongated forms don’t always suit the limitations presented by pixel art. Hence, the tradition of ‘super-deformed’ or ‘chibi’ character sprites in video games. Big-headed, or doll-like features tend to read well and capture a lot of expression. Furthermore, I present a 6 head model, which results in fairly realistic figures, a touch on the small cute side.

This process has 3 main steps; wireframe, rough shapes, final form. Make sure to nail the anatomy in the wireframe step. With practice you might develop the confidence to skip right to the last step of blocking out the final form, especially if it’s a small sprite. However, I think a simple wireframe is always helpful to establish proportions, and capture the energy of of a pose. It goes without saying, you can and should use references.

The Head

Naturally, we find human faces appealing, and artists never tire of depicting them. The head and face contain a complex set of expressive features. However, just like the body, the proportions and spacing can be established with simple spacial divisions.

This is based on the standard model of ideal facial anatomy. Of course, facial features can vary greatly, or be abstracted for stylization purposes, but the proper model should be understood. I’m already taking the liberty to stylize some features to adapt more to my pixel style. Here are some of the keys in the standard model.

The eyes are halfway between the top of the head and the chin
The face is divided into 3 equal parts from the hairline to the chin
The bottom of the nose is halfway between the eyes and chin
The mouth is about 1/3 to 1/2 distance between the bottom of the nose and chin
The distance between the eyes and the width of the bottom of nose is about one eye-width
The mouth width is about the distance between the pupils
The top of the ear aligns with the brow line and the bottom with the bottom of the nose
The width of the neck is about 1/2 to 2/3 a head.

Gestures

Now that we’ve gotten familiar with the basic anatomy, let’s try putting our figures into some expressive poses.

Before making the wireframe I find it helpful to throw down some very rough forms that capture the essence of the pose. This could literally be a single stroke that informs the gesture of the spine. Then, building off this overall energy, begin making a basic wireframe in the same order as we covered in the human proportions tutorial. A well made wireframe will make things a lot easier when you fill out the final forms. However, it can be hard to perceive the volume of the forms with only the wireframe. Sometimes you just have to start fleshing things out and apply subtle shading to to see how it’s working. Don’t forget to use references.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Maintaining a confident grasp on anatomy should be a priority for most artists. Obviously, we are people and we relate to people, even through artistic depiction. As an artist, the need to depict people arises with great regularity. While my work doesn’t often feature people their presence plays and important role in the expression. Furthermore, I must admit I hold back at times for lack of confidence in figure drawing skills. It’s one of those things you just can’t keep sharp without practice. I was overdue for an anatomy review. Now I’m feeling confident and you will too after working through these tutorials!

RESOURCES

Assets featured in this Pixelblog are available in Anatomy & Animation Assets Pack

Source files used in the making of this Pixelblog are available in Human Anatomy Source Files.

All assets in this feature use my custom palette Bright Future

Get caught up on all my downloads

Pixelblog - 16 - Medieval Fantasy / April 23, 2019 by Raymond Schlitter

Intro

When we hear the word ‘fantasy’ we often think of dragons, elves, wizards and the likes of a Tolkien novel. A fantasy world can be anything we want it to be, but we find a similar medieval backdrop used over and over. While I always appreciate new ideas, there’s something satisfying and comforting about a familiar motif. Mystical, brutal, and full of magic, the classical fantasy setting captures our imagination for many reasons.

Castles

Dwellings of medieval times might seem quite shabby by modern standards, and electricity usually isn’t granted in the fantasy version, but the mighty castle always impresses. Ironic structures, castles strike an aesthetic elegance while remaining brutally functional in the face of ever present war.

Fantasy castles come in many forms and sizes, but are usually based off the European variety. These defensive minded structures usually consist of tall outer walls with towers that house a keep within. Often they are surrounded by a moat or built on a hilltop for an extra layer of defense. Thick stone walls and spire topped towers provide strategic benefits as well. In the end, the purpose results in damn cool looking structures that are perfect for pixeling!

Dragons

Now time for some real fantasy, or is it? We know serpent-like dinosaurs used to dominate the ancient seas. Who knows what could have evolved from those genetics and persisted in some form at the same time as humans. The knights praised for slaying evil dragons might have just been assholes hacking up an endangered species.

In all seriousness though, being a creature of fantasy, the dragon comes in numerous forms. It seems every culture has there own version of dragons. Even an individual has the authority to make a dragon however they like, and that’s the beauty of fantasy subjects. However, there are a handful of common types and attributed characteristics that seem to be standard convention. Here I describe a few of the common species seen in works of fantasy.

Weapons

Judging by the weaponry of medieval times, warfare must have been terribly violent. Visceral face to face combat taps into something primitive and is another reason we remain enthralled with the medieval motif.

Here is a nice collection of weapons for adventurers of all types; dagger for a nimble thief, battle axe for a raging barbarian, or perhaps a magic staff for the sage wizard? We like to romanticize the violent aspects of medieval fantasy, but it would take some serious fortitude to actually pick up a war hammer and swing it at another human.

Final Thoughts

I tend to stick more to sci-fi and spacey things in terms of fantasy, but it was a lot of fun exploring medieval subjects. Maybe it’s the classic subjects, or the natural color palette, there’s just something about the aesthetic of medieval fantasy that marries so well with pixel art. Definitely want to venture in this world some more. Races, magic, other beasts, so much more to explore!

RESOURCES

Was this article helpful? If you find value in my content please consider becoming a Patreon member. Among many other rewards, Pixel Insider members get extra resources to compliment my tutorials. But most importantly, you allow me to continue making new content.

Assets featured in this Pixelblog are available in Medieval Fantasy Assets Pack

All assets in this feature are based in my custom palette Bright Future

Get caught up on all my downloads

If you're not ready to commit to the subscription model of Patreon, make a one-time donation and receive exclusive art and resources. Fan support is necessary to keep producing content. Thank you!

-By Raymond Schlitter

Pixelblog - 15 - Plant Life / March 19, 2019 by Raymond Schlitter

Intro

Next to art, field-biology has always been one of my favorite areas of study. Wildly diverse and genuine in all its forms, I particularly have a deep respect for plant life. Essential to the architecture of our eco-system, these beautiful life forms stand nobly affixed in place. The infinite variation of colors, forms, and adaptions captures a brilliance beyond the capabilities of human invention. However, they will never stop inspiring us to strive for this beauty. Ironically, the essence of this natural beauty can be captured in the limited medium of pixel art.

While organic subjects like plant-life can be difficult to render in pixels, it just takes practice. The key is to embrace abstraction. Don’t try to force realistic details simply for the sake of accuracy. Compared to the real-life counterparts, you’ll find plant life in pixels takes on a whole new charming aesthetic. Ahh, green is so calming.

General Classification

First, let’s review the general categories of all plants and some examples. Even if you don’t use a reference, a little foundational knowledge will help you access better solutions when a creative problem calls for plant design. Furthermore, I believe intimate knowledge of the subjects you work with will bring out a more authentic quality in your work.

Plant life can be further broken into more specific categories, but for classification on the broadest terms, all plant life fits somewhere in this spectrum. This knowledge may not seem necessary to be a good pixel artist, but in fact, knowledge of any kind will help you improve as an artist. Understanding how things work allows you to see everything more clearly, and nothing is more important to a visual artist than seeing.

Leave Shapes

Most plants grow leaves to drive photosynthesis, thus providing nourishment. Leaves come in many shapes and sizes. If they are doing their job right, they are almost always a green hue. Here is a reference for the general shape categories.

Many of these categories can be further broken down into more specific physical characteristics. When it comes to pixels, you’ll rarely have the scale/resolution to explicitly depict the leaves of a specific species, especially in dealing with dense foliage, but it’s always good to have a reference point and abstract as needed.

Tree study

One of nature’s greatest gifts has to be trees. They provide us with so many resources, like firewood, lumber, fruits, medicine, and even oxygen. The way their limbs reach up towards the sky like outstretched arms, we can even relate to their anatomy. Being in the presence of great trees can even have a spiritual quality. It’s no wonder we love trees. While the dormant tangle of barren branches has it’s own appeal, I find a tree’s beauty shines the most when donning robust foliage.

Trees come in all shapes and sizes, but for this particular study I depict a generic deciduous species with a nice canopy of foliage that still allows you to view some of the inner branches. I first draft the entire tree, including some rough shading and highlights. Developing the image beyond this rough impression of the forms and cleaning up the clusters is where most learners hit a snag. At this point you should pay mind to all the pixels and bring meaning to your clusters. Not every leaf needs to be represented. Just enough to give the impression of a leafy texture and the mind will automatically fill in the gaps where there are less defined large clusters. In fact, I almost went too far with the details in this example, but since I repeat similar cluster arrangements across the sprite it maintains a clean consistent look. Too much variation will create displeasing noise.

Final thoughts

It was so refreshing to use a lot of green. Nature is my number one inspiration but it’s always challenging to pixel organic subjects. You can definitely expect more plant life tutorials in the future. I’d be happy to do a whole feature just on trees!

RESOURCES

Was this article helpful? If you find value in my content please consider becoming a Patreon member. Among many other rewards, Pixel Insider members get extra resources to compliment my tutorials. But most importantly, you allow me to continue making new content.

Assets featured in this Pixelblog are available in Plant Life Assets Pack,

All assets in this feature use my custom palette Planemo 8

Get caught up on all my downloads

If you're not ready to commit to the subscription model of Patreon, make a one-time donation and receive exclusive art and resources. Fan support is necessary to keep producing content. Thank you!

-By Raymond Schlitter