How to Create a Peice of Art on Clip Studio Paint

INTRODUCTION TO PIXEL Art

Computer graphics and digital art as we know them today have a root, and that is pixel art.

Dorsum in the day, there wasn't a 'Pixel Fine art' mode considering every art made on a computer needed to be pixel-by-pixel artwork.

As computers evolved, the capability to return images became more advanced, enabling digital artists to create without the limitations of old hardware.

Creating art with these limitations in mind is the cadre of pixel fine art as an art form.

While no longer a necessary approach, forcing yourself to create in the boundaries of an old engineering science or set of techniques can aid you every bit an

artist.

Below are some examples of my exploration with pixel art.

In this commodity, I'll highlight some characteristics, bones techniques and guidelines so you tin start making your ain pixel art.

All the data here can be applied to any 'style' and any software. And that'southward the dazzler of this subject.

The technical side of this art form is important, especially if you want to make an homage of a video game.

But think that you don't need to force yourself to create a 32×32 pixel size artwork with only 3 colors, if you don't desire to.

It's beneficial to respect the fundamentals and the techniques of old-schoolhouse digital artists – just it's not obligatory to work like them.

LEARNING Past DOING

For this article, we'll work on an outgoing challenge.

I want y'all to create a 64×64 pixel portrait.

That's it!

You lot tin describe yourself, make a fanart or invent a graphic symbol.
The goal is to create an artwork that tin be used used as a social media avatar.

Start with a small (resolution) file size, and so the pixel unit is visible. At that place's no point to making pixel art where the pixels aren't evident.

SETTING UP YOUR CANVAS

For this commodity, I'll be using Prune Studio Pigment.
While there's swell dedicated tools for making pixel art, you can use any drawing plan to follow forth.

• Create a 64×64 pixel document (1);
• Go to View > Grid/Ruler Settings (2);
• Configure as the following and then you can meet a grid with every unmarried pixel. Yous can plow the grid on/off anytime using the Shift+Thousand shortcut. (3);

A good do for working with pixel art is getting used to drawing zoomed while keeping an heart on the actual-size artwork (4);

To create a secondary view of your current canvas, go to Window > Canvas > New Window and open a new instance of the electric current canvas.
Set it to 100% and identify in your workspace (5).

CREATING THE PIXEL Art TOOLS

Fourth dimension to introduce a basic concept.

Pixel fine art does not get along with automatic anti-aliasing.

Anti-aliasing is a useful algorithm that smooths edges of a shape.
This is made by adding an extra row of pixels closest to the aliased edge.

As y'all can come across in the example, the anti-aliased edge (7) has an automatic slope of pixels to give the shape a smoother profile.

The aliased edge (6) is what nosotros're looking for when creating pixel art. Subsequently, nosotros can soften the edges by adding anti-aliasing by paw (manually).

A dominion-of-pollex when using any software to create pixel art is to disable the anti-aliasing setting in brushes, tools and transformations.

In Prune Studio Pigment you have to turn off anti-aliasing in:

• brushes (8);
• tools like Selection, Fill, Text, eg. (9);
• and during whatsoever transformation using Edit > Transform (ten);

In Prune Studio Paint you already have a pixel art pen. It's chosen 'Dot Pen' in the Marker category (11).

This is the simplest drawing brush bachelor. It has a stock-still i-pixel size, anti-aliasing turned off, and no option for stabilization or color mixing.

I propose you follow along this tutorial using this brush just.
After in the game, you can duplicate whatever of your 'common' brushes and use it for pixel art (as long you lot reduce castor size to lower values and disable anti-aliasing).

DRAWING THE LINEART

Since this will be a front-facing portrait, I'll commencement the cartoon using the Symmetrical Ruler (12);

Place the Symmetrical Ruler on the Canvas and, to make sure it'southward on the dead-center, utilize the Object tool to select it and input values manually (xiii);

In this case I changed the Center X and Center Y values to 32, which is half of my total canvass size (64 pixels).

Now, select your Dot Pen over again and start cartoon.
Since this brush can't be resized, information technology's a practiced idea to zoom in on the canvas you're drawing (15) and use the indistinguishable view as a reference (14).

I started my portrait cartoon a initial sketch to detect the construction of the caput (16) and then I started calculation details (17).

There'southward no demand to employ a blue color. I merely adopt it because information technology helps my brain sympathise that I'm creating a rough for my final cartoon.

If you're washed with the sketch you can go on with the linework.

Before calculation the final lines, allow me bear witness yous a uncomplicated technique for drawing lines and curves in pixel art.

In the example beneath, the linework (18) doesn't look smooth because there'southward a lot of duplicated pixels where information technology should be a single pixel line.

You tin prepare those 'doubles' (it'south a term) past removing any next pixels on the bend. In the case (19), I removed all pixels marked in ruddy.

I suggest you to return to your sketch and look out for those 'doubles' to clean your linework.

Do non worry if the curves don't experience right. But remove the unwanted pixels.

TIP: if you need to erase a pixel, you can simply switch to the transparent color (I have my shortcut ready to X);

In the example below you lot can see the difference of the initial sketch (20) and the cleaned-up version (21).

Ready for another technique?

Let's start fixing the drawing and adjusting some curves.

Seeing the case below (22), you can notice the distribution and spacing of pixels are not following a logical progression. (eg.: iii, ii, 1, 4…)

While on this improved version (23), you tin run into a better progression of pixels to create the curve. (eg.: 1, 2, 2, 3…)

With that knowledge, I advise you to try the following practise earlier continuing on your cartoon:

Try to describe some random lines and curves with the 2 concepts you simply learned so far: remove the doubles and maintaining the 'pixel progression'.

This will give you lot a solid gasp in how to profile shapes in pixel fine art.

Below is my final linework (25).

I did some pocket-size adjustments on the proportions and curves, and removed some unnecessary pixels to make the face more than readable.

Take some time to compare with the original version (24) and try to notice where I applied the techniques.

COLORING TIME

The number of colors used on a sprite (term used to describe an object in game development), depends by how much you desire to stay close to a specific limitation of an one-time engineering science.

While non necessary, y'all can acquire a lot about pixel fine art by limiting yourself to a minor amount of colors to choose.

For now I suggest you start with a simple colour palette. Equally a starting point, you can apply the 56 colors of the palette used past the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) videogame panel (26).

The colour and tone choices on this palette are not perfect, but it provides a expert starting point.

In the examples below you have the PC-98 computer color palette (27) and a personal one I built in the past (28);

Subsequently yous can beginning building your own palette, just e'er remember to continue it tight and simple.

I start past filling my lines with some base colors (flatting).

I'm starting with 5 initial colors, including the blackness linework to pigment this portrait (29).

On this stage, remember to configure your Automobile Select and Fill tools for the pixel fine art workflow, disabling Area Scaling and Anti-aliasing (30).

To shade (add shadows) the skin colour on the portrait, you don't demand to only use the darker value of a specific color;

I can potentially use any color available as long the values read correctly.

Here's a tip – Create a new layer on top of your layer stack, fill it with black and gear up the layer style to Color.

Now you tin can use this layer to bank check the value relationship of your colors (32).

In the case below y'all tin meet how I managed to use the quondam background color (purple) as the shade color of my chocolate-brown skin (31). I prefer to go with a black background to relieve i color…

Once more, I don't need to – just I'd like to exercise these limitations imposed by the NES color palette.

For the highlights on the skin and glasses (33), I don't needed to introduce any new colors considering, while checking the grayscale values (34),

I noticed the color of the t-shirt could exist used for that.

I wanted to add together some manual anti-aliasing to smooth the edge betwixt the lit and adumbral areas of the skin (36).

Using the NES palette only, I could not find colors that I could use to create this gradient transition.

And so here's where I abandoned the 'virtual limitations' in favor of the artwork.

In the example I added two new colours (37), so I can add more details to the shading.

I can't stress this plenty, simply it'south really of import that you brand these decisions while looking the artwork through the existent, not zoomed-in, canvas size (35).

Using the two new extra colors, I increased the rendering on the face adding more than volume, wrinkles ('cause I'thou getting old) and softening some  shadows on the lit side of the portrait (38).

On the blue jacket, I decided to use the dithering technique to create the sensation of a gradient without adding colors (40).

By breaking up the solid transitions on a checkerboard pattern I can brand the illusion of an inbetween color (39).

Dithering is an advanced technique and this is simply a basic usage for information technology.

As you tin encounter, the result creates a textural effect that can be a trouble if used on peel or smooth surfaces.

I found it appropriate to use in the jacket (fabricated of cloth), because I tin do good from the rough texture.

After some tweaking, I managed to fully pigment the portrait.

I'k very happy with the final result because I could fit a lot of details for a 64×64 pixel size artwork with only seven colors.

ps.: I likewise had pixels and colors enough to set up those weird-looking cartoony eyes. Ten-D

EXPORTING

Last, merely not least…
When saving and exporting pixel art, apply the GIF or PNG format.

Avoid using the JPEG format, especially with any level of compression.

This will destroy all the love and care you used to create your pixel fine art.

Await at the examples below: a 99% compressed JPEG (41) may expect ok from a distance, merely it adds some non-wanted colors.

A 80% compressed version (42) volition make any pixel creative person drain. And then delight, don't practice that. 🙂

When it comes to posting on social media, y'all have to bargain with the automated-compression of the platform.

For Instagram, you lot'll take no option because the system automatically converts and resizes the epitome to a low-quality jpeg.

On Twitter, you'll have a sharper, near perfect image if the exported file is 506 pixels wide in PNG format.

That'due south it.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and also hope you managed to create your first pixel art portrait.

Below you lot tin can find my minuscule, still incredible, piece of art. 🙂

If you create yours, please let me know.

– dado

Creative person Profile

Hi. I'1000 Dado (Dadotronic) Almeida and I draw and paint 90'south-videogame-inspired fine art. As a freelancer creative person I create concept and production art for games and animation.My indie career is devoted to personal projects like Claws and Tusks (comic) and artwork that I make for fun or commissions. I likewise like to teach and share my discoveries about digital fine art, computer graphics, and mental health for artists.

https://www.dadoalmeida.com/
https://twitter.com/dadotronic
https://www.artstation.com/dadotronic

rofeonfunien1984.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.clipstudio.net/how-to-draw/archives/161082

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