Decide the Cell Size
Lesson 1 of 6 · Intermediate · 6 min
What you will make
A 64 by 16 canvas divided into four 16 by 16 cells, with the arithmetic written down.
Lesson checklist
Compare your own work with these checkpoints. Check each one when your result is ready.
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This lesson's project
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Create the 64 by 16 sheet and use the grid to mark where each 16 by 16 cell begins.
Open a 64 × 16 practice canvas with lesson examples and onion skin enabled. Your work saves automatically to My projects.
Starter files and backup import
Follow the steps
Pick a frame size and a frame count before drawing anything.
Start with: A finished character at a size you are happy with, or start from the robot provided with this course.
- 1
Choose the cell, not the sheet
Decide the character's own size first. A 16 by 16 character is the right cell if you want it readable on a 320 by 240 screen; a 32 by 32 cell needs twice the pixels for the same sprite.
A single number: your cell size.
- 2
Count the frames you actually need
This course uses four frames for a hop. Fewer frames is a legitimate choice, but decide now: the canvas width depends on it. You can resize later without redrawing, but a fixed plan keeps cell boundaries predictable.
A frame count of four.
- 3
Multiply for the canvas
16 by 16 times four frames is 64 by 16. Height stays at the cell height because frames sit side by side, not stacked.
A 64 by 16 canvas.
- 4
Mark the cell boundaries
Turn on the grid and note where columns 16, 32 and 48 fall. Those three lines are the only places a frame may start or end.
Three boundaries you can check against.
See the technique
A 64 by 16 empty sheet
Cell one filled in
Learning notes and references
- Choose a cell size that matches the character's detail, not your screen.
- Calculate total sheet size as cell width times frame count.
- Decide the frame count before drawing, so the canvas has a fixed width.