If you’re done with the sketch you can proceed with the linework.īefore adding the final lines, let me show you a simple technique for drawing lines and curves in pixel art. I just prefer it because it helps my brain understand that I’m creating a rough for my final drawing. I started my portrait drawing a initial sketch to find the construction of the head (16) and then I started adding details (17). Since this brush can’t be resized, it’s a good idea to zoom in on the canvas you’re drawing (15) and use the duplicate view as a reference (14). Now, select your Dot Pen again and start drawing. In this case I changed the Center X and Center Y values to 32, which is half of my total canvas size (64 pixels). Place the Symmetrical Ruler on the Canvas and, to make sure it’s on the dead-center, use the Object tool to select it and input values manually (13) Since this will be a front-facing portrait, I’ll start the drawing using the Symmetrical Ruler (12) Later in the game, you can duplicate any of your ‘common’ brushes and use it for pixel art (as long you reduce brush size to lower values and disable anti-aliasing). I suggest you follow along this tutorial using this brush only. It has a fixed 1-pixel size, anti-aliasing turned off, and no option for stabilization or color mixing. This is the simplest drawing brush available. It’s called ‘Dot Pen’ in the Marker category (11). In Clip Studio Paint you already have a pixel art pen. and during any transformation using Edit > Transform (10).In Clip Studio Paint you have to turn off anti-aliasing in:
Paint.net pixel tools software#
Later, we can soften the edges by adding anti-aliasing by hand (manually).Ī rule-of-thumb when using any software to create pixel art is to disable the anti-aliasing setting in brushes, tools and transformations. The aliased edge (6) is what we’re looking for when creating pixel art. This is made by adding an extra row of pixels closest to the aliased edge.Īs you can see in the example, the anti-aliased edge (7) has an automatic gradient of pixels to give the shape a smoother contour. Pixel art does not go along with automatic anti-aliasing.Īnti-aliasing is a useful algorithm that smooths edges of a shape. Set it to 100% and place in your workspace (5). To create a secondary view of your current canvas, go to Window > Canvas > New Window and open a new instance of the current canvas. (3) Ī good practice for working with pixel art is getting used to drawing zoomed while keeping an eye on the actual-size artwork (4) You can turn the grid on/off anytime using the Shift+G shortcut. Configure as the following so you can see a grid with every single pixel.While there’s great dedicated tools for making pixel art, you can use any drawing program to follow along. There’s no point to making pixel art where the pixels aren’t evident.įor this article, I’ll be using Clip Studio Paint. Start with a small (resolution) file size, so the pixel unit is visible. The goal is to create an artwork that can be used used as a social media avatar. You can draw yourself, make a fanart or invent a character. I want you to create a 64×64 pixel portrait. It’s beneficial to respect the fundamentals and the techniques of old-school digital artists – but it’s not obligatory to work like them.įor this article, we’ll work on an approachable challenge. The technical side of this art form is important, especially if you want to make an homage of a video game.īut remember that you don’t need to force yourself to create a 32×32 pixel size artwork with only 3 colors, if you don’t want to. In this article, I’ll highlight some characteristics, basic techniques and guidelines so you can start making your own pixel art.Īll the information here can be applied to any ‘style’ and any software. While no longer a necessary approach, forcing yourself to create in the boundaries of an old technology or set of techniques can help you as anīelow are some examples of my exploration with pixel art. Computer graphics and digital art as we know them today have a root, and that is pixel art.īack in the day, there wasn’t a ‘Pixel Art’ style because every art made on a computer needed to be pixel-by-pixel artwork.Īs computers evolved, the capability to render images became more advanced, enabling digital artists to create without the limitations of old hardware.Ĭreating art with these limitations in mind is the core of pixel art as an art form.