My Personal Do's and Don'ts of Pixel art! (How I make pixel art!)

Today I explain the things that I think look good in pixel and the things I think don't look good. I crammed a lot of content and visuals into this one, because I hate long tutorials. If you need some time to look at the examples just pause the video.
Reddit (Where I usually just post the finished artworks): u/Pixel_Overload
Itch.io (Download assets from my videos): pixeloverload.itch.io/
Instagram (Random Things): pixeloverloadyt
0:00 Intro
0:35 Do's and Don'ts
6:04 Outro

[@chicharonnes98]

T

[@shoevarnish3047]

Bone

[@PixelOverloadChannel]

@@shoevarnish3047 Steak

[@oldaccount6555]

I

[@shnawtf69420]

@@PixelOverloadChannel T Bone Steak?

[@5soda]

@@shnawtf69420 T Bone Steak!

[@Faylayx]

The amount of effort you put into the ui and styling of your visual brand identity is astounding...just wow. Great job

[@PixelOverloadChannel]

Thanks!

[@uselessgoblin]

Couldn't agree more

[@oldaccount6555]

First ever person I saw to congratulate him for it

[@naturelist]

I am 101% agree! XD

[@Tazerboy_10]

😲

[@domjanabi6006]

4:15 both are valid, the left one would be for something interactive while the right one would be background, as it implies fog

[@cuboembaralhado8294]

yes, but the second frame would be bad if I didn't use fog difference between the closest and the farthest, without fog it would seem like everything is on your face, like to have a far mountain at your side

[@-ism8153]

My thoughts exactly. I think he was using it as an example of a standalone piece, but the right side would be great as a background of a larger work or video game, drawing less attention to itself for focus on the foreground. The left is better if it's the focus.

[@hiiambarney4489]

Yeah if this was a background for a platformer I would prefer to use the right one, maybe with SOME more contrast in special places but if you can convey a background to your player, making him know what is solid and what just bg image, is half the battle really.

[@flask223]

agree. it's important to think about choice tho. if you chose to make something with little contrast, there should be a reason. So e.g, it's a background image, or it's far away etc

[@janikarkkainen3904]

All of these tips are good, but just remember, it's okay to break any rules if it is something that you feel makes what are you creating "more you". Nothing wrong with liking and using, for instance, black outlines on objects, if that is the aesthetic you are going for. EDIT: And just to make it clear for everyone, I do realize that's exactly what the video says too: these are just tips, not hardline rules that make your pixel art not be pixel art if you don't follow them.

[@janikarkkainen3904]

@@lapelusa993 Dude, I literally say that I know that that's what the video says. It's a really important point though, and bears repeating.

[@Cythil]

Yeah. It bears repeating. I have seen them be broken for stylistic choice. Sometimes you may even go for what the video warns you about. It can serve a purpose. But is more about knowing what you're doing. The issue comes up more when people do not think about what they're doing. Breaking the guidelines can be great, when you do it on purpose.

[@elthomas_]

You have to learn the rules before you break them. Someone taught me this in middle school; I think it's very applicable to all kinds of art doing.

[@janikarkkainen3904]

@@elthomas_ Oh yeah that's a good point and is applicable to basically anything.

[@sharpfang]

Like in any art: when to break the rules? When you know what you're doing. When the rules stand in the way of your goal.

[@flofrost8335]

It's funny how most of these do's and don'ts root from just having limited hardware. I'm working on a project, which consist of making a video game on very limited hardware. So "have limited color", i only have 136 possible colors ever, so it's pretty much covered. "don't overuse anti aliasing" it just doesn't exist on hardware, unless hard made in the sprites, which isn't easy still. "have small canvas" to limit memory usage, small sprites are preferred. So i'm basically forced to follow most of these tips. I really admire how creativity sprouts from restrictions. The other tips are useful for my use case too tho, so thanks for this video!

[@plague_doctor0237]

What hardware are you using?

[@flofrost8335]

@@plague_doctor0237 I'm making my own graphics card, for a CRT TV. I'm using a ATMEGA1284 clocked at 20MHz as the core of the GPU, along with some analog electronics to aid the color fabrication. I've managed to pull off a 120x120 resolution with 200 colors. If you are interested, you can look up my name on github.

[@cupofdirtfordinner]

this is all amazing advice! however, at 3:52, it largely depends on what you are making your drawing for. close together shades make the art far more relaxed and less bold and loud. if you, for example, are making a background for a desktop, or a game, or anything that shouldnt attract too much attention, then having close together shades is generally beneficial. With darker outlines as apposed to little to no outlines, it can often appear more clean or less intrusive. other than this, this video is really good and offers tons of great tips!

[@CaseyFaris]

Dang. Excellent job. Beautiful roundup.

[@alessiobenvenuto5159]

I always use black outline, maybe sometimes not 100% black, but always one single color for everything. It mantains the clear and cartoon look

[@nerdygeekyart]

You're quickly becoming one of my favorite pixel art content creators. Keep up the exceptional work!

[@JITEG]

Same

[@joacooy8754]

1:28 I personally preefer the right rocket than the left one But I agree that the color palette should be smaller

[@SamyasaSwi]

Yeah me too

[@ub-4630]

If that's the aesthetic look that suits your taste but keep in mind that you would probably want to animate them too and one is going to be easy and the other will be super difficult

[@joacooy8754]

@@ub-4630 well, it depends whether you are doing an animation or a game

[@ronsronshirt4177]

@@ub-4630 I was going to object that a rocket can be animated entirely with layers, but if you have any object in the scene that looks that shaded, you're committing to making EVERYTHING that shaded when under the same lighting. So your point is 100% correct.

[@ub-4630]

@@joacooy8754 You still need to animate in games tho

[@8bitpineapple_dev339]

I disagree with "Don't use black for outlines". Especially for the example of a key. Looking at screen shots of Super Mario World, things like Coins/Mushrooms/Keys/Enemies/etc have black outlines. Black outlines seem to be more of a stylistic choice ... and can help hint at gameplay -- like distinguishing what's background art and what's an enemy/collectable or solid ground.

[@8bit_pineapple]

My comment bugged and got sent by no user?

[@destinyjewel2588]

I do agree that it can be a stylistic/utility purpose. Just depends on the situation. Like for example if a key is a decoration or if it's for utility purposes. Like if it's in the background of like a jail or home then don't use a black outline as the eye maybe drawn to it. But that can be useful to an important object as it needs to be found to progress. But I feel like because of how this video is structured and how the tip was talked about seemed to be more of a "Don't overuse black outlines as it can break immersion". In the end these are more or less guidelines than actually solid rules so it's hard to have a correct answer and more so a generally accepted one.

[@halfbakedmedia]

@@8bit_pineapple Whoah, look what it did now!

[@Jar.Headed]

Do: Use warm colours for lighter areas and cooler colours for darker areas UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE DO NOT: Mix your colour with white, black, or any other monochromatic colour

[@owohub9378]

is this a challenge

[@Pikrioling]

Mix?

[@Scarabola]

idgi

[@GerbilDrip]

@@Scarabola If you use white/black to add shading/highlights, you won't be changing the warmth with your shade, which this video advocates for (and it really does make your palettes look a lot better). Instead, you should experiment with mixing with a dark blue for your shade, and a yellow (for warmth) for your highlights

[@Potatotherealone]

​@@GerbilDripIf you have a light source that is white you can mix the bright side with white and the shadows with black. But I agree that you offen have a yellow light source and that you should shift your hue a bit then.

[@Am3ricium]

1:20 IMO rocket on the right looks nice, if you can handle your colors well and can shade like this. The game Blasphemous has some realistically shaded encounters, yet you likely would not argue that it is not pixel-art. 5:48 once again the drawing on the right looks nice, it reminds me some of Pixel-boy art. While I mostly agree with all the previous points, the canvas size one is the most subjective. Outcome piece size doesn't really matter if it still achieves pixelated look or style you aim for.

[@ViralKiller]

your work is amazing. I did a John Wick 2 SNES animation a few weeks ago. Wasn't really consistent in terms of pixel sizes

[@jewels3846]

I love this as someone just learning pixel art. But its funny how my experience in other part has already given me a preference for some of the Dos like outlining in a darker shade of the same colour.

[@PixelOverloadChannel]

Yeah, it's interesting how mediums overlap. My knowledge of hue shifting from pixel art has been super helpful for vector and digital painting.

[@stmiqote3242]

This is so helpful! Ive always just done pixel art by adding what looks good without looking at any tutorials, but it's always looked... flat? So I've recently been more serious about learning to do pixel art properly. Kinda hurts seeing the things I always do - outlining with black, and just picking any colour that looks good, and pancake shading - all listed in the don'ts. But now I know better thanks to you! I also love the way all the UI in this video is beautifully done pixel art.

[@ronsronshirt4177]

At 3:34, the key with the black outline you listed under "don't" actually looks A LOT better to me. I THINK this is because the severe contrast in brightness indicates that the key is made of a reflective material, and so the side of the key that is perpendicular to your vision will be dramatically brighter than the edges of the key, which are parallel to your vision.

[@joseguilherme2386]

Even though I have years of experience in pixel art this video was so diddatic and helpful, amazing work ❣

[@cosmicreciever]

I have to say I wouldn't hold too much weight in these rules, half the time I preferred the images on the right

[@astrocatsoft]

True.

[@hugoclarke3284]

Your Pixellency, this selection of beautifully presented tips has attracted me from afar to serve as your humble subscriber

[@kobi...]

Pancake shading doesn't look very good most of the time, however this does to mean don't use it, It will be very useful for you when creating Buttons and other 2d style UI things.

[@jomambo]

Yes, make an animation video! You got like the best tutorials out there!

[@paypercutts]

Yeah, I agree! An animation tutorial would help alot of people

[@MariJadeWrites]

Yes an animation tutorial would be great!

[@Ph4n_t0m]

Another excellent video! I can't imagine the hours you invested in just this one, not to mention all of them! The dedication to your craft is commendable and I feel honoured for the gift, thank you!

[@jucicat]

So cool! The tips are very good and the explaining is briiliant :D I always felt like I prefered pixel art more than regular digital art. I planned to return to pixel art this summer but I lacked motivation. Your videos inspired me to draw again!! TYSM for your work!

[@tyronorxy5646]

*Do: Scale pixels with distance, and use parallax.* *Don't: Remain pixel consistant regardless of distance.*

[@valletas]

I disagree with that Pixel consistent will always make your project look better even if you dont use parallax Especially for game dev having pixels be inconsistent between sprites looks really amaturish

[@totallyjustmagic]

This is soo good, you deserve more than a million dude

[@MattListor]

This channel is unreal. Thanks for putting in the time to make quality stuff

[@ThePixelExpedition]

Great video summarizing the essential rules of pixel art! And you're right - there are very few comprehensive videos like this one that illustrate this. Great work!

[@zedelstein2826]

Worth noting that Pokémon sprites from, heartgold for example, use a fair amount of “jaggies”, and they work very well! Of course those are very small sprites that move as well, so they’re only noticeable so much if you examine them to learn from them in the same way I do haha

[@icyperception186]

I am so glad to stumble upon this channel first when searching for pixel art tutorials! Really nice vide, as a beginner, I learned a lot

[@leobernardo9175]

The amount of work that was poured into this tutorial is amazing!

[@rokimaks1]

Quality work as always, I hope the algorithm finds you soon.

[@JITEG]

Me too!

[@Tails2020]

Ok, admittedly that large-canvas art in your last tip looks amazing. I could totally see a game made entirely in that style

[@PixelOverloadChannel]

We made one! It's called Soup 'em up and you can see my process in the MS Paint video.

[@Czimbala]

This game is TBoI, isn't it?

[@idrawpictures9140]

Most underrated KZbin channel I've ever seen. Keep at it you're doing amazing things.

[@square_i7380]

to be fair, when it comes to the hue shifting, if your going for an older style, leaving it out can help it feel older.

[@PixelOverloadChannel]

Yeah that's true. Black outlines can help with that look too.

[@square_i7380]

​@@PixelOverloadChannel reallly depends on what old style your going for; commander keen? doom? Wolfenstein 3D? PONG?? E.T (atari)?????

[@vitorz.5784]

Great video, excellent content. Many relevant and well selected tips that make all the difference when starting at pixel art

[@cacelo1509]

This is underrated

[@InkyTrashBagg]

Yea bro

[@andremarcatti7600]

Your videos are superb, please keep them coming! I'd love to see a video with some examples of these rules being broken but to good effect.

[@JITEG]

Yeh me too. I like sometimes to experiment with different styles that break these unwritten rules

[@dynajay4106]

When I work on a large canvas just to get the overall form down, I'll shrink it and retranslate the pixels. For tools like Photoshop, I always go into Preferences > General, then set interpolation to "Nearest Neighbor"

[@whaive]

MAN, what a hidden gem of a channel, keep it up! :D

[@sulayenhanglimboo5110]

One of the reliable sources to learn pixel art ,great work.👍🏽

[@redaipo]

6:00 I think both of them are nice. I've seen games use the large pixel art style. I think Yoshi's Island does it and it looks nice.

[@surprisinglysam3728]

You don’t miss!! Love your channel, it’s helping develop my pixel style!

[@Amieee]

The background is outstanding, wonderful work all around!

[@tidcy4814]

Ok but WOW is the video just so well made! The music and visuals are amazing keep it up!

[@cub3805]

Dude seeing your videos just got me into pixel art i am really just starting so i am watching your videos to learn more! ;D

[@arachnophobik433]

This has been veeery helpful, great vid man!

[@eboatwright_]

I love this channel! It's so high quality and SOO underrated. :)

[@John_Macaroni]

these videos are insane! keep it up dude

[@joaquinvenegasjara9250]

This channel is just amazing. Please continue uploading more videos. I wish your channel a lot of success.

[@KennesuBakkuro]

I've been doing pixel art for like a month now i always watch tutorials and stuff, thanks for this tutorial btw it really helps me :3 I Enjoy Pixel Art So Much.

[@JITEG]

I follow all nearly all of these always :3. Ofcourse it depends a bit on artstyle. I just want to say that u can use big canvases if you are doing a larger scene. But still you should remember to devide the canvas to smaller sections so they have the picel art look. But everyone propably realized that :D

[@wooden3ofclubs]

Wow, your videos are very high quality and you can see the time spent on each one. Keep it up!

[@Z0RLIG]

I've always had mad respect for pixel artists, because it is so different. And how does one even fit so much detail in a few pixels, it's crazy. Thanks for the recommendation, KZbin. xD I'll be doing a pixel art challenge for myself now, lol. Amazing video though! So much work put into it. Love the details.

[@TG-ge1oh]

This is gold! Eagerly waiting for your animation tutorial.

[@mustafacanguvercin]

Perfect simplified narrative and presentation❤

[@raptorswire7212]

such a amazing video, just because of so much aesthetic attention! You have a new subscriber!

[@MythicBeanProductions]

Your stuff is very inspiring and makes me want to work hard to be able to make such good and charming art like you

[@a-pose]

Im trying to get into pixel art and this is a major help. Thanks man.

[@stan0wska200]

Great video as always! 👏

[@kerstenbr]

A animation tutorial would be awesome!

[@paypercutts]

Yes yes most definitely

[@teasprite7311]

I would love to see an animation tutorial! Love your vids btw. Since I started watching, I've improved a lot!

[@minah.]

i love this and your voice is so calming.

[@vivanecrosis]

That was great. I learnt each thing, as I’ve not yet done much pixel art. Now I might 👍🏻

[@untintedxd3242]

im just getting started with pixel art and this was really useful

[@HollowedEyeHounds]

I think Hyper Light Drifter showed how great gradients can be with pixel art. I personally use gradients a fair bit in my work, and it makes a lot of my stuff blend better and feel more cohesive.

[@SamiTheAnxiousBean]

Damn these are going to be helpful for starters!! And also everything here visual wise looks amazing I love your work definantly subscribing here

[@yevanasvetya5486]

Oh man if my eye can scream it will right now. Them pixels beautiful, such stylish

[@justmeandme1197]

Im new to this and just starting out and your videos is amazing to point out any mistakes .. Thank you soooo much for making this video

[@clydoscope5841]

EVERYTHING LOOKS SOOOOO Fascinating

[@4eyedblaccat]

the visuals you use are so nice and easy to look at , it really makes the information much easier to understand and follow along with !!!!!! thanks for doing that !!!!!! ( also , yes please please make an animation tutorial !! )

[@sharkboy2936]

I really love your work, keep it up

[@idle.observer]

Thank you for the these invaluable tips!

[@Shrimpe371]

This helped me so much as my way of being pixel artist!! Thank you so much! 😄

[@user-ec6vf7zq9j]

Your video style is my favorite!

[@NanduKrishnanNKSanandu]

really high quality stuff, thanks mate!

[@shojohi]

Thanks for the video, I’m just starting to learn pixel art and it’s very helpful

[@archive6094]

These visuals make my eyeballs happy. : )

[@MariJadeWrites]

Thank you for the tips, this is very useful! Would love to see an animation tutorial as well :)

[@samaeltheangelofdeath]

This rings true with my heart, very technically perfect, see how much information is saved, while also making your art more aesthetic?

[@octobrogames4841]

Thanks for the video. Gonna wait for your animation tutorial now, it will be very appreciated

[@ultimatemeowsers5840]

thank you. im in love with this video

[@TheTj9304]

Thank you, this actually helps understand better in my food drawing and I understand I could use black outlines for pixel drawing but only as a rough draft, But for the final product of a pixel array drawings, the black outlines needs to be a different unique color that fits well in the design choice

[@covereye5731]

4:14 Close together shades make sense for a far distance background as you can see on the image on the right. Things become blurrier as they move further away and you want to draw focus to specific elements in the scene, those are the thing that should show the most detail.

[@PixelPotato]

Very informative and the presentation was killer!

[@kuroyari5321]

thanks again for the opportunity to be better in what I love

[@hashirali6988]

Wow nice tips, this video is what i was looking for

[@rinoailustra6068]

very clear and puntual your tips, i really liked it :D. thanks

[@Mohit_N.R]

I wish I've came across this video and your channel sooner, tho it's not late but still. Thanks for the Tips. It's Extremly Helpful. ♥✨

[@musikalniyfanboichik]

wow, the effort you put in these videos 🤯

[@JackieCodes]

amazing video! all hail pixel overlord! xD

[@AbnerRynjah]

Thank you for your video. Especially since you give side by side examples which helps "us" the viewer, to understand what you're trying to explain. Keep up the good work.😁👍🏻 Edit: You deserve way more recognition for what you're doing it's worth the sub, like and share.

[@tr3vorx]

i would love to see an animation tutorial. so glad i found your channel

[@thiagoramos9596]

Very good video bro, i am trying to coming back into this art style and this video was inspiring to me, thanks

[@GlowingComics]

animation tutorials ? yes please - thanks this was great!

[@rainbowstar9142]

this was extremely informative and clear :) thanks!

[@silverblue73]

Coloring with gradients gives some pretty sweet effects

[@diarserouy]

Wow, you are a really professional, very good video

[@caped57]

Another great video!

[@nagai_kawa]

I wish I had seen this video sooner. Thank you very much