Where to Start?
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: The Lounge
Forum Name: Resources and Support
Forum Discription: Help your fellow pixel artists out with links to good tutorials, other forums, software, fonts, etc. Bugs and support issues should go here as well.
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10585
Printed Date: 22 February 2026 at 5:29pm
Topic: Where to Start?
Posted By: Gotejjeken
Subject: Where to Start?
Date Posted: 03 July 2010 at 2:38pm
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I am a programmer first and foremost, however I've always wanted to make my own game (RPG, similar to the SNES days, FF6/Chrono Trigger/etc.). I really enjoy the oldschool style of games, and pixel art in general...however I have no formal training in Graphic Arts. So, my question is, where do I start? I'd ideally like to come up with my own stuff, which means I'm against recolors no matter how 'cool' they look. Would this entail starting from line drawing and working my way 'up'? Or is pixel art a whole different animal altogether? I will admit that drawing is just a hobby of mine, and I really have no intention to go pro, I simply want a nice Right Brain diversion from the sea of Left Brain activities I do every day (and as aforementioned I'd like to create an RPG some day). Do I even have a chance? |
Replies:
Posted By: Hatch
Date Posted: 03 July 2010 at 7:27pm
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Would this entail starting from line drawing and working my way 'up'? Or
is pixel art a whole different animal altogether? For the most part, pixel art is no different from traditional art. As with any medium, it makes some aspects easier and some more difficult, but it's plain old art like pencil drawing, acrylics, or watercolor. As with any form of art, yes, line drawing practice will help you a lot, but that doesn't mean you have to become an excellent pencil artist before you ever put cursor to pixel. I'm a pretty horrible traditional artist yet I get by with pixels. I'd suggest making an attempt at something you'd like to do--say, a sprite for the hero of your RPG--and posting it in the WIP forum right from the start. It's much easier to proved assistance with a specific case than advise on the entire learning process. And you don't need to feel embarrassed about posting anything--we welcome all skill levels here and we do not tolerate ridicule. But DO be prepared to receive honest, sometimes blunt, critique, as that's strongly encouraged; that's how we learn. EDIT: Forgot to say, welcome to PixelJoint!  ------------- |
Posted By: Tarenken
Date Posted: 03 July 2010 at 7:51pm
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What Hatch said - I started by doing terrible Pokemon recolors with the default paint palette. I had very little experience in drawing before then, and most of my "instruction" came from How to Draw Manga books for kids. Eventually I got better at pixel art and along with that got a passable knowledge of anatomy and shading. Pixel Joint has really been a godsend, they're all wonderful people who give wonderful critique and make wonderful pixels. So no, a knowledge of traditional art, anatomy, line and form helps, and is usually easier to learn by doing studies IRL, but pixel art can teach you all these things and more. Just make something and post in the WIP section. People will be glad to help you there. Good luck!  |