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[Theophilus]

I take the firm belief that art and being good at drawing is not a prodigious talent, but something that must be practiced and learnt. That said, some people are born with skill to pick it up more quickly than others.

My question is.. Where can I begin learning about pixel art? I've always wanted to be a decent spriter, so that I can make art for my own games. Can you refer me to any tutorials? I know I should practice, but I don't know what techniques to practice.

[Malignanttoe]

This thread has some good tutorials. http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=74.0
I suggest looking at every single tutorial you can google up

[Theophilus]

Thank you very much for pointing me to that thread. ^_^

[dantheman363]

Ya, that thread looks pretty comprehensive to me.

[Theophilus]

Can you give any resources for outlining? I figure I can color the rest like a coloring book. :d

[Richard Kain]

Outlining is a matter of personal preference. The general theory is to create a pixel outline around your character. The point is to set your character off from the background elements. It can be very useful to have foreground level elements and characters that have outlines, and then a background that is illustrated without outlines. This "softens" the background in comparison to the foreground, and helps it to recede as desired.

Generally, you will use just a one-pixel outline. That is the standard. If you want thicker outlines you will have to consider making it a part of the overall art style, and introducing some variation in the stroke thickness. But with that kind of outlining you begin to get away from more "traditional" pixel art.

Usually, the outline will only be around the silhouette of the character, while the inside of the character will be drawn with more basic colors.

You can outline in straight black, but I would personally caution against that. In art, you always want to avoid using pure black or pure white. They are the strongest visual shades possible, and allow for the maximum amount of contrast. As such, you should always handle them carefully, it is very easy to abuse them.

I favor a softer form of outlining where each part of the outline is actually a darker shade of its adjacent color block. Pick out the most "average" color from the nearest portion of your character, and make a darker version of that color the color of the outline around that part of the character.

[ericmhunter]

I think my biggest problem is I am super bad at drawing. I've tried taking drawing classes, ran through a ton of tutorials, and I've learned a ton but the simple idea of drawing what I see in my head and putting it on paper or a screen is almost impossible. It never looks right, I become angry, curse a bit, then do something else. In short I'm hopeless.

But I feel like I rock at writing creating characters storyline and developing games but I can't much do without some graphics of some sort. Am I up the creek or am I to forever troll sprite boards using others art? Just just create text base games?

[Thardus]

I think my biggest problem is I am super bad at drawing. I've tried taking drawing classes, ran through a ton of tutorials, and I've learned a ton but the simple idea of drawing what I see in my head and putting it on paper or a screen is almost impossible. It never looks right, I become angry, curse a bit, then do something else. In short I'm hopeless.

Speaking as someone who used to be in your position, Frustration isn't uncommon with that sort of thing. There are two really important aspects to becoming better at art, and they are Persistence and Thought. If you are thinking through what you're doing, trying to improve, and you keep at it, you'll eventually become better. Don't let some frustration cause you to give up if you're serious about it.

That said, if you are simply wanting results -now- rather than wanting to put time in, I suggest trying some very simple, low-res sprites to start out with. Use very basic shapes, stay away from details, and start out vague. You might be surprised by how appealing the results can be.

[Jrsquee]

“"Begin at the beginning,", the King said, very gravely, "and go on till you come to the end: then stop”. -- Lewis Carroll

[baconman]

One thing I learned when I was learning life drawing is this:

Until it's done, it's going to look "kind of wrong." If it doesn't look a little bit wrong while you're halfway into a drawing, then you're probably not doing it right.

[Geti]

http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/

The best place, hands down, for learning/thinking/talking/breathing heavily about pixel art, ever. bar none.

[Christian223]

Check this library of legal and free art books and also check the forums, there are lots of good info hidden around the place:

http://conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=131117

[thedaemon]

http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/

The best place, hands down, for learning/thinking/talking/breathing heavily about pixel art, ever. bar none.

[Jrsquee]

http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/

The best place, hands down, for learning/thinking/talking/breathing heavily about pixel art, ever. bar none.

It really is! I'd recommend learning to draw before you start pixelling, though. I think it's a lot easier to learn how to put down your lines when working much higher-res - you won't have to figure out all the technical restrictions that pixels put on you at the same time  you learn how to make what you draw look like what you imagine.

[Theophilus]

I would like to create more high-resolution graphics such as this:



It's not a great reference but it's the only I could find.

Are there any tutorials that you all know of for creating graphics like this?

[aekeren]

Tutorials never helped me.  They're okay for learning techniques but don't teach drawing skills.  Superbrothers, the best pixel artist I know of, is also a  great traditional artist.  Swords & Sorcery is heavily inspired by Frazetta.  There's a good chance that he started out as a lover of art (ignition) and then found a preference for how pixel art looks (style choice.)  They key is to draw from life until you can find a look to really jive with.  Experiment with different styles and media.  You may limit yourself if you cling to a style (pixel) before experimenting with others.  And anybody who masters a pencil can do will in other media.

Practice is key.  Here are some good places to look for inspiration:
Crimson Daggers http://www.crimsondaggers.com/
- Meet daily to do some digital painting.
Andrew Loomis http://www.placidchaos.com/AM/index.php/2006/02/21/andrew_loomis
 - Follow his suggestions as best you can and you'll never need an art class.
Blogs! 
http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=eOC&tbo=1&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&prmdo=1&tbm=blg&q=illustration+student&aq=f&aqi=g1g-v9&aql=f&oq= - Slightly creepy, however there is a wealth of information to be found.  Be sure to look at links they may have posted to other artist's blogs.

I would like to create more high-resolution graphics such as this:

Perspective + foreshortening + grunge technique.  From such an extreme top-down angle it's important to draw in terms of shape.  It can be quite abstract and still look "correct" due to the foreshortening.  Photoshop grunge brushes can be found online.

Hope this helps.   

[Theophilus]

Thanks for the resources!