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Pixel Art for Video Games
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Michigan State University

Pixel Art for Video Games

This course is part of Art for Games Specialization

Andrew Dennis
Ricardo Guimaraes

Instructors: Andrew Dennis

Instructors

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

4.7 (74 ratings)
Andrew Dennis
Andrew Dennis
Michigan State University
3 Courses•39,324 learners
Ricardo Guimaraes
Ricardo Guimaraes
Michigan State University
4 Courses•42,158 learners

34,965 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

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5 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.5

(263 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Recommended experience

Beginner level

Some familiarity with Photoshop and unity will be helpful, but not necessary.

Flexible schedule
1 week at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
93%
Most learners liked this course

5 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.5

(263 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Recommended experience

Beginner level

Some familiarity with Photoshop and unity will be helpful, but not necessary.

Flexible schedule
1 week at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
93%
Most learners liked this course
  • About
  • Outcomes
  • Modules
  • Recommendations
  • Testimonials
  • Reviews

Skills you'll gain

  • Game Design
  • Animations
  • Unity Engine
  • Color Theory
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Computer Graphics
  • Storyboarding
  • Video Game Development
  • Design Elements And Principles
  • Graphic and Visual Design
  • Animation and Game Design
  • Creativity

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

4 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Art for Games Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 5 modules in this course

This course is aimed to give you the tools and knowledge you need to start creating simple art for video games made in the Unity game engine. Through the aesthetic of pixel art we will explore artistic principals like shape language, color theory, and composition as well as show you a step by step workflow for creating assets that you can use to make your own games. The course is broken into 4 main modules, props, environments, characters, and animation. Each of these courses will have a series of video lessons alternating between artistic and technical skills culminating in a peer-reviewed project based assignment. The last module will challenge you to take the knowledge learned in the previous 4 and use it to create your own pixel art asset pack.

This course is aimed at art novices who are interested in creating art for their own games or contributing to game projects. If you are a game designer or programmer, you will find this course helps give you a glimpse into the world of game art. You will be able to better work with artists, or create your own prototype or final artwork. If you are an artist or visual designer who is interested in bringing your style to the world of video game development, this course will give you the workflow to properly interface with a game engine and help contextualize how your artistic sensibilities can enable gameplay. If you have ever wanted to start making art for video games but have no idea how to start, this course is the perfect for giving you a solid foundation while teaching you usable practical skills. Our goal is to give you a sense of the whole pipeline from creation to setting up in a game engine.

What's included

7 videos1 assignment1 peer review

7 videos•Total 41 minutes
  • Welcome!•1 minute
  • Introduction to Photoshop•5 minutes
  • Basic Color Theory•5 minutes
  • Treasure Chest Concept•15 minutes
  • Photoshop for Pixel Art•5 minutes
  • Making a Pixel Art Asset•4 minutes
  • Importing Pixel Art into Unity•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
  • Pixel art prop checklist•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
  • Create a Pixel Art Barrel Game Asset•120 minutes

What's included

6 videos1 assignment1 peer review

6 videos•Total 29 minutes
  • Basic Composition•5 minutes
  • Environment Design•9 minutes
  • Creating a Modular Pixel Art Tile•2 minutes
  • Making a Pixel Art Tiling Set•3 minutes
  • Pixel Art Backgrounds•4 minutes
  • Importing Tiles into Unity•3 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
  • Pixel art environment checklist•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
  • Create a Tiling Set for a Cave Environment•60 minutes

What's included

7 videos1 assignment1 peer review

7 videos•Total 44 minutes
  • Character Design•23 minutes
  • Designing with Color Schemes•8 minutes
  • Blocking in a Pixel Art Character•2 minutes
  • Adding Color to a Pixel Art Character•1 minute
  • Photoshop Brushes•4 minutes
  • Finishing the Pixel Art Character•2 minutes
  • Designing Pixel Art Enemies•1 minute
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
  • Pixel art character checklist•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
  • Create a Pirate Themed-Pixel Art Character•60 minutes

What's included

6 videos1 assignment1 peer review

6 videos•Total 21 minutes
  • Storyboarding Animations•4 minutes
  • Animation in Photoshop•2 minutes
  • Animating an Idle Animation•2 minutes
  • Animating a Run Cycle•4 minutes
  • Jumping Animation•3 minutes
  • Importing Pixel Animations into Unity•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
  • Pixel art animation checklist•30 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
  • Animate a Pixel Art Character Asset•60 minutes

What's included

1 reading1 peer review

1 reading•Total 10 minutes
  • Exporting/Importing a Unity Package•10 minutes
1 peer review•Total 60 minutes
  • Create a Unity Pixel Art Asset Pack•60 minutes

Earn a career certificate

Add this credential to your LinkedIn profile, resume, or CV. Share it on social media and in your performance review.

Instructors

Instructor ratings

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

4.7 (74 ratings)
Andrew Dennis
Andrew Dennis
Michigan State University
3 Courses•39,324 learners
Ricardo Guimaraes
Ricardo Guimaraes
Michigan State University
4 Courses•42,158 learners

Offered by

Michigan State University

Offered by

Michigan State University

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 150 years. One of the top research universities in the world, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery and forges enduring partnerships to solve the most pressing global challenges while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 200 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges.

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Learner reviews

4.5

263 reviews

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    4.94%

Showing 3 of 263

F
FA
5

Reviewed on Aug 16, 2020

Honestly a very fun and helpful course. Was able to learn a lot about pixel art.

S
SM
5

Reviewed on Nov 13, 2021

I loved it! Explanations were very clear and assignments were fun to work on.

Y
YE
5

Reviewed on May 12, 2020

This course provides all the information needed to design a 2d game in unity. It explains it in details and the videos aren't that long.

View more reviews
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Frequently asked questions

You can use any image manipulation program you like, however as Photoshop is an industry standard image tool and works directly with Unity, we chose to instruct the course with it in mind.

Projects and companies can vary wildly between who is responsible for what. Even if you end up working on a project where you as an artist simply create the art and are not required to handle the engine side of things; understanding how to prepare an asset for a game engine and the work involved will make you a better team member. You should always strive to have some understanding of how your work interfaces with others.

While the style taught here is simple 2d game art designed to get you up and running quickly, you will find the difficulty of the projects has a lot to do with the complexity you attempt. If it is your first time tackling these subjects I recommend keeping it simple for this course. You can always spend more time later improving and polishing your work. Perfect is the enemy of done!

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.

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