How to make a Sprite (Patreon)

I'm almost doooooone. At least with the first set. There's still somewhere in the ballpark of 850 more sprite frames to paint up before they're all done. SO! I hear you asking, 'How does one make a sprite'?

Well I'm glad you asked! Up top as the first example I have the 'test' for one of Stray's battle animations. First I sketch up the 10 frame 'stages' based on how much action the sprite is going to be going through. The first there is an example of a lot of movement happening at once, so the frames themselves are pretty spaced out. From there I paint each frame to by filling in the base color, then dark tone, then light tone, then highlights, then details.  Any details that can be copied from one frame to the next, I do! It helps keep the sprites consistent and cuts down on the 4-5 hours I have to spend on each one. 

The battle sprites have to be sized to fit the game itself. This is why I went with 220x220. It allows for maximum detail in the protagonists while containing minimal file size (I hope!) and letting the three main characters (each who will have custom sprite sets mind you!) take up the battler portion of the screen, and leave the other side free for the enemy sprites. 

ALL this so I can make a battle system I'll enjoy playing through. And hopefully, you will to!