Pixel Art Try Out

Pixel art is fabulous. It brings back the old times when screens had a resolution of 320 x 200 pixels. Back in the days pixelated graphics were part of the deal. Today it is a style choice. I always prefer great pixel art above crappy 3D graphics.

The previous game I developed (Recycle Mania) is based on vector graphics. I thought it would be interesting if the next project we are planning with Stormland Studio is based on pixel art. I started off with some background tiles. Grass and plants, the easier stuff really. We also need characters so I present you my first character prototype in pixel art. I chose 32 x 32 as resolution. This fits in with the map tiles I have already made.

I hit a bit of a learning curve. Instead of traditional drawing a figure you need to place pixels in the right place. In the beginning it is rather a slow process. I started out with Photoshop as it is my main workhorse for 2D graphics but it does lack some flexibility especially when you need to animate the graphics. So after a bit of research I found Aseprite. A tool which looks like pixel art and is tailored to make it. So far I like it and it will be my tool of choice for times to come.