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

[@chicharonnes98]

T

[@shoevarnish3047]

Bone

[@PixelOverloadChannel]

@@shoevarnish3047 Steak

[@oldaccount6555]

I

[@Blud6966]

@@PixelOverloadChannel T Bone Steak?

[@5soda]

@@Blud6966 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]

😲

[@CaseyFaris]

Dang. Excellent job. Beautiful roundup.

[@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.

[@MattListor]

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

[@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.

[@czarsquid855]

Those are some good rules. For the last one, big canvas is discouraged because it means a lot of detail. I love working on a big canvas but it's very time consuming

[@flask223]

black outlines are sometimes preferable to a coloured outline. if you want something more bold or readable.

[@owohub9378]

increasing the canvas size isn't really a bad thing, it's just not traditional pixel art. turning off anti-aliasing looks nice

[@cjspellsfish]

4:19 (coughs and vomits when looking at right side)

[@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

[@burntbeansoup]

I think white outlines, especially when passing, grab your attention more.

[@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.

[@sam_64]

CRT TVs often simulated anti-aliasing before it was a thing too.

[@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!

[@Scott...]

According to this video, Terraria has committed several crimes against pixel art

[@nerdygeekyart]

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

[@JITEG]

Same

[@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!

[@Muho_is_me]

I think black outline also looks cartoonish so if you want something cartoonish black outline might be better Oh also here is a different advice too Dont take advice from people who have no idea what they are doing (me)

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@Rand0m_Anon]

What's the style on the *right* at 5:42 called?? I always loved that style, but I've never known the name and always called it "the MS Paint effect mmmm" because that's how I see a lot of people (including myself and Pixel Overload) draw on MS Paint

[@arcticserpent]

THIS IS A DISSERVICE TO THE PIXEL ART COMMUNITY, LIES MIXED WITH TRUTH. ""USING A BIG CANVAS SIZE DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF PIXEL ART AND REMOVES ALL THE CHALLENGE" is bullcrap. Its the opposite. Using a big canvas size creates a much larger sprite, it will require significantly more effort per piece of work. There is no "right size for the purpose of pixel art". Let me critique the whole piece: Ooof, I don't know man, I'd have to disagree with most of your "do's and don'ts" than agree. 1. Your "don't" on hue shifting looks better. 2. I'm not a fan of either of your "anti aliasing". 3. Your "don't" with 'lots of colors' looks much better than your solid one; your 'don't' has the right amount of colors. 4. First one I agree with, your easing in and out. 5. "Jaggies" are needed in most forms of pixel art, except the extremely simple; I've never had anyone criticize my art for "jaggies" and I don't think anyone would unless I am making pretty basic pixel art; say 40x40. Any bigger and it is needed to look realistic. 6. Doubles; again this is with more basic pixel art. Are you drawing a rope that is 1 pixel wide, then sure! Otherwise, it really depends on the object and how you want to frame it. 7. Using black as an outline (while not something I do with my larger art) is a staple of pixel art, especially basic pixel art. You can choose to use it or not; never heard it was a "dont do this" thing. 8. Shading portion was brilliant. Totally agree with you. 9. And now you lost me. Its clear you understand some of your points have /something/ off with them. You end on "again, style choice". It doesn't belong in a "do and don't" video if it is a stylistic choice, especially when one is on the "don't" portion. 10. Agree with soft brush, gradient, and blur, unless they are going for an object which is not in focus or an object that is supposed to be viewed as "censored"; they have uses though but not for every object. 11. Having a large canvas is perfectly fine. This is not and never will be a rule in pixel art. In fact your "large canvas" looks much better, besides the choice for you to give it purposefully bad outlines. ITS A STRAW MAN TO GIVE SUCH A POOR EXAMPLE OF LARGE-CANVAS PIXEL ART, ESPECIALLY WHEN ITS ACTUALLY GOOD BESIDES YOU PURPOSEFULLY MAKING THE OBJECT NOT WORK. Honestly, I wasn't going to type any of this, but that strawman at the end is bad enough I will. THIS IS A DISSERVICE TO THE PIXEL ART COMMUNITY, LIES MIXED WITH TRUTH. ""USING A BIG CANVAS SIZE DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF PIXEL ART AND REMOVES ALL THE CHALLENGE" is bullcrap. Its the opposite. Using a big canvas size creates a much larger sprite, it will require significantly more effort per piece of work. There is no "right size for the purpose of pixel art"

[@ishdx9374]

I kinda disagree with the last one, I think you can make great pixel art even if it's at big scale, but it requires more skill

[@Semudara]

Yeah, it was an interesting example he chose, since the one on the right looked SO well done and satisfyingly cartoony. But I think it's true that if you're a beginner, it's good to try working with limitations.

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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

[@cacelo1509]

This is underrated

[@InkyTrashBagg]

Yea bro

[@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.

[@rokimaks1]

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

[@JITEG]

Me too!

[@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

[@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)?????

[@DazzlingAction]

I didn't know pancake shading was a thing.

[@fcnitro9115]

don't mind me just commenting to help the algorithm

[@MuffledFox]

uh, but what if i want to do the same?

[@CrimsonEverFrost]

An animation video would be great

[@badunius_code]

2:40 uhm, no. Tileable 30 degrees approximation of 28 by 16 (a 64 by 56 hexagon side) goes 1 2-2-1 2-2-1 2-2-2-1 2-2-1 2-2-1 and it looks fine

[@hugoclarke3284]

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

[@akunbora]

2:17 What is wrong with the middle curve line on the right. Seems alright. Beside, it looks the same with the left.

[@uncleiroh868]

yes pls do a animation tutorial

[@kerstenbr]

A animation tutorial would be awesome!

[@paypercutts]

Yes yes most definitely

[@-ism8153]

5:53 If you make it too big, you lose the point of pixel art- simplicity and readability. It can look fine, but it's more like you're making an inefficient, low-resolution art piece than picking every pixel for a reason.

[@jamesvillage1467]

Do do the animation one, would be cool!

[@paypercutts]

Yes yes he should should =)

[@fl0w3r28]

Personally,I like to draw, Then trace that drawing, And color ^^

[@rambo3038]

What software are you using here to be exact coz i got no idea where to start doing this kind of art but Im very inspired with your art works. Thank you so much

[@joseguilherme2386]

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

[@nnnbry]

Just making some notes since I kept coming back to this video: 0:35 - Hue 0:51 - Anti-Aliasing 1:15 - Limited Pallete 1:34 - Ease in and Out > 1-2-4-8-16-32 2:05 - Pixel Perfect Lines and Curves > Lines: 2,2,2 > Curves: 4,3,2,1 > 3:15 - Free Hand > 3:19 - Doubles 3:34 - Darker Colour Outline 3:52 - Use Contrast 4:20 - Shade with form 5:11 - Outline exterior Lines when necessary 5:30 - Use Simple Flat Colours > (No Gradient,Soft or Blur Tool) 5:43 - Use Small Canvas Funny how I do this much just for my NFT and sometimes forget about my study yet I still do things I like carefreely

[@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

[@khajiit4444]

Most important rules: have fun !

[@cuboembaralhado8294]

If you don't, just stop

[@Fredo22]

Close together shades can actually work for backgrounds

[@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"

[@pixelart1924]

Would be cool if you could do a pixel art animation tutorial.

[@C_Error404]

I gotta say, I do disagree with you on that last one, I dont think you have to use a small canvas to be successful. For example I'm using 100 by 150 and that's ok

[@shady8868]

I mostly use 165x165 canvas and my works look nice

[@toffeehazel]

Hey KZbin, you missed this channel!

[@kaviscorea8302]

3:44 I know you said this is subjective and depends on style, I just kinda wanted to say this goes especially hard for this one. Both just seem like different way to go about pixel line art

[@FOXY_ANIMATIONS]

2:48 well i do but i think if i animate smoothly ,im doing misses

[@totallyjustmagic]

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

[@Tarazed609]

Learn the rules. Then break the rules.

[@MaverickJeyKidding]

0:39 - i like the one on the right better. Guess i see myself out

[@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.

[@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!

[@Beatsbasteln]

the close-together-shades image looks cool in case that the image should appear a little foggy though

[@llluana]

yesss, i was thinking that too!

[@idrawpictures9140]

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

[@WW-1995]

Nice video. The right rocket looked better though

[@JackieCodes]

amazing video! all hail pixel overlord! xD

[@dixiegolden3681]

keep making videos bro!

[@MariJadeWrites]

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

[@leobernardo9175]

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

[@caversdelight]

this is great

[@vee-ya5512]

i love your videos so much!! it's so informative and the topics and format and top tier. HOW IS THIS FREEEEEEE

[@Cuprite1024]

One other thing: If you're gonna have a sprite with 2x2 or higher pixel density (Each individual pixel of the sprite being multiple pixels big), work in 1x1 before you upscale it, otherwise you'll have some spots with smaller pixels than the rest of the sprite. I have made this mistake before (Particularly with Pokémon sprites). Lol.

[@MrRemmington]

I have always disagreed with the avoidance of jaggies to a degree.. It depends on the scale of the piece you are working with. Smaller canvas, absolutely avoid jaggie. On a much larger canvas though, jaggies become somewhat necessary in creating a smooth curve.

[@user-lf2vh9uf4n]

pretty epicc

[@loopeyfluff]

OMG U R CRIMINIALLY UNDERRATED

[@MaxOakland]

Would I like an animation tutorial? YES

[@mhze]

Well as I can see you are a professional unity game developer. Can you make a new tutorial series? ( How to make a "people playground" game in unity). that would be awesome because no one has done this before!

[@nicollasalmeida4936]

I like working on a big canvas, makes me more comfortable, but I make limitations inside of it, wich is quite hypocritical :P

[@jamesvillage1467]

haha i do that too!

[@JITEG]

I do that same too!

[@DHofmann]

*Do* : Like and subscribe! *Don't* : Watch this video less than a dozen times!

[@jman159]

If anyone needs to know the name of the music that starts at 2:27, it's "Lullaby", from Yung Logos.

[@Amieee]

The background is outstanding, wonderful work all around!

[@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?

[@midredde6550]

I just realize I'm a pixel artist after understaing what "4,3,2,1" pixel placement.

[@dokkisse9075]

As someone who uses pure black outlines, that is the "do" I disagree most with. It's PURELY a stylistic choice and not a sin one way or another if you choose to use it or not. See Shovel Knight for a good example of outlined pixel art.

[@fakhriaziz4176]

Nice tips! Hey man, can you provide pixel by pixel size suggestions for making asset games?

[@jalanstudio2465]

You were trying to draw them for practise... NOW GET BACK TO WORK Anyone else then future me, kindly read the notice first(down below). NOTICE: This is just for a reference of mine that I am using to practise pixel art. If in future, I choose to use it, I will give credit to the original owner(from which I would take permission first).

[@burgersfrompigs]

I guess I'm a criminal of pixeI art, iuse ton of jagged lines, black outlines, and soft brushes, but its really just dependent on you at style this videos great to achieve classic new pixel art look though

[@spindash64]

To be honest, the heavily shaded rocket looks quite nice. Obviously it's more shading than necessary, but it just looks so smooth and cylindrical

[@hmusic2278]

I uhh only use black and white. Just starting pixel art in 128x40 for keyboard displays

[@Dumbunny420]

Oh I’ve committed many pixel art crimes….I’ve been makin some jaggies and doubles for sure 😂

[@merrimentis]

I agree with most of your tips, but at 1:18 I think it depends on the look you're going for and you personal preference. The one on the right side can also look really good, depending on your style. I wouldn't make all these Do's and Dont's so strict, but that's just my opinion. Btw, the work you put into these videos really pays off! Looks great.

[@ItstoadXD]

Tbh I prefer black outlines, maybe because I’m always someone who does cartoony style but idk

[@DestusG]

Wish 6k subs awesome man. What's the highest canvas size to use

[@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. ♥✨

[@MiScusi69]

I adore your videos, man! Keep up with this amazing work!

[@MarkaNgamer]

Important to notice: It all depends on what you're doing. For example, I'm doing a Doom clone, which has some bigger and more detailed assets. Although it's still pixel art, many of them can emulate realism, especially if you're going for more gritty look. So in that case, quite a few "don'ts" were better option.

[@ViolaDragon621]

I've always liked the way the graphics looked on the SNES

[@jamesvillage1467]

another good one

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

Before watching: *#1: Use the SAME pixel grid for ALL objects on your screen.* Do NOT scale and rotate the squares that represent your pixels. Now you.