X-post from
my pixel art thread on Sufficient Velocity:
So my favorite pixel artist in the whole wide world, RhlPixels, did some
videos on her pixel arting process. I liked what she did so much that I decided to try it out for myself.
Normally I just hop into Aseprite and open a canvas of the size that my end product is going to be, then I scribble using my mouse until I eventually end up with some line art. The thing is, at the typical kinds of resolutions you might work at in pixel art, it can be very challenging to draw shapes and curves that make sense, and this problem is compounded by drawing with a mouse.
What RhlP does, and what I did, was first sketch the thing out at 3x the target resolution. I think she uses a mouse, but I have a Wacom tablet so that's what I used along with Paint Tool Sai to make my initial sketch.
Then I just pop it into my favorite pixel program and scale 'er down, and wow I've got some pretty lookin' reference going there already!
I used the magic wand to get rid of most of the white. It's not perfect but that's okay, because then I'm gonna draw over it in a new layer.
And this is already looking super good, and in a WAY shorter time than if I was using my normal method. This is when the actual fun starts and I can start getting creative and really owning the piece.
Perf.
And I was actually planning to stop here but things are getting away from me, so here it is partially shaded.
This was my reference:
http://i.imgur.com/WRr3WSt.jpgI actually have no idea where it's from, but I'd love to know who the artist is because it's one of my favorite drawings ever.