#Helloworld. If you have been following my channel for a while: You will know that I am an artist. If you are new here: WELCOME! I assume you are here because you are interested in building games! Of course games are generally made in a team. Some people code and some people make vector artwork. some people work in sound development etc.
Sometimes people make games by themselves but its extremely rare.
I've been involved with drawing for a long time. My teacher in school made us perform difficult tasks like drawing without looking and breaking down images into shapes. I hated these exercises at the time ... but it really helped me create assets from scratch.
Let's take a look at building a 3D looking crumbled pillar for a 2d scroll platform game {think sonic for sega genesis... Remember the temple ruin levels?} The easiest way to draw something like this is to look at a picture and break it down into simple shapes. Paint has a tool for drawing rectangles with curved edges. I like to draw some of the shapes before I erase anything.
Drawing objects is all about common sense. You have to ask yourself questions like: Where does the edge of the pillar begin. ANSWER: Where the two circles of the base meet up.
WOW! We have the basic shape of a pillar! Take a look at the picture above. See how a complex drawing has only 7 basic shapes? you can break down any asset like this: Even with 3D vectoring.
I added some inserts to the pillar to make them appear 3D. I also "crumbled" part of the pillar to add that Temple of doom ancient look.
Now you should see what I mean by "crumbling" the statue. See the power of breaking down things into basic shapes! Now making the drawing more complex is easy. It just takes some simple erasing and then drawing a few extra lines! Once the lines are done we can pick some colors to fill in with.
Looks like a legit retro 2D asset! It has that 3D look that makes a good 2D scrolling platform! I can see sonic the hedgehog jumping past or link doing a spin attack. OKAY. ... now let's make some more assets.
Sometimes things look abstract when you first start out. That's a good sign for realism. A drawing shouldn't resemble a "symbol" or a recognizable concept at first usually. This drawing involves curving lines {which you can do on paint.}
I made this drawing larger to fit the size of the crumbling pillar {above}. Notice how this drawing is made from 4 basic shape and 3 curved lines. We are going to speed through a few of these drawings. Im going to try and teach you as we go a bit faster. I WANT TO CREATE A WHOLE 2D ASSET SET FOR EVERYONE.
{Next time I will just release the asset set with no instructional}.
I changed the position of the 2 objects slightly and then began shading and making the object more dynamic. Shading is one of the most difficult part of making 2D assets that look 3D. Usually I will have to draw multiple layers. A good technique is to use two colors to create a basic abstract conception of the shading. It's sort of the OPPOSITE of making simple shapes like we did earlier.
Notice how I am drawing the asset: Not sitting there clicking each square. You just need to make sure to use the right size pencil or brush and you can draw lines with practice.
Notice how I am changing the shape of the asset on the second run. This is a nice handicap I recommend experimenting with.It's similar to sketching a building and THEN adding the details. This is common even with digital artwork.
The free asset set looks nice so far! It's missing some serious basics though like rocks, trees and plants. We need some forest feel to mix with the crumbling pillar theme and the stump spike fencing.
Let's create a vine plant asset! Im going to start with a "gesture drawing" of some vines. I like to draw the first level in black because its easier to see.
Freehand drawing with a computer mouse or pad takes practice. That's how you create 2D assets though. You draw them. Just move slowly and remember you can adjust as you go. Remember that a drawing is not a clone of an object.
Alright let's make another "forest" assets. We have a vine that hangs from the top of the screen ... now let's make a bush to set on the ground.
Again: we are going to start with a gesture drawing and then just work the {color} layers with a brush until it looks "right". Remember if you use the right sized brush so it makes a pixel 8 bit effect.
I've never made 2d patches of grass, stones etc. I made something pretty basic and abstract and only made two ground patches this time.
Keep in mind this is my first asset set for a 2d game LOL. I think it's looking pretty nice though honestly. Certainly good enough for someone to make a quick retro game for the hive chain with maybe some cool reward implementation or something.
Next I made a stone with the hive logo carved into it. This helps with the ancient ruin theme and adds a reference to the hive chain!
