Pixel Art How to Paint a Scene

Before you begin, make sure that you have done the Tutorial " Pixel Art Tools In PhotoImpact " and knows all the setting, cause they are always the same and save them in your Easy Palette for a fast access and also the previous projects, they build up from previous one. Remember, no soft edge, none whatsoever.

Open a canvas 250x250 pixels RGB with white background.

The Outline Part:

We are going to start making the outlines for our house.
There is two ways to do this. You could go the long way by using the paint brush. (Set your paint brush for pixels with black color. Click on mode, and paint a rectangle 188 x105 pixels.)

Or use the fast way

Fig:1

The fast way:
Choose the Path outline drawing tool, unchecked the anti-aliasing. Color black, 2D, border 1. Draw a rectangle 188x105 pixels. Convert your path to an image object.

It will give you the same thing as if you did pixel paint it. I just love fast and easy don't you.

Going to show you the fastest and easy way here. Center your rectangle, this is the frame body of your house.

Now we are going to make the facing for under the roof. Using the same method as above we are going to make a rectangle 195x5 pixels and position on the frame house body. Let the bottom line overlap the one from our frame house body.

Check fig:1 this is what we have so far.

Fig: 2

Next we are going to draw the roof.

With same method, draw an other rectangle 197x47 pixels.

Since we are using vector and this is not an image, we are able to use all the transform tools, Great isn't it, but remember always that we need to have anti-aliasing unchecked.

Choose the perspective tool from the transform tool. And bring closer together the top line. Fig: 2. The top line have about 134 pixels. Now with this method we have a bit of cleaning to do but still is a lot faster.

Fig: 3

Fig: 3 Get rid of the double pixels, by using the eraser, don't forget to set it for pixels erasing.

Fig: 4

Position in place Fig: 4.

Save your work often.

Fig. 5

Using the Line and Arrow too anti-aliasing unchecked, choose hairline, straight line, no arrow. Draw a diagonal line that would fit a 64x64 pixels square. Fig: 5.

Fig: 6

Duplicate and flip horizontally. Position. Fig: 6.

Merge as single object. Duplicate and erase 8 pixels at the bottom on each side.

Fig: 7

Position the roof. Fig: 7. From the bottom of the roof leave 3 pixels space and position your lines, do this for both of them.

Fig: 8

Next, we are going to choose our pick tool and center horizontally, we do that for both lines. Fig: 8

At this point, you may select all object and move down your lines, since our roof is out of the canvas.

Save your work.

Fig: 9

Next we are going to make some trimming.

Fig: 9, Using the paint brush, paint in mode a line at the bottom to close up our triangles, see the red line in the example. Also paint a 3 pixels line just like in the example, do this on the other end as well. Click out of mode.

Fig: 10

Click on mode again, and reproduce Fig: 10. line 5 pixels across, then go up 1 line and make a line 4 pixels across, go up 1 line and 1 pixel,

Fig: 11

make a line 2 pixels across and click out of mode and position, fig: 11.

Fig: 12

Now we are duplicate and position these until we have meet the other 3 pixels line at the other end. Fig: 12

Save your work.

Fig: 13

Fig:13, erase the line in between, we don't need them there.

Fig: 14

Using the method above as described for using the different path drawing tools, making sure the anti-aliasing is unchecked. Draw the windows, door, etc. Finish your outlines and save your work.

Fig: 14 is now what I have for my outline, yours may be a bit different depending of the windows, door design you choose to make.

Save you work.

We are now ready to color it up.

The painting Part:

Fig: 15

Using the magic Wand, similarity 0, connected pixels. Click inside of the facing roof and the board under the roof and fill in with the fill bucket with the color #E7D6BD. Convert your selection to an object. Fig: 15

Save your work.

Fig: 16

With the magic wand, select all the roofing parts, with the fill bucket, fill with color #4A4E4F.

Convert your selection to an object.

Fig: 17

Now if you want your roof to look like asphalted tiles. Open your brush panel and click on the color tab and set with these setting. Choose multi color and set the brightness to 10 leaving others at 0. With your object still select, click the Edit Active Object Only button, next to the Mode Button. Paint your rooftop without worrying about going outside the lines or having to use the eraser. Fig: 17 See the difference from fig: 16 and fig: 17, makes a nice roof texture.

Save your work.

Fig: 18

Making the wood board. Fig: 18

Using color #634231 Draw straight line, make sure you don't have the multi color select in your brush panel. Make about five lines like in the example.

Then change for color #947B6B and do the same between the other lines.

Fig: 19

For the decoration under the overhang. Fig: 19

Select the white area with the magic wand and fill with the fill bucket with color #845A4A . Convert to an object.

Fig: 20 Fig: 21
Click on mode again and paint a line 5 pixels across space 4 pixels and then painting your an other line again 5 pixels across and so on until you have done the bottom part line of the decoration.

Duplicate the line you have just made and fill with the bucket with color #772B1A and move it one pixel up. Fig: 21.

Fig: 22

Fig: 22 This is what we have so far.

Save your work.

Fig: 23

Fig: 23 Do the about the same for under the window shade.

Save your work.

Fig: 24 Fig: 25 Close up
Fig: 24 With the next different colors, paint the frames of the windows, door and the board on each side of the house.

Color #634231, #947B6B, #845A4A.

Fig: 26

Fig: 26 With the magic wand select the front of the house body and with the fill bucket, fill with the color #C7A891.

Now you could leave it as is, or make wooden plank, sure would be nice. Let's do it.

Fig: 27

With the paint brush and color #92715F, click on mode and make broken line across horizontally. Fig: 27

Fig: 28

With the paint brush and color #D5C6B5, click on mode and paint broken patch across horizontally. Fig: 28

Fig: 29
Fig: 29 is what we should have so far and what our wood plank would look like. Pretty cool hey.

Fig: 30

OK, now let's see what we have left to do. We are almost done.

Fig: 30. Select with the magic Wand and fill with a black color.

Fig: 31
Fig: 31 This is the design we did made for the door panel, but you could very well make your own design or just use a plain color. We did the door doorknob to match the panel.

Fig: 32

For the door we did use the color #96694E and the floor porch as well. The color #784E3E was for the front porch step.

Fig: 33

Now I'll let you decorated the inside of your house or just make full shot curtains, what ever you prefer.

Above is close up of the windows.

Fig: 34

Fig: 34 Final Result.

You could very well choose your own color and house design, this tutorial is a guide line on how to make yours with tips and tricks for fast and easy in PhotoImpact.

Hope you had fun with Sheryl and me here, don't forget to grab your award.

Don't forget to show what you have done in the Pixels Art Workshop forum. at PhotoImpact International Board.

If you are not a member, you just have to register, it is free.

If you want some help or critic, please use the critics Icon and post as well a screen shot of a zoom, so I could see better your work and help you out. It won't be possible for me every time to download your work and open in PI to zoom on it. Thanks.