Draw a Readable Silhouette

Lesson 2 of 6 · Beginner · 8 min

What you will make
A connected, rounded slime silhouette that reads at its actual size.

Your progress0 / 6

Lesson checklist

Compare your own work with these checkpoints. Check each one when your result is ready.

My slime is one connected shape with no floating pixels.The dome and base are recognizable when I zoom out.There is transparent space around the whole character.

0 of 3 checked

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This lesson's project

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Continue on your saved canvas. Draw one solid slime with the pencil and fill tools, leaving empty space around it.

Practice in the editor

Open a 16 × 16 practice canvas with lesson examples and onion skin enabled. Your work saves automatically to My projects.

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Starter files and backup import

Follow the steps

Make your character recognizable before adding color or detail.

Start with: The transparent canvas from lesson one. If you are joining here, open the lesson starter to create one.

1
Place the top and the feet
Pick the darkest course color. Leave two empty rows above the slime and at least one empty column on each side. Make the dome narrower than the base so the creature feels soft and grounded.
A small top arc with room to grow down and outward.
2
Connect the outline
Use the pencil to step outward as you move down each side. Work in short runs of two or three pixels instead of alternating single pixels everywhere. Connect the base so the outline encloses one area.
A closed shape without gaps in its edge.
3
Fill the silhouette
Choose the fill tool and click inside the outline using the same dark color. If the fill escapes, undo and close the gap. The body should be one connected cluster, not separate marks.
A solid silhouette on a transparent background.
4
Check it small
Zoom down and compare the overall shape with the example. Remove any floating pixels with the eraser. Do not add eyes yet: the shape should look like a slime without them.
A rounded, recognizable character with a clean outer contour.

See the technique

Details can hide a weak shape

A shape that stands on its own

Ignore the face and colors on the left: the loose edge pixels still make the character feel untidy. The solid shape on the right has a rounded dome, a broad base and no floating pieces. Those are the features to draw first.

Learning notes and references

Block a character with one solid color.
Build curves from deliberate groups of pixels.
Judge the whole shape before adding a face.

Pixel Perfect Drawing How to Draw Pixel Art Characters

Follow the steps

Make your character recognizable before adding color or detail.

Start with: The transparent canvas from lesson one. If you are joining here, open the lesson starter to create one.

Place the top and the feet

Pick the darkest course color. Leave two empty rows above the slime and at least one empty column on each side. Make the dome narrower than the base so the creature feels soft and grounded.

A small top arc with room to grow down and outward.

Connect the outline

Use the pencil to step outward as you move down each side. Work in short runs of two or three pixels instead of alternating single pixels everywhere. Connect the base so the outline encloses one area.

A closed shape without gaps in its edge.

Fill the silhouette

Choose the fill tool and click inside the outline using the same dark color. If the fill escapes, undo and close the gap. The body should be one connected cluster, not separate marks.

A solid silhouette on a transparent background.

Check it small

Zoom down and compare the overall shape with the example. Remove any floating pixels with the eraser. Do not add eyes yet: the shape should look like a slime without them.

A rounded, recognizable character with a clean outer contour.