I don’t know if the “Thanks for watching. Bye.” bit at the end was meant to be funny, but it somehow cracked me up. I love how “dry” you keep these videos; it sets you apart from the constantly smiling youtubers you normally get.
Haha :) I experimented a bit with emoting and acting when I first started, but I realized I'm not a particularly good actor. So now I just lean into a dry delivery ^^
As a programmer rolling out his own art, after watching this I made my entire game black. Finally it looks gorgeous comparatively speaking. *chef kiss*
"View the art in the right context", that's the best advice I have heard. I am a game programmer, but I have always wanted to make my own game art. For the past year, I've been trying to learn how to do art, yet I am never satisfied with how it turns out. I thought to myself: I am still not ready for making game art yet. But hearing this advice, I think it's time for me to stop studying anatomy and perspective (at least for now), and start building my own game scene. That's why I am studying art in the first place, and I think I am more than ready to tackle this challenge. Thank you for the video!
Ye, I don't think its necessarily bad to study and learn some of these things, but I also really like art. I think perspective is a good example where fundamentals can somewhat go wrong. I've wanted to cover it in a video, but the perspective in 2D games is almost always incorrect, it kind of has to be due to the static images. So you'll see it handled in different ways depending on game, and it is one of those situations I personally think it is better to look at 'how 2d games handle perspective' rather than trying to learn actual perspective. Good luck on your art!
Sometimes, it's best to start building your game scene as soon as possible, before improving it over and over till it's perfect. But personally, I'd say keep brushing up your perspective and anatomy skills, it'll really help out in the long run. Wish you good luck on your art journey.🙂
It's obvious now you've said it, but the way you explained it really helped. I really appreciate the reminder that a game can still be fun, legible and aesthetically pleasing without having to be the best artist ever.
Love that you’re focusing on the game design craft rather than tutorials. I don’t mind the dry delivery either. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing your particle creation process.
Ye, I'm working on the particle video, as well as one for shaders and environment animations, but I haven't entirely decided how I want to cover it ^^. Thanks on the feedback for craft vs tutorials :)
Great Video! A lot of good notes to keep in mind. The biggest difference I noticed between the art that didn't work and the art that did is the hierarchy of details. You can get away with a lot if you remember to maintain large areas of low detail. That way the game doesn't look visually cluttered. That's why blurring the background and shifting it all toward blue helped so much. It lowered the amount of detail.
Stumbled across this channel while had been losing motivation to create game art for so long. I got motivated instantly and ended up learning from many videos on your channel! I am impressed by how much information you give that is actually insightful, useful, logical, and full of references, which cannot be easily found on TH-cam. Thank you so much for the hard work. This channel is truly a gem!
I love how to the point you are. You’ve prob stopped me from trying 15 things I was going to mistakingly try by this one vid. And I think kept me focused on what I can actually possibly pull off. Thanks
Thank you for your amazing videos! :) I love the fact that you get straight to the point with things and illustrate the examples with clear visuals to get the point across. I look forward to seeing your future content. Keep up the amazing work my friend :)
Great tips. As someone who isn't great at making individual assets, I have come to a similar conclusion of hiding my weaknesses with good colour choices and environmental design.
Notification alert is onnnnnn. Great piece of advice with skipping some of the fundamentals. Some people that begin get scared but you point out that it can be a strength, if put into the right context. Currently working on my first 2D platformer with another person. Will try and share some screenshots in next video comment section!
Ye, I think some people might find it controversial, but I think it gets to something even more important, the skill required to do game art is to a large extent quite different from 'general' art skills. They are heavily related, but there is still a learning curve. There are some aspects of drawing that are so unrelated to game art that practicing it would be simlar to trying to learn the piano by playing the guitar. Good luck on your project, would be fun to see screenshots :)
Hello! I'm a game designer for the last 5+ years, but I want to be more autonomous when it comes to 2D game art. Currently, all the games I create I use primitive shapes, squares, circles, etc., or I use pre-made assets from stores. I have no previous experience in 2D art, except for Pixel Art (Aseprite) and 3D modeling (Maya, Blender), but that's not my interest at the moment. I want to learn vector art and more ""standard"" art. I would like to know if you could create a video explaining the step-by-step process for a game designer who wants to be more independent in creating their own 2D art. Which software to use, which courses to take, etc. I know it's a somewhat complex question, but I would be very grateful if you could answer it with a video or text. Thank you very much!
Hmm, I have some videos covering a few of the topics mentioned. But I have a video I am working on at the moment that will be an overview of what I think is important when learning game art, that hopefully covers a few of the things mentioned. Sadly I can't really cover vector art or what courses to take, because I don't really have much insight into it.
When drawing background assets, i made it a personal rule to limit the assets to at least 2 to 3 colors that contrasts and compliments the player character, enemies and npcs. For a while i struggled with that, until i took a crash course in color theory.
Ye, it's surprising how many games sort of only shoot for complementary or triadic colour schemes and get really good results, I've been wanting to work on it more, especially since its good to have examples of it, but I somehow always keep going back to analogous colours (warm/cold).
@@Nonsensical2D Analogous colors also seems to work surprisingly well🤔. Although personally I feel those kind of colors works well when trying to convey an emotional theme in the game's world or story. Which is usually why I use analogous colors for either the lighting or the overall background color in my game.🙂
Every video that you posting here is gem for solo game developers especially for beginners.Nice one. I think you can create small detail course in skill share or Udemy like creating simple art step by step process, aligning those assets in Unity,your work flow of game design in detail.
Great video. This is very true (though I'm not an artist, simply a player), look at environmental station alpha, it looks like absolute crap, but it has a consistent art-style with a fitting price-point and the art-style does the job of communicating what it needs to. Other games can be more impressive, but far less consistent, and sometimes the art itself can even be a distraction from the gameplay.
I completely agree with you, but, what should I do if in my platformer I want to make a bias, for example, for a Gothic atmosphere, but at the same time I don't know how to draw? (or i can only Pixel art) Gothic architecture, as far as I know, is quite complex, and the whole idea of my game is to create something even darker than Hollow Knight, so I can't create it with simple assets. I think this is really an exceptionally problematic situation - when people like me, who can't draw, try to create a game that will rely on the atmosphere and narrative, for which the graphic component is very important.
I would honestly go for limbos style. they go for mostly silhouettes, it reduces how much you need to draw, but really sells a creepy vibe well. And then invest some time into shaders. it's a game that is Definitely worth checking out and analysing. That is probably what I would largely go for. I wouldn't start with details from the outset, and if I get something to work, then add some details here and there, to sell it even further.
Same here :) I used to be on the extreme end of overworking and detailing, I still love doing it for portraits and the like because I like details, but I think it is a matter of thinking about the goals and limitations for each project.
@Nonsensical 2D Since I've only just stared learning about video game art, I certainly have a new appreciation for it and the time people spend creating.
Hmm, I personally use godot as my game engine and then procreate for the art. I'd say unity, godot or gamemaker are the most popular game engines for 2d games. I think which is the easiest kind of depends, unity has a lot of online resources so in that regard it is quite good. But I personally think that godot is really easy and quick to get started with and the documentation is really good. I haven't tried gamemaker but I hear that there are aspects of making a simple game that makes it really easy, but any custom solution will be extra cumbersome compared to the others. With that said, I would look at videos comparing those 3 pretty much, to see which fits you best. I haven't quite experienced the beginner route since I have a programming background, but I personally find programming in godot more intuitive than unity. There are some visual programming stuff out there (I think unity asset store has some), but I can't really speak to whether it is worthwhile to try.
After watching So many videos on Ipad pro game development and game assets I Found Your channel I love how you make game assets, now I need your help in my game Development I'm working on two games 1 is a pixel art game and the another is a Remake oF Evil dead Regeneration For Android and iso But in 3d pixel art or in unity game Engine, I request you please make 2d pixeL art game assets like Buildings road truck people cars and other game assets in pixel 2d art
Yes i will, I don't know how much yet and it is not the focus of the channel, but I have one pixel art video that I am working on and will probably do more in the future.
A great solution now is AI image generators, they can save A LOT ot time specially for asset creation. You can draw and paint your own style and train a model base on your style and use the AI then to carry all the heavy work for later asset creation allowing the developer to put more time on gameplay mechanics, story etc. Btw AWESOME VIDEOS you are making.
Ye, I've been thinking about making a video about it. I think there is potential there in the future, there are some aspects in regards to copyright and legal aspects that I don't find entirely settled yet. Even though it is easy to make a case that a machine learning system 'learns' in a similar manner to a human and thus learning from copyrighted material is 'fine', you don't entirely know if that is something a court would decide until it has actually been tried in court. With that said I think there is a lot of potential in the field and would make it even more important to have good 'art direction' rather than good 'drawing skils', so I agree with your assessment that it would remove a lot of the heavy work. Thanks, I appreciate the support :)
Your videos are monotonous and I don't really like that..(maybe that's your style or appeal though) BUUTT, they are still informative and interesting, so, subbed and liked!
Nah, it's entirely fair and I agree, I'm trying to get better at it but I'm still kind of bad at sitting in front of the camera (at least trying to get a bit closer to how I speak naturally) :)
@@Nonsensical2D Very nice, I will be trying myself to make youtube videos, but I'm kinda afraid :D :D and have some other focuses atm.. Wish you luck and I'm sure you'll get where you want :) Cheers!
I don’t know if the “Thanks for watching. Bye.” bit at the end was meant to be funny, but it somehow cracked me up. I love how “dry” you keep these videos; it sets you apart from the constantly smiling youtubers you normally get.
Haha :) I experimented a bit with emoting and acting when I first started, but I realized I'm not a particularly good actor. So now I just lean into a dry delivery ^^
@@Nonsensical2D I'm glad you lean into it!! I love it so much it actually. Also your content deserves 1000x the amount of views/likes/subscribers
As a programmer rolling out his own art, after watching this I made my entire game black. Finally it looks gorgeous comparatively speaking. *chef kiss*
"View the art in the right context", that's the best advice I have heard.
I am a game programmer, but I have always wanted to make my own game art. For the past year, I've been trying to learn how to do art, yet I am never satisfied with how it turns out. I thought to myself: I am still not ready for making game art yet. But hearing this advice, I think it's time for me to stop studying anatomy and perspective (at least for now), and start building my own game scene. That's why I am studying art in the first place, and I think I am more than ready to tackle this challenge. Thank you for the video!
Ye, I don't think its necessarily bad to study and learn some of these things, but I also really like art. I think perspective is a good example where fundamentals can somewhat go wrong. I've wanted to cover it in a video, but the perspective in 2D games is almost always incorrect, it kind of has to be due to the static images. So you'll see it handled in different ways depending on game, and it is one of those situations I personally think it is better to look at 'how 2d games handle perspective' rather than trying to learn actual perspective. Good luck on your art!
Sometimes, it's best to start building your game scene as soon as possible, before improving it over and over till it's perfect.
But personally, I'd say keep brushing up your perspective and anatomy skills, it'll really help out in the long run.
Wish you good luck on your art journey.🙂
It's obvious now you've said it, but the way you explained it really helped. I really appreciate the reminder that a game can still be fun, legible and aesthetically pleasing without having to be the best artist ever.
Love that you’re focusing on the game design craft rather than tutorials. I don’t mind the dry delivery either. However, I wouldn’t mind seeing your particle creation process.
Ye, I'm working on the particle video, as well as one for shaders and environment animations, but I haven't entirely decided how I want to cover it ^^. Thanks on the feedback for craft vs tutorials :)
Great Video! A lot of good notes to keep in mind. The biggest difference I noticed between the art that didn't work and the art that did is the hierarchy of details. You can get away with a lot if you remember to maintain large areas of low detail. That way the game doesn't look visually cluttered. That's why blurring the background and shifting it all toward blue helped so much. It lowered the amount of detail.
Stumbled across this channel while had been losing motivation to create game art for so long. I got motivated instantly and ended up learning from many videos on your channel! I am impressed by how much information you give that is actually insightful, useful, logical, and full of references, which cannot be easily found on TH-cam. Thank you so much for the hard work. This channel is truly a gem!
I love how to the point you are. You’ve prob stopped me from trying 15 things I was going to mistakingly try by this one vid. And I think kept me focused on what I can actually possibly pull off. Thanks
Thank you for your amazing videos! :) I love the fact that you get straight to the point with things and illustrate the examples with clear visuals to get the point across. I look forward to seeing your future content. Keep up the amazing work my friend :)
Great tips. As someone who isn't great at making individual assets, I have come to a similar conclusion of hiding my weaknesses with good colour choices and environmental design.
Amazing tips as usual~~~~ My mantra for my game is "as simple as possible, but still looks good", it has been a fun challenge making it :D
thanks for advice really useful info for game devs
Notification alert is onnnnnn.
Great piece of advice with skipping some of the fundamentals. Some people that begin get scared but you point out that it can be a strength, if put into the right context.
Currently working on my first 2D platformer with another person. Will try and share some screenshots in next video comment section!
Ye, I think some people might find it controversial, but I think it gets to something even more important, the skill required to do game art is to a large extent quite different from 'general' art skills. They are heavily related, but there is still a learning curve. There are some aspects of drawing that are so unrelated to game art that practicing it would be simlar to trying to learn the piano by playing the guitar. Good luck on your project, would be fun to see screenshots :)
@@Nonsensical2D Definitely! Its still good to learn of course but its great hearing someone say it haha!
Hello! I'm a game designer for the last 5+ years, but I want to be more autonomous when it comes to 2D game art. Currently, all the games I create I use primitive shapes, squares, circles, etc., or I use pre-made assets from stores.
I have no previous experience in 2D art, except for Pixel Art (Aseprite) and 3D modeling (Maya, Blender), but that's not my interest at the moment. I want to learn vector art and more ""standard"" art.
I would like to know if you could create a video explaining the step-by-step process for a game designer who wants to be more independent in creating their own 2D art. Which software to use, which courses to take, etc.
I know it's a somewhat complex question, but I would be very grateful if you could answer it with a video or text. Thank you very much!
Hmm, I have some videos covering a few of the topics mentioned. But I have a video I am working on at the moment that will be an overview of what I think is important when learning game art, that hopefully covers a few of the things mentioned. Sadly I can't really cover vector art or what courses to take, because I don't really have much insight into it.
When drawing background assets, i made it a personal rule to limit the assets to at least 2 to 3 colors that contrasts and compliments the player character, enemies and npcs.
For a while i struggled with that, until i took a crash course in color theory.
Ye, it's surprising how many games sort of only shoot for complementary or triadic colour schemes and get really good results, I've been wanting to work on it more, especially since its good to have examples of it, but I somehow always keep going back to analogous colours (warm/cold).
@@Nonsensical2D Analogous colors also seems to work surprisingly well🤔. Although personally I feel those kind of colors works well when trying to convey an emotional theme in the game's world or story. Which is usually why I use analogous colors for either the lighting or the overall background color in my game.🙂
Every video that you posting here is gem for solo game developers especially for beginners.Nice one. I think you can create small detail course in skill share or Udemy like creating simple art step by step process, aligning those assets in Unity,your work flow of game design in detail.
Great video. This is very true (though I'm not an artist, simply a player), look at environmental station alpha, it looks like absolute crap, but it has a consistent art-style with a fitting price-point and the art-style does the job of communicating what it needs to. Other games can be more impressive, but far less consistent, and sometimes the art itself can even be a distraction from the gameplay.
I completely agree with you, but, what should I do if in my platformer I want to make a bias, for example, for a Gothic atmosphere, but at the same time I don't know how to draw? (or i can only Pixel art) Gothic architecture, as far as I know, is quite complex, and the whole idea of my game is to create something even darker than Hollow Knight, so I can't create it with simple assets. I think this is really an exceptionally problematic situation - when people like me, who can't draw, try to create a game that will rely on the atmosphere and narrative, for which the graphic component is very important.
I would honestly go for limbos style. they go for mostly silhouettes, it reduces how much you need to draw, but really sells a creepy vibe well. And then invest some time into shaders. it's a game that is Definitely worth checking out and analysing. That is probably what I would largely go for. I wouldn't start with details from the outset, and if I get something to work, then add some details here and there, to sell it even further.
Awesome tips for indie game devs
Thanks, your videos are extremely helpful
Thanks. This is something I'll try to apply to my own art. I tend to go in and try to nug out details.
Same here :) I used to be on the extreme end of overworking and detailing, I still love doing it for portraits and the like because I like details, but I think it is a matter of thinking about the goals and limitations for each project.
@Nonsensical 2D Since I've only just stared learning about video game art, I certainly have a new appreciation for it and the time people spend creating.
Around 5:00 three games get mentioned. What is the third ones name? I understand "Hills of iron" but yuch a game doesnt seem to exist.
Tails of Iron
What programs do you use for making your games ? (And what should you use as a beginner who wants to make games but is only good at art?)
Hmm, I personally use godot as my game engine and then procreate for the art. I'd say unity, godot or gamemaker are the most popular game engines for 2d games. I think which is the easiest kind of depends, unity has a lot of online resources so in that regard it is quite good. But I personally think that godot is really easy and quick to get started with and the documentation is really good. I haven't tried gamemaker but I hear that there are aspects of making a simple game that makes it really easy, but any custom solution will be extra cumbersome compared to the others. With that said, I would look at videos comparing those 3 pretty much, to see which fits you best. I haven't quite experienced the beginner route since I have a programming background, but I personally find programming in godot more intuitive than unity. There are some visual programming stuff out there (I think unity asset store has some), but I can't really speak to whether it is worthwhile to try.
After watching So many videos on Ipad pro game development and game assets I Found
Your channel I love how you make game assets, now I need your help in my game
Development I'm working on two games 1 is a pixel art game and the another is a
Remake oF Evil dead Regeneration For Android and iso But in 3d pixel art or in unity game
Engine, I request you please make 2d pixeL art game assets like Buildings road truck people
cars and other game assets in pixel 2d art
ty
you are best
What’s the game at 0:22 it’s so charming
The End is Nigh
Will you make a video about pixel art in the future ?
Yes i will, I don't know how much yet and it is not the focus of the channel, but I have one pixel art video that I am working on and will probably do more in the future.
4:32 not sure why this is a thing. I don't relate to that at all.
A great solution now is AI image generators, they can save A LOT ot time specially for asset creation. You can draw and paint your own style and train a model base on your style and use the AI then to carry all the heavy work for later asset creation allowing the developer to put more time on gameplay mechanics, story etc. Btw AWESOME VIDEOS you are making.
Ye, I've been thinking about making a video about it. I think there is potential there in the future, there are some aspects in regards to copyright and legal aspects that I don't find entirely settled yet. Even though it is easy to make a case that a machine learning system 'learns' in a similar manner to a human and thus learning from copyrighted material is 'fine', you don't entirely know if that is something a court would decide until it has actually been tried in court. With that said I think there is a lot of potential in the field and would make it even more important to have good 'art direction' rather than good 'drawing skils', so I agree with your assessment that it would remove a lot of the heavy work. Thanks, I appreciate the support :)
You're damn dry; but I subscribed anyway; I'll be posting dry comments now.
Bye!
Your videos are monotonous and I don't really like that..(maybe that's your style or appeal though) BUUTT, they are still informative and interesting, so, subbed and liked!
Nah, it's entirely fair and I agree, I'm trying to get better at it but I'm still kind of bad at sitting in front of the camera (at least trying to get a bit closer to how I speak naturally) :)
@@Nonsensical2D Very nice, I will be trying myself to make youtube videos, but I'm kinda afraid :D :D and have some other focuses atm.. Wish you luck and I'm sure you'll get where you want :) Cheers!