Making Art for Your GameMaker Games: An Introduction
When you first start making games, one of the most exciting parts is the art. It can also be intimidating, especially if you don’t have any experience! What style do you use? How do you make the art? Do you go for a chunky pixel-art style, or a hand-drawn aesthetic? The truth is, there’s no single “right” answer, but the choices you make early on will shape the look, feel, and even the workflow of your project.
Let’s go over some of these considerations!
Pixel Art vs. High-Resolution Graphics
Pixel Art Pixel art is a natural fit for GameMaker because it’s lightweight and readable. A single sprite can be just 16×16 pixels, yet still feel alive with charm. It’s great for beginners since you can get something working quickly without needing advanced drawing skills. The downside is that consistency matters and one oddly shaded sprite can stick out more than you’d expect.
High-Resolution Graphics High-resolution art allows you to use detailed characters, smooth animation, and modern effects. It looks crisp, but the higher the resolution, the more time and effort each asset takes. Beginners often underestimate how much work it is to create enough art at this scale for a full game.
If you aren’t sure which one you want, we recommend starting with pixel art!
Choosing a Color Palette
Color choices can make or break your game’s look. A good palette helps players instantly read what’s happening and sets the mood. Pre-defining a list of “approved” colors for your game creates cohesion, and the limited colors forces you to use them creatively. Picking an effective palette is a vital part of your games art, and is oftentimes overlooked by a new artist.
Picking your own colors though can be harder than it sounds, and unless you’re already a skilled artist, we don’t recommend it. So how are you supposed to find the perfect colors for your game? The good news is that there’s a wonderful resource that’ll help you do just that.
Lospec
Lospec is a handy site for game artists, especially beginners. It hosts thousands of curated color palettes you can browse and use right away, which makes experimenting with color much easier and less overwhelming.
Check out their Palettes section and use the slider at the top-right of the options to find a palette with a limited number of colors. From there, scroll down and pick one that seems suitable for the aesthetic you’d like for your game. Most come with a sample screenshot below the palette so you can see what it looks like in-use.
Visit Lospec and grab a palette that bring you joy.
We’re big fans of Arne’s Famicube Palette. It’s 64 colors that work together in so many interesting ways.
Choosing the Right Tool to Make Your Art
One of the biggest early decisions isn’t just what style you want, but what program you’ll use to create it. There are a wide variety of resources out there, but we’ll list the very common ones.
Pixel Art Tools
Pixel-art is generally made one pixel at a time. It’s like making a tiny mosaic of colors that look great when you take a step back.
Aseprite – Popular and beginner-friendly, designed specifically for pixel art and animation. Generally regarded as the best option for pixel art these days. Aseprite is a one-time purchase, but well worth it.
GameMaker’s Built-In Editor – Simple and free, but perfect if you want to stay inside the engine while learning.
Vector Art Tools
Vector art is made by modifying shapes and lines, and often has a “clean and flat” look to it. The magic with vectors is that you can scale them up or down without any loss to quality.
Inkscape – Free and open-source, great for clean, scalable vector art, and our personal favorite.
Affinity Designer – Affordable one-time purchase, with a smooth workflow.
Adobe Illustrator – Industry standard, though more complex and subscription-based.
High-Resolution Digital Painting Tools
If you want a hand-drawn effect, or art that looks painted, you’ll want a digital painting tool.
Krita – Free, open-source, and packed with brushes for painting.
Procreate – Intuitive iPad app loved by illustrators. A one-time purchase.
Photoshop – Powerful and versatile, but has a steeper learning curve and a subscription-based model.
We recommended pixel art if you’re just starting out, and we’re standing by that. So if you can afford it, pick up Aseprite. If you want more time to think, GameMaker’s free and built in Image Editor will do just fine.
Especially in 2D games, clarity matters more than realism. Your player should always be able to quickly tell the difference between a background tree and an enemy slime.
Learn by Doing
Your hands are going to be full learning how to make a game, but now you have to learn a new tool to make art also? It can feel overwhelming, so take it slow.
Don’t try to learn everything there is to know about art software before you start using it. If you feel like you need to be an expert with the tool before you use it, you’re going to waste time and burn out.
Give yourself a goal when you use the tool, so you know when you’re done. For example, “I need a sprite for the player. It should be 16×16 pixels.” Learn only what you need to get that done.
Start Simple, Then Expand
Game art can feel overwhelming if you try to match your favorite professional games right away. Instead:
Create a placeholder character (even just a colored square). Everyone does it and you should, too.
Add basic colors to the environment.
Slowly replace placeholders with finished art.
This way, your game stays playable while your art improves. It’s more important that you get the flow of your game correct first before you start polishing the art.
Learn from the Masters
The great thing about making games is that there are many others who have already done it successfully! While you’re still getting your footing, take note of what inspires you. Learn the basics and study what makes effective art.
Arne’s Pixel Art Tutorial
We mentioned before that our favorite palette is Arne’s Famicube Palette. It just so happens that Arne has a really good pixel art tutorial that you should absolutely read. He goes over a few basic style rules, things to consider, and how to use color effectively.
Arne illustrates common pitfalls of pixel-art above. Which one do you think looks the best? Why?
The Spriters Resource is a huge archive of ripped sprites from classic and modern games. It’s not for grabbing art to use in your project, but it’s a goldmine for studying how professional pixel artists handled animation, shading, character design, and pixel art techniques. Browsing sprites from your favorite games can teach you tricks you can apply to your own work.
The gallery of backgrounds from Mother 3 on The Spriters Resource
Art is one of the most rewarding parts of game development. Whether you lean into pixel charm or bold modern graphics, the goal isn’t perfection. The goal is readability, consistency, and fun. Don’t be afraid to start small, experiment with colors, and keep iterating.
