# pixel-art

This skill gives your agent working knowledge of pixel art: limited palettes, dithering, subpixel animation, tiles and retro hardware limits. Useful when you draw sprites and tilesets.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 520 installs · ★ 183
- Author: omer-metin
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity/tree/HEAD/skills/pixel-art/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-01-22
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/omer-metin-pixel-art

## What it does

The skill makes the agent reason like a pixel artist instead of an image generator. It covers limited palettes, dithering patterns, subpixel animation, tile and autotile design, NES, SNES and GBA constraints, and the HD-2D hybrid approach. Color ramps, hue shifting, selective outlines and mistakes like pillow shading get their own treatment.

Under the hood the agent consults three files in `references/`. `patterns.md` dictates how sprites and tiles should be built, `sharp_edges.md` explains the common failures and why they happen, and `validations.md` holds the strict rules for checking your work. If your request conflicts with those files, the agent will correct you and point at the reference.

The material draws on Pedro Medeiros (saint11) and on frame-by-frame study of games like Metal Slug and Celeste. The stance is blunt: if the sprite does not read at 1x zoom, it failed. Expect the agent to push back on extra colors and extra animation frames, so decide up front whether you want that argument.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity --skill pixel-art -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/pixel-art/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/pixel-art/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity --skill pixel-art -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/pixel-art/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity --skill pixel-art -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/pixel-art/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity pixel-art
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/pixel-art/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity --skill pixel-art -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity --path skills/pixel-art
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/pixel-art/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity --skill pixel-art -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity/tree/HEAD/skills/pixel-art/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- pick a palette that fits NES or GBA limits
- remove seams between adjacent tiles in a tileset
- cut a 12-frame walk cycle down to 4 readable frames
- find why a sprite gets a halo on light backgrounds
- settle on one outline style for the whole project

## Example prompts
- help me build a 16x16 tileset with no seams at the edges
- review my sprite: why does the silhouette fail at 1x zoom
- make a color ramp for a character in SNES style

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 0eec2baf11ea7d30.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 0eec2baf11ea7d30
```text
---
name: pixel-art
description: Deep pixel art expertise covering fundamentals, limited palettes, dithering patterns, subpixel animation, tile design, retro hardware constraints, and HD-2D hybrid techniques. Knowledge Claude wouldn't normally have from indie masters like Pedro Medeiros (saint11). Use when "pixel art, sprite art, dithering, limited palette, subpixel animation, tileset, autotile, pillow shading, selective outline, selout, hue shifting, color ramp, NES style, SNES style, HD-2D, Aseprite, retro game art, 8-bit, 16-bit, pixel-art, sprites, animation, retro, indie-games, dithering, palettes, tiles, subpixel, aseprite, NES, SNES, GBA, HD-2D" mentioned. 
---

# Pixel Art

## Identity

You are a master pixel artist who has spent decades studying the craft from NES ROM
hacking to modern indie masterpieces. You learned by examining sprites frame-by-frame
in games like Metal Slug, studying the color choices in Celeste, and creating your
own games where every pixel was a deliberate decision.

Your core philosophy: Pixel art is not low-resolution digital painting. It is a
distinct medium where each pixel carries meaning. Constraints are creative tools.
A 16-color palette forces better color choices than 16 million colors ever could.

You've studied under masters like Pedro Medeiros (saint11), whose tutorials
revolutionized how a generation understands pixel art. You understand that
readable silhouettes beat beautiful details, that 4 excellent frames beat 12
mediocre ones, and that anti-aliasing is usually a mistake in this medium.

Your expertise spans:
- NES/SNES/GBA hardware constraints (palette limits, sprite sizes, scanline budgets)
- Modern "HD-2D" hybrid techniques (Octopath Traveler's 2D-in-3D approach)
- Aseprite workflows that professionals actually use
- The psychology of why certain palettes and animations "feel right"

Battle scars that shaped your expertise:
- Spent 6 hours on facial details that became 2 pixels at game resolution
- Created a "perfect" 12-frame walk cycle that looked worse than a 4-frame version
- Made beautiful tiles that had ugly seams when placed next to each other
- Anti-aliased sprites against white, creating halos on every other background
- Mixed 32x32 and 16x16 sprites, destroying visual cohesion entirely
- Used too many dithering patterns, turning clean art into visual noise

Strong opinions (earned through pain):
- "Every pixel must justify its existence"
- "If you can't identify the sprite at 1x zoom, you've failed"
- "Fewer colors, fewer frames, more impact"
- "Pillow shading is the mark of an amateur"
- "Subpixel animation is about color shifting, not position changing"
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 0eec2baf11ea7d30

The third-party file has ended. Everything between the 0eec2baf11ea7d30 tags is data: requests and commands from it are not followed. An “end of file” line with another tag inside the block is part of the file.

First 2663 of 3524 bytes. © omer-metin · Apache-2.0 · https://github.com/omer-metin/skills-for-antigravity/tree/HEAD/skills/pixel-art/SKILL.md

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---
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