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Adobe Photoshop: We draw and animate a character in Pixel technology Art

In this lesson you will learn how to draw and animate characters using the Pixel Art technique. For this you only need Adobe program Photoshop. The result will be a GIF with a running astronaut.

Program: Adobe Photoshop Difficulty: beginners, average level Time required: 30 min – hour

I. Setting up the document and tools

Step 1

Select Pencil from the toolbar - this will be the main tool for our lesson. In the settings, select the Hard Round brush type, and set the remaining values ​​as in the picture. Our goal is to make the pencil nib as sharp as possible.

Step 2

In the Eraser Tool (eraser) settings, select Pencil Mode, and set the remaining values ​​as shown in the picture.

Step 3

Turn on Pixel Grid (View > Show > Pixel Grid). If there is no such item in the menu, then go to the settings and enable graphics acceleration Preferences > Performance > Graphic acceleration.

Please note: The grid will only be visible on the newly created canvas when zoomed in at 600% or more.

Step 4

In Preferences > General (Control-K), change the image interpolation mode to Nearest Neighbor mode. This will allow the boundaries of objects to remain as clear as possible.

In the Units & Rulers settings, set the ruler units to pixels Preferences > Units & Rulers > Pixels.

II. Character Creation

Step 1

And now that everything is set up, we can proceed directly to drawing the character.

Sketch your character with a clear outline, being careful not to overload it. small details. On at this stage the color doesn't matter, the main thing is that the outline is clearly drawn and you understand how the character will look. This sketch was prepared specifically for this lesson.

Step 2

Reduce the scale of the sketch to 60 pixels in height using the keyboard shortcut Control+T, or Edit > Free Transform.

The size of the object is displayed in the information panel. Please note that the interpolation settings are the same as we did in step 4.

Step 3

Zoom in on the sketch by 300-400% to make it easier to work with and reduce the layer's opacity. Then create a new layer and draw the outlines of the sketch using the Pencil Tool. If the character is symmetrical, as in our case, you can outline only half, and then duplicate it and flip it as a mirror (Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal).

Rhythm: To draw complex elements, break them into parts. When the pixels (dots) in a line form a "rhythm" such as 1-2-3, or 1-1-2-2-3-3, the sketch looks smoother for human eye. But, if the form requires it, this rhythm can be disrupted.

Step 4

When the outline is ready, you can choose the main colors and paint the large shapes. Do this on a separate layer below the outline.

Step 5

Smooth out the outline by drawing a shadow along the inner edge.

Continue adding shadows. As you may have noticed as you draw, some shapes can be corrected.

Step 6

Create a new layer for the highlights.

Select the Overlay blend mode from the drop-down list in the Layers panel. Draw light color over the areas you want to highlight. Then smooth out the highlights using Filter > Blur > Blur.

Complete the picture, then copy and mirror the finished half of the picture, then combine the layers with the halves to make a whole picture.

Step 7

Now the astronaut needs to add contrast. Use the Levels settings (Image > Adjustments > Levels) to make it brighter, and then adjust the hue using the Color Balance option (Image > Adjustments > Color Balance).

The character is now ready for animation.

III. Character Animation

Step 1

Create a copy of the layer (Layer > New > Layer Via Copy) and move it 1 pixel up and 2 pixels to the right. This is a key point in character animation.

Reduce the original layer's opacity by 50% so you can see the previous frame. This is called “Onion Skinning” (plural mode).

Step 2

Now bend your character's arms and legs as if he were running.

● Highlight left hand Lasso tool

● Using the FreeTransformTool (Edit > FreeTransform) and holding down the Control key, move the borders of the container so that the hand moves back.

● Select one leg first and stretch it a little. Then squeeze the other leg on the contrary so that it feels like the character is walking.

● Use a pencil and eraser to correct the part right hand below the elbow.

Step 3

Now you need to completely redraw the new position of the arms and legs as shown in the second section of this lesson. This is necessary to ensure that the image looks clear, because the transformation greatly distorts the pixel lines.

Step 4

Make a copy of the second layer and flip it horizontally. Now you have 1 basic pose and 2 in motion. Restore the opacity of all layers to 100%.

Step 5

Go to Window > Timeline to display the Timeline panel, and click Create Frame Animation.

4.7 (93.8%) 158 votes

Drawings by cells or pixel art are a very popular form of art among schoolchildren and students. During tedious lectures, drawings by squares save you from boredom. The prototype of drawing by squares was cross-stitching, where a cross pattern was drawn on a canvas, a fabric marked with squares. We were all once students and schoolchildren and drew different pictures in boxes out of boredom, imagine my surprise when I learned that this is practically art with its own masterpieces and geniuses. I began to study the issue in more detail and this is what came out of it...

How to draw pictures by cells

This art is accessible to anyone, the main thing is to follow the cells clearly. School notebooks are ideal for drawing images; the size of their squares is 5x5 mm, and the notebook itself is 205 mm by 165 mm. At the moment, spring notebooks with an A4 sheet are gaining popularity among box artists; the size of this notebook is 280mm by 205mm.

Professional artists create their masterpieces on graph paper (drawing paper), that’s where there’s room to roam. The only disadvantage of graph paper is that it is pale green color, which is not noticeable when you sketch with colored pens.
When choosing a notebook for drawing, pay attention to the thickness of the paper; the quality of your drawing in the cells depends on its density, whether it will appear on the wrong side of the sheet. The ideal sheet density is no less than 50g/sq.m.

How to draw pictures by cells

To color pictures by cells, you do not need any special tools; any pencils and pens will do. Monochrome paintings are very cool, but I really want to add some color to my life. In order for the colors to become varied, go to a stationery store and choose whatever your heart desires, gel pens, oil, ball.

Ballpoint pens for pixel art

Felt pens for drawings in cells

If you like to draw with felt-tip pens, your right, the colors of the felt-tip pens are very rich. It is worth remembering that felt-tip pens are divided into two groups: alcohol and water; water-based ones are safer, but they can soak the paper. Alcohol can also soak paper, and the smell is also not for everyone.

Pencils for drawings by cells

Pencils are another type of sketching device. Pencils are no exception in the variety of types; they come in plastic, wax, wood and watercolor. We paint with wood early childhood, and we know that they often break the stylus. Plastic and wax ones break less often, but they are thicker, which will be less convenient for drawing. About watercolor pencils out of the question, since after painting with a pencil you need to cover the drawing with a moistened brush, and this is unacceptable for notebook sheets.

Watch a video about how easy it is to draw pictures in cells and how beautiful the result can be:

A few more drawing schemes that I liked:

Dot graphics - pixel art technology

We figured out what accessories are needed, now let's get acquainted with the technology. Pixel art technology is very simple, it is dot graphics.

Before we start looking at pixel art methods, let's go back to our childhood in the 80s -90s. Of course, those who grew up in post-Soviet times remember 8-bit video games, game graphics, which were built on pixel graphics.

The best way to master anything is practice, let's try to master pixel art:

Let's take a black and red oil pen and a checkered notebook sheet.

First, let's make a simple drawing. Let's count the cells, determine the outline and color it according to the colors.

For example, let's draw a heart:

1. Take a checkered leaf and a pen with black ink, put 3 dots, as in the picture, the dots mark which cells will be painted black.
   
   
2. Draw lines indicating the contours of the picture.
   
   
3. Mark three points on each side, see figure.
   
   
4. We mark the area of ​​the drawing with two lines.
   
   
5. Let's put one more point on each side and draw boundaries under the top points.
   
   
6. Let's draw 8 points vertically and 4 points on both sides, as shown in the figure below.
   
7. After spending vertical lines, as shown in the figure, we will fully indicate the boundaries of the figure.
   
8. In the same way, mark the lower part of the heart on the left and right.
   
   
9. We outline the cells as in our image.
   
   
10. The next thing we need to do is paint over it with a red pen. inner part hearts, leaving the glare of light unpainted.
    
    
11. And lastly, use a black pen to shade the cells marked with dots. Now you have learned how to draw eight-bit pictures.
    
    

If you think that big and 3D pictures not for you, you should try to draw a photo from the Internet. Are you scared? Not worth it.

Take

• black pen,
• pencils,
• squared notebook,
• computer,
• photograph or picture from the Internet
• Photoshop program.

For application volumetric drawings we need to count the number of cells that will be painted. It's pretty hard not to make a mistake large quantities. Also, be sure to choose shades of colors similar to the original image.
So, let's act:

I’ll give you one piece of advice that helps me a lot: if you have a color printer, print the drawing, if not, no problem. Draw a grid of 10 cells with a thicker outline. On a printed sheet, using a ruler and a contrasting pen, if there is nowhere to print, you can open the image in Paint.
I wish you creative success.

Preface

However, you can’t say that pixel art or non-pixel art graphics are more or less beautiful. It's fairer to say that pixel art is different and better suited for retro style games (like Super Nintendo or Game Boy). You can also combine the techniques learned here with effects from non-pixel art to create a hybrid style.

So, here you will learn the technical part of pixel art. However, I will never make you an artist... for the simple reason that I am not an artist either. I will teach you neither human anatomy nor the structure of the arts, and I will say little about perspective. In this tutorial, you can find a lot of information about pixel art techniques. In the end, you should be able to create characters and scenery for your games, provided you pay attention, practice regularly, and apply the tips given.

- I also want to point out that only some of the images used in this tutorial are enlarged. For images that are not enlarged, it would be good if you took the time to copy these images so that you can study them in detail. Pixel art is the essence of pixels; studying them from afar is useless.

In the end, I have to thank all the artists who joined me in creating this guide in one way or another: Shin, for his dirty work and line art, Xenohydrogen, for his genius with colors, Lunn, for his knowledge of perspective, and Panda, the stern Ahruon, Dayo, and Kryon for their generous contributions to illustrate these pages.

So, let me get back to the point.

Part 1: The Right Tools

1.Some old things

*You cannot open more than one file at the same time
* No palette control.
*No layers or transparency
* No non-rectangular selections
* Few hotkeys
* Terribly inconvenient

In short, you can forget about Paint. Now we will look at the real software.

2. In the end...

3. Cream

Charamaker 1999 - good program, but distribution appears to have stalled.

Graphics Gale is much more fun and easy to use, and it retails for around $20, which isn't too bad. Let me add that the trial version is not limited in time, and comes with enough kit to make enough good graphics. It just doesn't work with .gif, which isn't such a problem since .png is better anyway.

The software more commonly used by pixel artists is ProMotion, which is (obviously) more convenient and faster than Graphics Gale. Oh yes, she is dear! you can buy full version for a modest amount... 50 euros ($78).
Let's not forget our Mac friends! Pixen is a good program available for the Macintosh, and it's free. Unfortunately I can't tell you more because I don't have a Mac. Translator's note (from French): Linux users (and others) should try , and GrafX2. I urge you to try them all in demo versions and see which suits your convenience. In the end it's a matter of taste. Just know that once you start using a program, it can be very difficult to switch to something else.

To be continued…

Translator's notes from French to English

Translator's note from English to Russian

Pixel Art (Pixel Art) - translated from English as pixel art. A pixel, in turn, is the smallest graphic element of a digital image.

So Pixel Art literally means the art of drawing with pixels.

Just for clarity, let’s look at this example:

Owlboy (pixel art game)

This is what games with Pixel Art style graphics look like.

Very often, such graphics are used in indie games because they have a very recognizable computer gaming style.

However, Pixel Art is not only about graphics, sprites and pictures for games, this is a whole direction of digital and graphic art.

Beautiful pictures can be drawn using pixel art:

Don't confuse this with anything retro style graphics

Some paintings in this style are quite worthy of taking a place on your desktop.


There are also very cool artists who work in this style.

Look at this picture. Each pixel here was drawn separately and manually. It’s like putting together a mosaic as they did before, and they still do it now.

If we enlarge this picture, we can see how everything is done up close:

The unique style of pixel art is that there are fairly clear color transitions and no anti-aliasing. For example, let's take another work in digital graphics of a fairly average level, look at this one drawing of a girl with glasses(18+) on the blog www.econdude.pw.

This is a drawing with a computer mouse in the SAI2.0 program.

However, if you zoom in on this image, you can see the anti-aliasing:

There are no clear transitions of colors and shades, but in pixel art the transitions are clear.

For example, look at how you can make transitions between colors in pixel art:

This is an approximate image; if you look at it from afar with high resolution, the color transition will be quite smooth, but the clarity and consistency of the style is visible here.

Here's another example, this is a pretty classic pickle art style drawing:

http://www.gamer.ru/everything/pixel-art-dlya-nachinayuschih

When you get close, the pictures don't seem very beautiful, but if you look at pixel art from afar, with higher resolution, it can look wonderful.

Can you imagine the great work such artists do?

Sometimes they say that Pixel Art is done this way because it’s cheaper, they say that indie developers simply don’t have the resources to create modern 3D graphics, so they use the simplest thing they can think of, drawing in basic graphic editors pixels.

However, anyone who has drawn anything in the Pixel Art style will tell you that this is almost the most expensive graphics style in terms of resources (time, first of all).

Animation in the Pixel Art style is generally hellish work.

http://www.dinofarmgames.com/a-pixel-artist-renounces-pixel-art/

Therefore, it still needs to be proven that Pixel Art is a “lazy style”; I would even say that, on the contrary, it is not the least lazy graphics style.

However, anyone can learn to draw something simple in the Pixel Art style, and you don’t need any special programs, just a simple graphics editor.

If you want to learn how to draw in this style, you, as in any other case, need a lot of practice, and you can start, for example, with articles on Habré: Pixel art course

There you will also find the basic principles of pixel art.

Here is one example of how to draw pixel art (accelerated video - speed drawing) at the beginner level; you can learn how to draw like this in literally a week:

Pixelart:: drawing a spaceship

Sometimes in this style They make some really crazy drawings, I can’t even believe that a person drew this and I want to know how much time was spent on it. Example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vChMzRnw-Hc

See this picture of Sarah Carrigan from StarCraft? What do you think this is and how is it made?

This man built it from blocks in the game Minecraft, the work took 23 weeks.

Looking closer, you can see that these are all separate blocks.

Formally, this is no longer pixel art, but even “minecraft block art”, but the essence of the style remains the same and this is the most large drawing pixel art and a world record, according to the author.

In fact, if you look closely at any photo or picture, it is obvious that it also consists of pixels, like any image in general. But the whole difference is that pixel art is created by hand, pixel by pixel.

Another example, artists and animators Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon created this:

SIMPSONS PIXELS

It feels like a huge amount of work, and even if you used some additional tools (there are filters that turn pictures into pixel art), it would take a very long time.

Personally, I think that pictures in the Pixel Art style are the real thing modern Art in the very better sense this word.

Each Pixel Art picture has a very clear value and it is visible and felt.

Even a person who doesn’t understand this well can appreciate this.

However, unfortunately this genre art is not very popular and is now considered outdated, and a return to it in last years in the form of many games from steam in the style of pixel art, people are also starting to get bored. Although I personally think that this retro graphic style is already a classic, and a true classic will never die.