Pixel Art - Drawing by Painting Pixels

This is a Basic Introduction to this Method, we will make a different section in each Mini Tutorial, so that they are of a manageable size for each sitting - and at the end of the 2nd Tutorial and all subsequent tutorials we will add each new section to the larger Image we are building.
Make sure you save your work often.
The tutorial was written using PSP X2 but can be done with all other versions of PSP
by Woven
The Bold writing are the keyboard shortcuts for each action.You may or may not need to have the [ F lock ] on your keyboard activated for these to work


First Image is magnifyed to 200% of actual size - the 2nd image is shown at actual size
Head Pixelated Finished     Head Actual Size Finished


Requirements for this lesson


Everything you need for this Tutorial comes in Paint Shop Pro

UPPER BODY       LOWER BODY


Making our Cartoon Character using the Drawing by Painting Pixels Method

    FIRST WE WILL MAKE OUR SHAPED HEAD
  1. Open a New Image ( Ctrl + N ) >150(W) x 150(H) Pixels;Resolution 100.000 Pixels/Inch; Raster Background Checked; Colour Depth RGB - 8 bits/channel [ In old versions of PSP this is 16 million(24bits) ] ; Colour - Transparent Checked>OK.
  2. View>Zoom In - Do this a few times until image is at 800% magnification as this makes placing the pixels easy to do without straining your eyes.
  3. Using the Scroll Bars - position the Side one at the top and the bottom one on the left side of the image so that the top left corner of the image is the visible portion in the image window.
  4. Layers Palette>Right Click on the Raster Layer;Rename> and Name it OUTLINE HEAD.
  5. Select your Paint Brush Tool ( B ) >Shape Square; Size 1; Hardness 100; Step 1; Density & Thickness both 100; Rotation 0; Opacity 100; Blend Mode Normal; Continuous & Wet Look Paint both Unchecked.
  6. Materials Palette> Click on the wee lefthandside button underneath the Foreground Colour Swatch and Select Solid Colour; Left click on the Foreground Colour Swatch and change the HTML Code to #886338 This is a mid brown colour which will be slightly darker than what we colour our face later, so that the outline remains visible.
  7. Hold cursor over image and looking at the bottom Status Bar - when the 1st set of Bracketted numbers reads (74,43) Left click once.
  8. Now using the scroll bars on the image window again position this pixel until it sits up the top about 1/3 of the way across the image window from the left. This is the top of our head
  9. Now starting at the next pixel to the right of this pixel you painted a minute ago and left click again - repeat until you have a line that is 6 pixels long.
  10. Next move across and down 1 pixel and make a new line painting in 8 pixels horizontally and to the right.
    Shows first 2 sets of pixels painted for the outline
  11. Now moving down 1 pixel and across one pixel to the right for the start of each of the following sets of painted pixels -

    3 across - 4 across - (4 x 2 across) - (2 x 1) - (1 x 2 across) - (7 x 1 single pixel) - (1 x 2 down)

    Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far

    1 - (2 x 2 down) - 3 down - 2 down - 7 down - 4 down

    Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far - we are now down to the right ear level       Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far - we are now down to the right ear level

  12. This time moving to the left and down the face into the chin area - Go down 1 pixel and across 1 pixel to the left for the start of each set of painted pixels

    7 down - 2 down - 3 down - (2 x 2 down) - 1 - (6 x 2 down) - (2 x 1) - (1 x 2 across) - (2 x 1) - (4 x 2 across) - 4 across - 3 across - 8 across - 6 across

    Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far - we are now down to the chin level       Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far - we are now down to the chin level

    TIME TO STRETCH YOUR HAND AND WRIGGLE YOUR FINGERS AND WRIST AROUND
  13. Now we go back up towards to left ear by still moving across to the left each time - Go 'UP' 1 pixel and across 1 pixel to the left for the start of each set of painted pixels

    8 across - 3 across - 4 across - (4 x 2) across - (2 x 1) - (1 x 2 across) - (2 x 1) - (6 x 2 Up) - 1 - (2 x 2 Up) - 3 Up - 2 Up - 7 Up - 4 Up

    Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far - we are now down to the chin level       Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far - we are now down to the left ear level

  14. And lastly for the face outline we go up again and to the Right this time to join back up with the top of the head - Go 'UP' 1 pixel and across 1 pixel to the right for the start of each set of painted pixels

    7 Up - 2 Up - 3 Up - (2 x 2 Up) - 1 - 2 Up - (7 x 1) - 2 Across - (2 x 1) - (4 x 2 Across) - 4 Across - 3 Across - 8 Across

    This image at 400% zoom magnification
    Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far - we are now back to the top of the head level       Shows all pixels painted for the outline so far - we are now back to the top of the head level
  15. File>Save As > ( F12 Key ) As a .psp image giving it a name to identify it with the tutorial.
  16. Magic Wand Tool>Mode Replace; Match Mode None; Use All Layers Unchecked; Contiguous Checked; Feather 0; Anti-alias Unchecked.
  17. Left click inside the outline of our face to select it.
  18. Select Floodfill Tool ( F ) >Match Mode None; Blend Mode Normal; Opacity 100.
  19. Materials Palette> Left click on the Foreground Colour Swatch and change HTML Code to #edd9cd This is the colour I have chosen to do this face .
  20. Left click inside the selected area to floodfill it with our colour.
  21. Selections>Float ( Ctrl + F ) .
  22. Effects>3dEffects>Cutout>Offset - Vertical +10; Horizontal +8; Opacity 70; Blur 15.00; Left click on the wee colour swatch and change HTML Code to #c0b192; Fill interior with colour Unchecked>OK.
  23. Repeat Cutout changing Vertical to -10 and Horizontal to -8>OK.
  24. Selections>Select None ( Ctrl + D ) .
    Shows face coloured
  25. File>Save> ( Ctrl + S ) - This will overwrite the image file as you saved it before -[[ for PSP12 users if you like me have the auto preserve set up it will save the original in a new folder called corel_auto preserve in same folder with the new saved version of the image. ]]

    TIME TO GET UP AND MOVE AROUND AND STRETCH AND ALSO IMPORTANTLY TO STRETCH YOUR HAND AND WRIGGLE YOUR FINGERS AND WRIST AROUND AS THIS TYPE OF DRAWING IS HARD ON YOUR HAND YOU USE THE MOUSE WITH
    NOW LET US COLOUR OUR FACE AND GIVE IT SOME FEATURES
  1. Layers>New Raster Layer>and name it FACE FEATURES.
  2. With Paintbrush selected>settings as before.
  3. Materials Palette> Right click on foreground colour swatch and select the colour you used for your outline again.
  4. Paint the Pixels for the eyes as below - the Yellow pixel shown is actually a dark brown coloured pixel that I changed to Yellow to show you a starting pixel for each feature - the numbers in brackets next to each yellow pixel correspond to the 1st set of bracketted numbers on the Status Bar where you hold your cursor over this position on your image.
    Shows facial features with the yellow pixel representing the 1st dark coloured pixel of each part
    Shows face up til now at actual size    Shows face as it will appear now at actual size.
  5. File>Save ( Ctrl + S ) .

    TIME TO GET UP AND MOVE AROUND AND STRETCH AND ALSO IMPORTANTLY TO STRETCH YOUR HAND AND WRIGGLE YOUR FINGERS AND WRIST AROUND

    NOW LET'S ADD SOME HAIR TO OUR HEAD
  1. Layers>New Raster Layer>name it HAIR.
  2. Zoom>Out - do this until the zoom magnification is back down to about 300%.
  3. Materials Palette>Left click on Foreground Colour Swatch and change HTML code to #5d4325 This is a dark brown to use for the outline of the hair
  4. Now starting outside the head and around eye level a bit up or down does not matter - paint pixels to form a jagged line - like the image below but does not need to be exactly the same
    IMPORTANT:Make sure that all your pixels are touching each other, the same as for when we made the outline of the face.
    Shows outline of hair painted in
  5. Select Magic Wand Tool>Settings as before.
  6. Left click inside this hair outline to select it.
  7. Select your Floodfill Tool ( F ) >Settings as before.
  8. Materials Palette>Left click on foreground colour swatch and change colour back to the same one you used for the Features surround on the face.
  9. Left click inside the selected area to floodfill it with your colour.
    Shows hair floodfilled
  10. Select your Airbrush Tool ( It is in the same Tool dropdown menu as the Paintbrsh Tool you have been using >Shape Round; Size 200; Hardness 35; Step 25; Density 30; Thickness 100; Rotation 0; Opacity 100; Blend Mode Burn; Rate 5.
  11. Left click once in the middle of the hair selected area.
  12. Selections>Select None ( Ctrl + D ) .
  13. Effects>Distortion Effects>Curliques>Symmetris Unchecked; Number Columns 10; Number Rows 12; Radius 100; Strength 54; Clockwise Checked>OK.
    First Image is magnifyed to 200% of actual size - the 2nd image is shown at actual size
    Head Pixelated Finished     Head Actual Size Finished
  14. File>Save ( Ctrl + S ) .

    TIME TO GET UP AND MOVE AROUND AND STRETCH AND ALSO IMPORTANTLY TO STRETCH YOUR HAND AND WRIGGLE YOUR FINGERS AND WRIST AROUND

Time to have some practice and make a few more heads all a bit different in hair and face features as well and then in the next tutorial to come in this series we will give our head an Upper Body.

UPPER BODY       LOWER BODY

For further help email me.