In this pixel art tutorial you will learn how to create pixel art clouds! We will cover the different steps it takes to make your very own clouds made out of pixels!
Are you ready to design your own pixel art clouds? Learning how to draw a cute pixel art cloud is more popular than ever! Whether you’re looking to create a simple pixel art cloud to share to your social media channel or maybe you need a fresh new pixel art cloud for your retro video game, this pixel art tutorial will help you make pixel clouds fast and easy.
How to Make a Pixel Art Cloud
These are the basic steps for how to make a grid for pixel artwork:
- Select a Pixel Art Software such as Adobe Photoshop, Mega Voxels or Aseprite
- Create a 32×32 pixel grid
- Sketch an Outline for the cloud body
- Fill in the color of the pixel art cloud
- Draw a Shade on the cloud to create depth
- Fill the Background Sky Color
Now that you have you know the basic steps on how to create a pixel art cloud, 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 create a pixel art cloud no matter what pixel editor software you want to use. Before we begin you will need to know how to create a grid and activate the pencil tool. Once you create your pixel art cloud, you can use the pixel art in other games such as Minecraft or software such as Unity Game Engine. We provide tutorials on the following pixel art editor’s so feel free to choose the one you are 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
For the first step we will be using a 32×32 pixel grid to draw a small pixel art cloud. 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 cloud. You should have a canvas, also known as a spreadsheet, that looks like this:
Sketch an Outline for the Cloud
Next we will draw the outline for the cloud. To do this select the color Black (#000000) and activate the pencil tool in your editor. At this stage, feel free to adjust the shape to what matches your game. You can use the outline we made below as a guide.
Draw the Shading
After you have created your outline, go ahead and enter a light blue color for the selected color. We used the color Light Blue (#B8DCFE). Go ahead and draw a round outline on the inside of the cloud to create a 3D shading for your cloud. Use our image as a guide.
Before we apply our background color, lets turn the grid off so that we can preview our pixel art cloud. It should look similar to ours below.
Fill the Background Color
For the final touch let’s add a background color to our sprite to really make our cloud stand out. Select the Bucket fill tool in your editor. For the color enter a very Light Blue (#E6F1FC). Then simply click on the white area outside of the cloud sprite.
Where to Go From Here
Congratulations! You now know how to create your very own pixel art clouds. Try making different cloud pixel art out by experimenting with other shapes to make your own unique cloud designs.
Bonus: Make a 3D Pixel Art Cloud
Now that you have drawn your own pixel art cloud, 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 cloud into a 3D pixel art cloud. You can now create 3D turntable videos of your 3D pixel art cloud and even view your cloud in Augmented Reality!
