Hi! This is the actual character sheet that I use for my main characters! (My side characters usually get a much shorter one.) I will normally do this character sheet, write a lot of drabbles (or the entire first draft of the book *cough LnD cough*) and then re-do the character sheet once I get a better feel for who the character is. Characters tend to develop themselves as you write them, and it’s nice to keep this kind of information handy (and accurate to the current iteration!) while writing.
These questions are kind of an amalgamation of questionnaires I’ve found online and questions I felt needed answering for my own characters. Feel free to copy/paste this into your doc or reblog and fill it out! (Under a readmore tag please, it’s a very long questionnaire lol)
Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.
My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.
This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!
🔹 Do I need money?
NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.
I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.
Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.
✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!
🔹 What software should I use?
Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using.
Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐
💰 Paid options:
⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99
This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.
Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.
If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!
⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$
A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.
Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!
⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00
An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.
⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99
Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.
Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.
One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.
⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99
If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.
🆓 Free options:
⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)
Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.
⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)
A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.
⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)
Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'?
Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.
🔹 So I got my software, now what?
◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.
❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.
The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍
◽Phew! With that out of the way...
🔸"The Rules"
There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.
🔹Scaling method
There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.
Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?
On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor.
(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)
🔹Mixels
Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.
Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!
As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!
Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.
Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.
🔹Saving Your Files
We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.
For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!
Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.
🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon
❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗
As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!
🔸How To Learn
Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.
⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10
A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.
⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free
A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.
⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free
A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.
⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional)
Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials.
He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.
⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free
There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones.
My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!
🔸Where To Post
Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.
⭐ Lospec
Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.
⭐⭐ Pixilart
Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.
⭐⭐ Pixeljoint
Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer.
It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history.
The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.
⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot
Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵
It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity.
The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people.
Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!
⭐⭐/r/pixelart
The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking.
However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol
🔸 Where To Find Work
You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:
Put your email / portfolio in your bio
Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!
Clean up your profile
If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.
Post regularly, and repost
Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby
Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.
/r/INAT
INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.
/r/GameDevClassifieds
Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.
Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies
Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.
VGen
VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends.
Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.
The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork
I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least).
Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...
🔸 Community
I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!
Discord servers
Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.
Twitch Streams
Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects!
Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.
🔸 Other Helpful Websites
Palettes
Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun.
Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.
The Spriters Resource
TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.
VGMaps
Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.
Game UI Database
Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!
Retronator
A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!
Itch.io
A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike.
A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite
🔸 The End?
This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!
I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!
This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.
And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕
Flowers have a long history of symbolism that you can incorporate into your writing to give subtext.
Symbolism varies between cultures and customs, and these particular examples come from Victorian Era Britain. You'll find examples of this symbolism in many well-known novels of the era!
Mafia!Geto! doesnt care about anyone.would terrorise the smallmarkets and use is intimdating presence to bully the owners into giving him part of their money.
Mafia!Geto! Who would spend his night in nightclubs surrounded by women but never paying attention to them.he thinks they are all the same,want to get in his pants.
Mafia!Geto!after leaving the club hears the laughter of some men,wanted to ignore it until he heard your voice telling the people blocking your way to move aside.
Mafia!Geto!that for some reason made him stop his tracks and turn around to see what was going on.
And there you were, holding something in your arms and still standing your ground to some sketchy man with their arms covered in gang tattoos.Trying to get their hands off of you without dropping your precious cargo.
Mafia!Geto!walked towards you and the men surrounding you.His intimidating aura wasn't missed.
"Hey boss—"started one before getting grabbed by the collar by none other than geto.He didn't say a single word,just send him a cold glare.The group didn't hesitate to leave urgently.
Mafia!Geto! glanced back at you,who was kneeling to the floor trying to catch what it looked like...petals?
The precious cargo was a bouquet that you spent the afternoon working on,that now was ruined.
Mafia!Geto! Didn't say a word he just watched you with curiosity.he was wondering how a woman like you—not dressed as the party type-was out at this late hour.
You weren't overdressed with heels and short skirts ,you were wearing a pair of regular jeans with a big size shirt. He couldn't help but notice the etiquette coming out of your collar.
"Shit..."you cursed to yourself annoyed that the bouquet was ruined.still at least those men weren't bothering you.thanks to that man.
Mafia!Geto!who kept staring at you.suddenly you looked up to him with a smile."Thank you,i will go now."
Mafia!Geto! wondered why you didn't look scared or even tried to jump him and flirt with him like the other women did around him in the nightclubs.
Mafia!Geto! Without a word he followed you discreetly—tho not enough for you to not notice,still you acted normal.he followed you until you stopped to a boutique.
Mafia!Geto! Watched you from afar as you went in the building and a few minutes later some lights were turned on, visible through the large windows.
Mafia!Geto! After coming back to his own place,you kept running around his mind,back and forth.The way you were trying to keep your composure even if you were surrounded.The way you even thank him— him being the leader of a Mafia clan— and smile at him as if it was normal.
Which it was normal.
Just not to him.wasnt used to that kind of interaction. He was used to being feared.
Mafia!Geto! He wanted to know more about you.he just had too.You seemed so kind compared to him whose hands were stained in blood.
Mafia!Geto! Who the next day walked around the neighborhood and saw you across the street helping an old lady with her groceries.
You smiled.
The same smile you gave him the night prior.It seemed—and was—a genuine smile.
The next weeks he kept seeing from afar,still keeping a distance.Trying to not be creepy.he made sure you wouldn't have any problems going home.He kept his men in check and warned them if they got close to you,their heads would be cut off.
Mafia!Geto!his inner self was telling him to talk to you but he couldn't.
How could he?he wasn't a nice person and you were.You were always helping other with a smile and always offering a hand.him on the other hand only radiated fear wherever he went.
Mafia!Geto! on his way to the drug store was stopped by your voice. " there you are."
He turned around and saw you with a bouquet in hands smiling at him. " I was hoping to see you around."
Mafia!Geto! Couldnt help but lift an eyebrow,slightly confused.What was going?what were you talking about?
"Don't thinking I didn't saw you when I left that dark alley and you followed me to my apartment."you told him.
"We don't know each other but I know you've been watching me and it was...creepy,i have to admit."you chuckled before continuing. "But I have a feeling that you are the reason why I feel safe at night."
Mafia!Geto! still hasn't said a word ,he kept listening and paying attention closely to you,your face,your hair,the way your dress fits your perfectly.
"Anyway,that said,these are for you."you handed him the bouquet to which he look back at you and back the bouquet before taking it."see you around!"
That said,you walked away. His eyes glanced down at the bouquet.
Orchids & moonlight boutique,handmade by y/n.
Y/n...
That was your name...fits you so well..
It was her boutique...that explains the flowers..
Mafia!Geto! Who since that day wasn't paying attention to his right hand,Gojo.and the level of crime was somehow dropping.
"Hey man,whats up with you?some good fuck has get your mind busy??"the white hair man teased.
"Shut the fuck up gojo."
"Ouhhhhhh!oh wait is that girl from that night?—she look so innocent in thoses dresses,she would be sucha good fu—"
Mafia!Geto! Couldn't control his movements,he was holding gojo by the collar tightly.
"Looks like I touched a nerve,didn't I?" Laughed gojo with a grin plastered on his face.
Mafia!Geto! "Don't you dare get near her." He warns,knowing how disgustingly perverted gojo can be.
"Alright,alright!"responded the blue Eyed man ,raising his hands defensively
—————————————————>*
Mafia!Geto! Ends up one late afternoon in your boutique, you were attending a woman as he waited for you to be free.Of course when you saw him cross your entrance,you couldn't help but smile.
The woman seemed to have noticed geto's presence and hurried off the boutique telling you she would come another day.
"Nice to see you again,what can I do for you?" You smiled behind the counter.
The thing is ; geto didn't know himself why he was there,why you interested him so much.He wasn't used to that feeling.
Of not knowing or understanding.
Mafia!Geto! Responds after a few minutes of silence for the first time." Why the flowers?"
His voice made your face warm and send a slight chill down your spine.Besides from his voice you couldn't help but admit how handsome he was.His dark hair tied in a bun with a few strings falling on his face.
"It is my way of thanking you for the other night."you simply respond which was the truth.
He simply nodded.
"I customized them for you."you added not wanting the conversation to end.
"Customize ?"
"Yes!I choose them specifically for you.That is my job actually."smiling ear to ear, you explained proudly.
Mafia!Geto! hummed in response before replying " you shouldn't he doing that."your smile dropped to frown."you shouldn't be so nice with me"he added.
"You think I don't know who you are?you are the infamous Geto,the man that terrorises the streets."you slightly giggled.
"If you know who I am—"
"you could've left me to those men and yet you didn't."you interrupted him,causing his eyes to widen for a second not used to be cut off."Yet you still kept an eye on me from a distance."
Mafia!Geto! Hated the way you were right."Just stay away"he said one last time before walking through your door.
a/n: this is dedicated to @adeobizen because i was her deobi anon for the b anon project! surprise, it’s me!!!! i’ve never written for the boyz before and this is a little rushed, but i hope you like it :-)
The soothing lyrics paired with the gentle brushstrokes along your back did nothing to keep you awake, the apartment quiet aside from the music and yours and Kevin’s breathing. After telling you that he wanted to explore other kinds of art and art styles, and being the hopeless romantic that he is, he had asked you earlier in the week if you would let him use you as a canvas. At first, you were a bit hesitant, not really a fan of the mess that it would involve, but after giving you a pleading look—well, how could you say no?
Omg thank you so much!!!! As the hopeless romantic and universe lover as I am… I love it! Thank you so much for joining this project and it was such a pleasure to have you as my anon, you were the sweetest person I’ve could ever get and I hope we’ll continue to talk a lot!!!💕💕💕
changing your sheets is the hardest thing in the whole world who the fuck cares about sisyphus and his stupid rock i have to take the sheets off my bed and then put new ones on and then in a little bit? ill have to do it again
