Pixel Art Tips that Every Artist Should Know (ft.
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- Опубликовано: 22 май 2024
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I recently worked on some pixel art for a Playdate game my friend Atsu (@SquidGodDev ) created. And working on the pixel art reminded me of some of the most important tips every artist should know. Whether your a your new to pixel art, a hobbyist, or are looking to become a fulltime artist. These tips & tricks are an absolute must for growing your game art career.
Want to see how @SquidGodDev made the game?
📺 Watch the video here: • I Made a Fishing Game ...
🕹️ Download the game here: squidgod.itch.io/by-the-pier
┈ Who is Goodgis? ┈
I’m a full time Graphic Designer, Game Dev, & RUclipsr. I specialize in making cute, colorful games in Godot and telling my story through my videos. I also run my own little game studio called Firith. My dream is to hire my friends and make Firith a full-time job. I’m known for games such as The Keeyp, Wizbirds, Snomes, and Dewdrop Dynasty.
┈ Ways to Support ┈
💖 Patreon: / goodgis
┈ Join the Community ┈
💬 Discord: / discord
🦆 TWITTER: / gooodgis
┈ My Game Studio ┈
🍁 Website: firith.studio/
🕹️ Itch.io: firith.itch.io/
🐦 Twitter: / firithstudio
Chapters:
0:00 My Pixel Art Challenge
0:24 Tip 1 - Never Have Form Over Function
0:53 Tip 2 - Stylized Art Ages Better
1:36 Tip 3 - You Don't Need Lots of Color
2:15 Tip 4 - Always Look at Reference
2:34 Tip 5 - Organize Your Artwork
2:53 Milanote
3:48 Tip 6 - Consistency Comes From Practice
4:37 Tip 7 - Don't Take Feedback Too Personally
5:31 How Did the Game Turn Out?
5:40 Shoutouts
#pixelart #pyxeledit #gameart #indiedev #goodgis #gamedev #indiegame
✨Want to see MORE pixel art tips & tricks? Then make to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE! ✨
(P.S. Please go check out Atsu's channel. That man is a Playdate Wizard!)
Hey! Thanks for the tip
you remember that i've asked for the tips right?
hey here's a tip. Don't expect it to always look beautiful, everything goes though an ugly phase.
Actually, black and white movies has even harder challenges. Because they can't help differentiate things with color, they has to constantly think about contrast, composition and lighting...
All the things that people overlook when they use colors. If your contrast, composition, and lightning is bad color, its not going to save it.
If the colours don’t work in black and white, it won’t look good it colour :/
There’s also the idea that limitations breed creativity! Starting with these restrictions forces you to think outside the box, and early on it can help you think more creatively when those weights are taken off
Fun collabing with you Goodgis! Everyone else, if you're interested in seeing someone make Playdate games or you want to learn how to make games for the Playdate, come on over!
Heck yeah!
EMCG
The ultimate collab no one was expecting
When taking criticism, it is important to know the difference between good and bad criticism. I think that the most important distinguishing factor is whether or not a piece of criticism aligns with the goals you have set out to achieve with a work. I believe this distinction is important, as there are plenty of well-meaning critics who 's advice can be counter-productive if it doesn't align with the goal of your work. After all, there are no right or wrong things to do in art, just methods that bring you closer to or further from your goal. Don't mistake this as "criticism you directly agree with", but rather what the end goal of the product you are creating is meant to accomplish. You'll need to be a bit introspective about what exactly you are trying to accomplish with your work. Break down what your are trying to achieve, and what best practices would constitute that.
That's a great point!
Artists are not unorganized, they just have a strong personal take on what "organized" means... XD
Spoken like a true artist.
2:55 I was looking for something like Milanote. Huge Thanks!
These are pretty good! Really, useful advice as far as I can tell.
"Defining your style rules" is awesome advice, too. I've also been toying with how to get a set of [art assets] that looks good, and how to foster a new style, and you're so on the money. (Although I still avoid style rules if I can 🙃.)
Glad it was helpful!
As someone who has been doing pixel art for 2 years now great tips! Although I break the color one by useing the HDR pallet which does work well for me and I have a consistent and recognizable style dispite it but I can see how it won't for others.
Rules are meant to be broken at times haha
I love the new shorter videos. I love the concept of the play date too, super fun and retro. I’d love to make a concept game for it. I never really though about stylising my game so this was super useful!
Thanks so much! :D
Dude just found your channel and I have never thought about making a game, but now I'm thinking that maybe me and my buddies should just get together a weekend and try to see what comes of it XD.
Damn i watch the whole thing and its worth it! Epic video as always.
He keeps his promise! and returns with another great video and keeps getting better. Thank for motivating us to keep doing game dev :)
You're welcome! :D
Thanks for sharing these helpful tips Goodgis. I'm a beginner level artist especially when it comes to digital art. I'll definitely keep these tips in mind while I grind the practicing.
Super happy to hear it! I wish you the best of luck.
Pixel art always look so easy when you look at channel like this on youtube... amazing tips by the way, maybe have to try the practice one on more than 2 consecutive days to see some kind of progress XD
It does take practice but you can totally do this! :D
These are really good tips. Thank you!
You're so welcome!
Awsome tips mate 👍
Thanks 👍
Great video! These are brilliant tips that I need to keep in mind.
Glad it was helpful!
Great video this was very helpful as i’m just starting off with my own art for my games :)
Glad it was helpful! :D
Learning to critique and take critiques, with a dose of knowing what a critique looks like (helpful but can hurt, if you aren't used to it) and a criticism (someone just saying it sucks) is a huge way to gain knowledge and skill in art and it took me a long time to learn all that
awesome video! awesome editing!
Thanks so much!!
I've been slowly starting to get back into doing pixel art, I never really had too much of a direction with it and maybe that's why I didn't go as far with it as I'd liked before. This video gave really helpful advice, happy I stumbled across it 👍. The only other thing I have to add is the struggle of an artist to not be their own worst critic and, for that reason, it's crucial to have positive but honest support from others who view your work.
Super happy to hear it! You definitely need to get back into it. :D
Color Tips:
When using color assets, limit your palette size. It lends to consistency and makes it much easier to manage your game assets should changes need made.
A good place to start is to pick a primary and secondary color that will be the focal points for your art.
From here, subtle shading can be used to add depth, but don't go too crazy.
If you have trouble picking colors, there are many websites that can help you by supplying palettes, or giving colors based on color theory from a color wheel.
Speaking of focal points, your colors should instantly draw the player's eyes where you want them to pay attention to.
If any assets are distracting, then the color scheme might need tweaking. There should be clear distinction between foreground and background.
Contrast is doubly important for identifying what can be interacted with and what can't. For instance, platforms should always be instantly recognizable. No player wants to fall through what they thought was solid ground, or be blocked by what they think is a solid wall, that turns out to not be solid at all. (Except in troll levels. Those are an exception, not the rule.)
Thanks for sharing!
Nice, didn't know some of these tips, the more you know!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video and good tips
Glad you enjoyed! :D
Super, Thank you!
Thank you too!
Seven samurai! I just started getting back into pixel art recently, good timing
Heck yeah, it's one of my favorite movies!
There's good stuff inside bones. It is possible that the use of tools allowed early humans to access that good stuff - meaning that spitting out the bones doesn't necessarily help you get better. You just have to WORK to get to the good stuff... and, as a thinking person, knowing about and then using the PROPER TOOLS is the key to evolving in your own life. ( and why humans have become the BEST animals ... no matter how much people try to make you hate yourself - you're pretty amazing just being a human )
Thanks for sharing! :D
@@Goodgis Do you agree or disagree?
2:16 cool tips and cool vid but the 4th one is very wrong imo, along with looking at real references of what you're trying to draw, you absolutely SHOULD look at pixel art references (or stylized ones in general). You can compare the two and learn from the various ways artists have simplified and transcribed the shapes of your subject. It's incredibely usefull and inspiring.
Ahh, I think that's a trap. I think it's okay to look at pixel art reference but it's very easy to copy another piece if it's the same thing you're working on.
Fr. Being inspired by something is absolutely not stealing. Just learn a little from it and incorporate it into your own style. Nothing is 100% original
@@Goodgis I get that and it's true you have to be conscious about it though I think it's preventable as long as your references are diverse and come from a multitude of artists, building your own art style is basically borrowing from other ones while incorporating your own influences into it.
Love ALL of this!!
Thanks! :D
Sick. Love ur vids😊😊😊
Thanks so much! :D
@@Goodgis Btw, i dont know how to make 3d assets out of 2d images? Any help with that, a bit like rocket pods
This is a great video! What music did you use for it? The last song I know is Baeb Steps because of the description, but what about the other songs?
I honestly don't remember. They are all part of the RUclips Library.
@@Goodgis That's okay, I'll see if I can dig into the RUclips Library to find them.
Thankyou man.
You're welcome!
Start simple, basic shapes will help you so much especially if you’re gonna animate them since you won’t have to change as much per frame keeping it consistent
A game I've been working on is mainly monochrome, with a little colour. Some of the more meaningful scenes will have colour.
Tip 1 is what I see on twitter all the time. Those crazy good looking pixelart prototypes that you can't really use on a tilemap, they have all neat shadows and perspectives. It would be a pain to make a 2d game like that
"Eat the meat, and spit out the bones" the best advice regarding taking criticism
I can't even make the noob fish, it's so simplistic and symmetrical
great vid pal. maybe i missed it, but what is that editor you using for drawing in the video?
Pyxel Edit
Pyxel Edit! It's costs but I personally really like it.
MORE TIPS:
Backup early, backup often!
Either use art software that automatically saves your work to the Cloud, or smash the 'save' button *EVERY TIME* you take a breather. I've lost so much work over my lifetime, and each time I experience data loss, it's a hair-pulling experience.
Also, practice the discipline of versioning your work. Just like programmers do. (e.g. v1.0, v1.7...) You may find yourself working down one path and wanting to switch directions. It's helpful to keep each branching path separate.
Finally, even if you *DO* backup automatically to the cloud, get a physical backup media drive (or few) to save your work to locally. I save everything in triplicate, to a set of drives which hold my entire portfolio back to 1999, when I was still in high school! I recently pulled some old concept work from 2006 and used my own artwork as a reference... which, I ultimately scrapped... but, seeing what I'd done before showed me not only the room for improvement (and how I've evolved as an artist) but also helped to influence my new direction. Plus, I kept the color palette, so that's something. The point is... you never know when you'll be like, "Oh! This reminds me of that thing I did..." and it's *REALLY* useful to be able to dig into your own archives, rather than Googling source images for stuff you, yourself, made.
This is true!
I like the erasing to draw trick :'D
Ohh, it's great for instantly drawing masterpieces. I use it all the time. ;)
This is the only Sponsor I loved So much
The "bad" one in the thumbnail looks cute tho.
Cool rendition of an arowana fish!
Thank you! Cheers!
i just started getting good at pixel art and i followed all these
Heck yeah! That's what I like to hear.
I'm gonna pin a note (a Milanote) to write you a more detailed e-mail about the deets, but... Goodgis, your #NotSpon video introducing Milanote to your workflow singlehandedly inspired me to pick it up and... hoo-boy! That revolutionized my process. It really is a game-changer. **rimshot** [pun intended]
Thanks so much for forwarding what works for your team, onto the masses.
Also, I really appreciate when RUclipsrs gain sponsorship from services they actually *USE* and endorse, and genuinely wish to disseminate the knowledge of.
My son and I often joke that there are about a half-dozen uber-popular sponsorships out there available for every YT genre (education = Curiosity Stream, game-related = RAID Shadow Legends, etc.) and we just see them over and over, until they're bludgeoned into our skulls.
So, it's a huge, refreshing relief when someone pitches a *NEW* service... and, especially, when it's the result of that Tuber saying, "Yeah, I use this. I like this. They're not paying me to say this." ...up to the point where they do.
Somehow, that feels more 'earned' and it means more to your audience. At least this father-son duo, over here, anyway.
Thanks so much, man! I'm glad you're loving it. :D
True sorry, I've rejected RAID 3 times. I just don't advertising something I don't use or care about. :D
2:28 to add a bit of nuance here, looking at how others executed something, especially in pixel art, can really help you figure out how to go about it too. pixel art is like a puzzle so seeing other's "solutions" can inspire your own. as long as you're conscious of how you're using it I think it's perfectly ok 👍
this is exactly true! you can always take inspiration from others so long as your also injecting your own ideas into your work at the same time!
On more tip I would like to add, is to keep in mind in which screen your pixelart will be displayed. If you take references from retro games, which a lot of indie games do, then you should see how do they look on a CRT screen instead of seeing them on LCD screen. CRT screen shange the hue, the brightness and tend to mix the pixels together. If so much old games tend to look "dead" or "yellowish" on emulator, it's because you're using the wrong screen to display the graphics.
Thanks for sharing! :D
@@Goodgis it's great to have a CRT screen to check the old references.
Also, composite or RGB cable gave different effects, RGB is sharper, while composite is more blury and has color issues. Most Sega Genesis games have been made with the composite cable in mind.
Some dithering effects are blured with CRT, that's why it was si common
Hey googis I have a question about dewdrop dynasty! Is it going to be a metroidvania styled game? Im still looking forward to it!
Yes! :D
Pixel art is so much fun when it finally clicks
It really is!
Sorry if this not on topic, but given your obvious experience, I need your opinion. Between Constuct and Gdevelop which seems to have better workflow? (Ignoring the fact that the latter is free while the former isn't). After looking at both, it seems that both can do pretty much the same things (with a few exceptions) but I can't tell which has the best logical workflow, meaning I can't tell which is best for keeping their elements organized so I can go more easily from point A to point B, if that makes any sense at all hahaha. Thoughts?
I think both are great, though I think Construct 3 is more polished? And that's partly due to them having more funding.
@@Goodgis thank you so much! I was kind of feeling that myself, but not being a developer, yet, I wanted a more professional opinion lol. Again, many thanks!! :D
i dont even pixel often anymore this is enjoyable
Thanks!
@@Goodgis ty for making the vid
Always reference from realblife but i think referencing from other artists isnt always so bad, specially when it comes to stylizing. I feel like i sometimes put way too much detail on certain parts and the drawings end up looking too cluttered and hard to read so i sometimes like to look at how other artists do it and which parts of the drawing i should put less or more focus on
This play date console is interesting to me, how big of a game can you make ? Can it play a long 30/40 hourish game on it ?
I just had to say this, I can't wait for The Mandalorian Season 3!
'every artist' means 'also non-pixel artist'.
as a vector/hand-drawing artist, i can confirm that these pixel art tips are for every picture artist.
Heck yeah!
I clicked onto this video, because of the fish in the thumbnail, it like it alot
what program do you use for your pixel art? is it free? if not can you tell me of some good pixel art programs?
It use a $15 software called Pyxel Edit. But you can even just use Paint.
@@Goodgis ms paint?
Color correction isn't just about color. You still have to color correct a B&W film.
But there's no color to correct? :p
You have to color correct the shade of the blacks and whites
what are some websites you recommend for those that want to start?
One thing i find important in pixel art and especially in games is to keep all pixels the same size. I see a lot of games that have pixels in different sizes and it looks so awful.
I dabble in pixel art sometimes, and I agree with your tips as I also practice some of these too... I'm not sure though why you say bitmaps are only back and white? All pixel art is basically bitmaps, right?
There is different formats of Bitmap but base bitmap is only black and transparent.
👍
The most amusing thing to me about this video is that the fish on the left side of the thumbnail is so low res that it would fit inside the eyeball of the one on the right side. xD
I know right? haha
I tried the Mobile version of Milanote. It needs work but could turn out really well. I’ve deleted it for now because I quit using it for the fact it just wasn’t like what I see with the PC version. It probably won’t be the exact same since it’s PC vs Mobile but I’m gonna give it time then come back to it. Hopefully they continue to update it and make it better.
They actually keep updating and it's getting better. I just saw they add Ipad support so it works like the computer. :D
@@Goodgis that's awesome! It seems like a really good app and more what I've wanted so I may try it again soon!
What pixel art software that I could use. I am working on a videogame and am trying to find a free software!
It actually costs but it's called Pyxel Edit. :D
@@Goodgis thanks.
As I tell my students "A critique on your work is not a critique on your worth."
The noob example looks nice the pro example is more of a beta/alpha design
LOL
what is the game at 1:32? it looks so cool
Does anyone know of any software I can use to make Pixel art for a video game??? I am using piskel but I don't know how to put it into a video game engine such as Unreal.
When i make pixel art and when i look for a reference for something i don't know how to draw i do use a pixel art reference when i try to draw hair or hats because it is really hard for some reason to make the hair style or hat i am looking for i just find it weird that it hard for me to make that
I can understand hair, it can be pretty challenging.
The DS style you chose reminds me specifically of Rhythm Heaven (The DS one obviously)
Eat the meat spit out the bones, I’ve actually never heard that before. Great advice.
It's a classic!
Another style comparison is Wind Waker to Twilight Princess, and I think that’s more shocking (idk if that’s the best word lol) because they’re in the same series.
This is true!
Hey goodgis
Greetings!
Everywhere I go, I see the Sokpop sock
It is everywhere
What Pixel Art App Do You Use?
Can you tell me the application name? That you use for pixel art
It's called Pyxel Edit. :D
If you want to practice your art but don't know what to do or want to know if it looks good then ask your family or friends for a idea and show then your art.
I love that you're including comedy in your videoes ! The part about naming layers had me screaming laughing.
Glad you enjoyed it haha
What do we really mean when we say that some media ages poorly? (Specifically relating to realism)
0:19 What is the name of this program?
Pyxel Edit. :D
NOOO THE FISH LOOKS LIKE IT HAS MIXELS
O_O
Hi!
Hello!
if only i had feedback. i would not take it too personally :,)
in the thumbnail, on the left 'd still consider that a good drawing.
Not saying it's bad but it's not super professional either.
@ 2:27 I took these words into consideration and I wanted to ask you personally, is my game too similar to yours graphics wise? I would love some help on this from the source himself. I've had some people say my game is too similar graphics wise too yours but the gameplay/story/everything else is different. Would love your opinion man please get back too me, much love, HIIMZ.
Some of the artwork does look pretty similar, specially the purple tiles. haha Maybe by adding some basic shading or using a higher resolution you can make the game look different?
@@Goodgis Yeah I took out the ones that looked similar to yours already. I am also adding more shadows and highlights. It's hard to make pixel art so small look different. I don't wanna be known as the guy that ripped off your game haha. Hopefully I have made enough changes and people will see that in my next devlog. Thanks for the feedback!
so im gonna put one thing out here, its not that function is more important than form, is that form must SERVE function and vice-versa the two must communicate and cooperate to give a optimized experience for the player, if you gonna do a artistic kind of game(Ex: journey, flower, abzu, GRIS) function serves form, in a mechanical game form must serve function
They are both important, but most of the time you can let your art get in the way of gameplay. It can feel awkward.
**Pulls out notepad**
XD
what is the game @3:52 ?
Owlboy!
1 where can I get that console
2 pixel art
search playdate. :D
Anything with a pencil tool can be used for pixel art.
This is true haha
Is it not easy for people to steal your design's from that website ?
Which website?
@@Goodgis Milanote
Good tips but you forgot an important one, it dose not have to be semi realistic, you can make it more cartoonish
Tacos inside of Eggs
Yes...just yes.
Outstanding work! This content is setting a new standard. I recently read a similar book, and it was groundbreaking. "Reclaiming Connection: The Journey of a Digital Detox" by Joshua Ember
talking about layers? I'm pro with nearly 20 years of eperience mainly in adobe software. Sometime my works consist of well over hundred layers.
I never name single one, waste of time. I organize them in named groups but I have a system that I don't even think where which layer is. I JUST KNOW.
I appreciate your video though I'm trying to make a GB game for my son I've been doing some pixel art mock-ups but I really need some advice for minimalistic approach. Kinda funny how a pro graphic designer can find it really hard to do something that looks so simple as pixel art. It ain't so easy folks :)
Thanks for sharing!
Bro i cant even draw the noob one 😭😭😭😭
;(
But.. but.. but... The bone has delicious marrow.... Plus bone soup is supposed to be good for the joints???
I wouldn't say that you shouldn't use pixel art as reference, because if you're able to identify and take away the techniques that make a piece work you can apply it to your own piece. Just don't copy someone's art, learn lessons from it.
That's a good point!