In this easy pixel tutorial you will learn how to create a pixel art plane! We will go over the different steps it takes to make your very own plane made out of pixels!
Are you ready to design your own pixel art plane? Learning how to draw a cute pixel art plane is more popular than ever! Whether you’re looking to create a simple pixel art plane sprite for your flying video game or maybe you just want to share a cute new pixel art plane as part of your aerial collection on social media, this pixel art tutorial will help you make a pixel plane fast and easy.
How to Make a Pixel Art Plane
These are the basic steps for how to make a pixel art plane:
- Select a Pixel Art Software such as Adobe Photoshop, Mega Voxels or Aseprite
- Create a 32×32 pixel grid
- Sketch out an Outline for the shape of the plane
- Fill in the color of the pixel art plane
- Draw a Shade on the plane to create depth
- Fill in the Background with Color
Now that you are familiar with the basic steps on how to create a pixel art plane, we will cover each step visually so that you can follow along on how to create it.
If you are completely new to pixel art we recommend reading our post How to Create Pixel Art: Beginner’s Tutorial
Select a Pixel Art Software
In this beginner tutorial we will be showing you the steps to design your own pixel art plane regardless of what pixel editor software you prefer to use. Before we begin you will need to know how to create a grid and use the pencil tool in the software of your choice. Once you create your pixel art plane, you can use the pixel art in other games such as Minecraft or software such as Unity Game Engine. We offer tutorials on the following pixel art editor’s so feel free to pick the one that you feel most comfortable with:
- Mega Voxels Pixel Art Tutorials
- Adobe Photoshop Tutorials
- Aseprite Tutorials
- Adobe Illustrator Tutorials
Want to see what pixel art software is best for you? Read our post Top Free Pixel Art Software
Create a Grid
To begin we will be using a simple 32×32 pixel grid to draw a small pixel art plane. Making 32×32 pixel art is a common size when making pixel art, especially for projects like video games. Be sure that your canvas is set to the color White (#FFFFFF). This will be our canvas that we use to draw our pixel art plane on. Your plane pixel art grid should have a canvas, also known as a spreadsheet, that looks something similar to this:
Sketch an Outline for the Plane
Next we will start by making the outline for the plane so we can get the overall shape for our pixel plane. To do this choose the color Black (#000000) and activate the pencil tool in your editor. Since this determines the overall shape, feel free to adjust the outline to what match your game or art project. As a guide, you can use the outline we made below for your plane or like we mentioned before feel free to design your own.
Fill in the Color
Now that you made an outline for your pixel art plane, we will add some color to make it stand out. Fill in the main section of the plane red (#C10505). Next on the flaps of the plane, we will use a yellow color (#E9B900). For the propellor base we will use a simple gray (#646464). Try matching the picture of our 8 bit pixel art plane below.
Draw the Shading
So whenever you create pixel art there are essentially two parts to shading: the highlights and the shadows. We will start with the shadows. We will be applying a shadow to our 32×32 pixel art plane using a single color. This color will be applied to the sides of the plane body and the sides of propellor base. Remember, to create a shadow color for the plane we will use a darker red based on the color we used before (#950404). For the propellor we will do something similar, we will use a darker gray (#4F4F4F). Lastly, we will add a darker yellow to the flaps close to base of the plane (#ca8500). Try to match where we put the shadows in the image below.
So now that you got the basic idea we will continue adding some depth to our plane to give it a 3D feel. Let’s create a highlight using the same red from the main plane section, but instead of going darker this time we will go lighter (#E70606). Remember, this doesn’t have to be the exact color in fact this is an opportunity to make the plane look like your own. In our version we only highlighted the top pieces of the plane. We also did the same thing for the propellor base. Use our image as a guide for your plane.
Great! When you are happy with your shadows and highlights on your plane, be sure to view your final image. To see your pixel art plane go ahead and turn off the grid lines to make sure you like the way the plane came out.
Fill the Background Color
Finally, let’s change the background color of our plane sprite to really make our plane stand out nicely. Select the Bucket fill tool in your editor. For the color enter a very Light Blue (#BCEAFE). Then simply click on the white area outside of the pixel plane.
Where to Go From Here
Congratulations! You now know how to create your very own pixel art plane. Try making different colors of planes to create a cool air hanger scene scene.
Bonus: Make a 3D Pixel Art Plane
Now that you have drawn your own pixel art plane, you can turn it 3D with Mega Voxels. Mega Voxels contains a 3D Pixel Art Maker that allows you to convert traditional 2D pixels into 3D pixels. Simply download the free Mega Voxels app for iOS or Android.
Then import the pixel art you just made using the Add File button inside of the My Gallery page. And that’s it! Mega Voxels automatically transforms you pixel art plane into a 3D pixel art plane.
You can now create 3D turntable videos of your 3D pixel art plane and even view your plane in Augmented Reality!
