How do I make these sprites? (examples within)
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=9788
Printed Date: 13 September 2025 at 6:01pm
Topic: How do I make these sprites? (examples within)
Posted By: Da Boz
Subject: How do I make these sprites? (examples within)
Date Posted: 31 January 2010 at 10:31pm
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Hey Folks Well, I hope I’m posting this in the proper place, many apologies in advance if I’m not, and I come off as a hopeless n00b. Anyways, I need some dire help, I’ve searched for a good few hours on google, DA, and even searched downed sprite sites on the internet way back machine to try and find a tutorial on how to do these sorts of sprites;    Now, I’m not sure if these are actually considered sprites or not, but I’m really desperate to figure out how to try and make one all the same. I can’t seem to find any tutorials, and I know all I need is even just the basic of guidance and I know I could do it. Any help with this would be so very much appreciated. I’m also not sure what category they fall under, so that sort of hindered my search since I wasn’t sure what I was searching for exactly! Also…I do have an honest interest in spritting, so I would like to venture around here some more. I figure with my newness some might assume I only pop up for help, then I’ll depart soon as I get it…but I promise that isn’t the case. I usually work with traditional hand drawn art, but I’ve always wanted to do sprites, and have dabbled with it a little bit…not the best results, but trying all the same. -Boz PS Thanks in advance again for any help. |
Replies:
Posted By: KittenMaster
Date Posted: 01 February 2010 at 12:53am
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I'm sure they drew them on paper, maybe shading and inking in advance*, scanned, then cleaned up by pixel. *either that, or used a non-pixel art method of shading and creating lineart after scanning. |
Posted By: Manupix
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 6:21am
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A good artist could do these direct in pixel art. Probably did. You won't find any worthy tuto explaining how to do this from scratch, coz it just takes a few years of drawing practice (all and any media, from life, not specifically PA). I hope I'm not dashing your expectations... I don't know what your project is, nor your current skills. How 'bout showing stuff? Don't worry about asking for help, that's exactly what this forum is made for. And if you're serious about it we're gonna see you for a while! |
Posted By: greenraven
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 7:16am
"Newb" not "noob". (I eat noobs for breakfast.)  And honestly it's a bit of a silly question, a little. Just look at them, use your eyes, practice, practice, practice. There's no amount of tutorials in the world that can teach you what your own experiences teach you. -------------  "pwnage comes with patience, practice and planning." ~ Jalonso 
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Posted By: Da Boz
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 9:21am
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Originally posted by Manupix A good artist could do these direct in pixel art. Probably did. You won't find any worthy tuto explaining how to do this from scratch, coz it just takes a few years of drawing practice (all and any media, from life, not specifically PA). I hope I'm not dashing your expectations... I don't know what your project is, nor your current skills. How 'bout showing stuff? Oh, expectations not dashed at all, I was expecting it'd be something simple, and as you and the above comment states. It's something I can do, I've been drawing for about 15+years,...er, probably more like 20...dear god...anyways, drawing isn't a problem. It's just getting them to have that 'pixel' look that I was more concerned over, I guess it's just going to take alot of tweaking and experimenting. Originally posted by greenraven "Newb" not "noob". (I eat noobs for breakfast.)  And honestly it's a bit of a silly question, a little. Just look at them, use your eyes, practice, practice, practice. There's no amount of tutorials in the world that can teach you what your own experiences teach you. *chuckles* well, I had a feeling it was something simple, but I wasn't sure, so I thought I'd ask anyway. Thanks to all of you for replying on this, I'll probably give it a shot, and hope for the best. Getting that pixel look like I mentioned above is really all that worries me. |
Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 9:32am
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To answer your first question... This is a protrait ../files/icons/full/gaia_portrait.gif">  this is a sprite ../files/icons/full/gaia__r161414511.gif">  ------------- |
Posted By: KittenMaster
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 11:32am
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A good artist could do these direct in pixel art. Probably did. I honestly doubt they pixeled from scratch, even if it's possible. Drawing a portrait on paper then pixeling over it is faster.The pixel ability still exists for refined, minute detail, but the actual building of the character is transferred to paper. It is recommended to learn how to draw on paper and other fundamentals before transferring to pixel art anyway. |
Posted By: greenraven
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 2:16pm
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Originally posted by Da Boz *chuckles* well, I had a feeling it was something simple, but I wasn't sure, so I thought I'd ask anyway. It wasn't wrong to ask the question, just the question you asked was wrong. Instead of "how do I make these" it should have been "can someone help me improve". I'm a stickler for semantics ya know.  ------------- "pwnage comes with patience, practice and planning." ~ Jalonso
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Posted By: Petrichor
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 2:47pm
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Originally posted by KittenMaster
A good artist could do these direct in pixel art. Probably did. I honestly doubt they pixeled from scratch, even if it's possible. Drawing a portrait on paper then pixeling over it is faster.The pixel ability still exists for refined, minute detail, but the actual building of the character is transferred to paper. It is recommended to learn how to draw on paper and other fundamentals before transferring to pixel art anyway. Not to derail the conversation too much, but without calling into question whether these were done ground-up in pixel art, saying "even if it's possible" is a little off-base. It's entirely possible and plenty of really good pixel artists produce pieces that were pixel art at every stage. Just throwing that in there. And for myself, personally, I find pixeling from scratch goes faster than pixeling over a scanned sketch, but I know that's not true for everyone.
That said, while I agree with the rest of your statement (that learning to draw is vital before learning to pixel), the OP seems more interested in pixel technique, rather than drawing technique. Sooo...
To the OP: as many have already said in this thread, it's hard to just be handed a piece and say "how can I imitate this technique?" Learn pixel basics first--focus heavily on lineart and AA is this is the style of art you'd like to master--and practice, practice. Things like AA only come with practice... there is no magic button or perfect tutorial to teach you how to do it. Honestly, the only way to master it is to look at it--zoom in, really get a good grasp of it--and attempt to imitate the methods you see. I wish there were an easier way, but there's really not. By all means ask for specific pointers once you've got your feet wet, but no one is really going to be able to offer you anything viable at this point except for sweeping generalizations.
If you're asking what software to use to start out, there are a number of good threads on that topic over in the Resources forum :)
Whether you start from a pencil sketch or start from scratch is up to you, and is really dependent on your comfort level. If like you say you're more accustomed to drawing with a pencil, by all means start with a sketch!
Wall of text. That is all.
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Posted By: KittenMaster
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 4:19pm
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Not to derail the conversation too much, but without calling into
question whether these were done ground-up in pixel art, saying "even if
it's possible" is a little off-base. It's entirely possible and plenty
of really good pixel artists produce pieces that were pixel art at every
stage. Just throwing that in there. And for myself, personally, I find
pixeling from scratch goes faster than pixeling over a scanned sketch,
but I know that's not true for everyone. Remember that this is Capcom we're talking about. I was saying, even if some guy at Capcom had the ability to draw a portrait of that size pixel by pixel, that it is more likely they would have went with faster methods. |
Posted By: greenraven
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 5:19pm
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Originally posted by KittenMaster Remember that this is Capcom we're talking about. I was saying, even if some guy at Capcom had the ability to draw a portrait of that size pixel by pixel, that it is more likely they would have went with faster methods. And that brings up back full circle to PJ's pixel nazism. I've lost count of how many pixel artists said "who are you to tell me what is pixel art." Anyone remember the Paul Robertson fiasco? Just to name one off the top of my head.  But seriously though, we've had one too many old timers being run out of town with pitchforks because PJ seems to have pulled this random rabbit out of it's proverbial ass. I always feel really bad every time we get some guy posting something in the gallery along the lines of "made these graphics for a game back in the late 80's early 90's" and then you get some random shmo telling them "this isn't pixel art." Way to show respect for your forefathers peeps...  ------------- "pwnage comes with patience, practice and planning." ~ Jalonso
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Posted By: KittenMaster
Date Posted: 02 February 2010 at 7:43pm
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I have no intention of telling people what is or isn't pixel art. I am just giving my own ideas on how I think the SF Alpha portraits were made. |
Posted By: greenraven
Date Posted: 03 February 2010 at 5:29am
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Oh that wasn't directed at you, I was just rambling off-topic.
------------- "pwnage comes with patience, practice and planning." ~ Jalonso
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Posted By: Petrichor
Date Posted: 03 February 2010 at 12:08pm
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Originally posted by KittenMaster
Not to derail the conversation too much, but without calling into question whether these were done ground-up in pixel art, saying "even if it's possible" is a little off-base. It's entirely possible and plenty of really good pixel artists produce pieces that were pixel art at every stage. Just throwing that in there. And for myself, personally, I find pixeling from scratch goes faster than pixeling over a scanned sketch, but I know that's not true for everyone. Remember that this is Capcom we're talking about. I was saying, even if some guy at Capcom had the ability to draw a portrait of that size pixel by pixel, that it is more likely they would have went with faster methods. I realized not long after I posted that might have been what you meant, and felt very embarrassed D: Sorry. You'd be shocked how many people don't think you can build from the ground up... I guess it was instinctive. My apologies! Glad we're all on the same page.
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Posted By: KittenMaster
Date Posted: 03 February 2010 at 12:40pm
| As long as everything is clear now, I apologize for any misunderstandings caused. |
Posted By: dpixel
Date Posted: 11 February 2010 at 11:25am
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If I were good at drawing, I'd use a tablet for sketching out some rough lines on one layer with a lighter color. Then on another layer, I'd use a darker color for more finished lines. Delete the original layer. Then clean up the lines with a mouse. Then fill with color and pixel as usual from there. I'm still only a noob though. Ooops. I mean newb. lol Sorry I had to throw that in there. green, you know I'm just a wise guy. ------------- |
