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Shading tips?

Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: Pixel Art
Forum Name: WIP (Work In Progress)
Forum Discription: Get crits and comments on your pixel WIPs and other art too!
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19782
Printed Date: 10 April 2026 at 4:04am


Topic: Shading tips?
Posted By: TobiCoyote
Subject: Shading tips?
Date Posted: 16 September 2014 at 6:33pm
Hi there, I am new here and I come to show my art hoping to get comments about it.
I am currently developing a 2D fantasy side scroller rpg, which focuses heavily on the variety of skills and class branching. Right now all I am really trying to do is set a style for the game and I like a lot how zombie night terror and super time force do pixel art. So the following is based off of zombie night terrors art, but I dont really know how to start with the shading :/
I selected some colors but I think that's where Im wrong, anyways here is what I made.

Cheers



Replies:
Posted By: Hamenopi
Date Posted: 17 September 2014 at 8:39am
You don't have much room for shading in this size. I'd recommend sticking with good contrasts. Otherwise you really risk making your art look dirty and noisy.


Posted By: TobiCoyote
Date Posted: 17 September 2014 at 1:58pm
Originally posted by Hamenopi

You don't have much room for shading in this size. I'd recommend sticking with good contrasts. Otherwise you really risk making your art look dirty and noisy.

So by contrasts do you mean having a variation in colors which are next to each other? For example the helmet there is brown and has red on top, does that make a good contrast? Or perhaps having less saturated colors


Posted By: JustinGameDesign
Date Posted: 17 September 2014 at 3:02pm
Originally posted by TobiCoyote

Originally posted by Hamenopi

You don't have much room for shading in this size. I'd recommend sticking with good contrasts. Otherwise you really risk making your art look dirty and noisy.

So by contrasts do you mean having a variation in colors which are next to each other? For example the helmet there is brown and has red on top, does that make a good contrast? Or perhaps having less saturated colors


Having contrast means not putting similar colors next to each other. There are different kinds of contrast, contrasting hues, saturations, values. Red and green have high contrast. Black and white, and dark and light colors do, too. So do very gray versions of a color and the "pure", saturated versions of that color. You can do a mix, which is usually recommended.

Light yellow looks good shaded with darker orange.



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