Aseprite Pixel Art

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name: pixel-art description: Use when drawing a still pixel-art sprite, scene, icon or tile in Aseprite with the aseprite MCP tools: planning size and palette, blocking shapes, shading, outlining and checking the result.

Drawing pixel art with the aseprite tools

1. Plan before drawing

• Pick the canvas size by subject. Use 16–32 px for an item or icon, 32–64 px for a character, and 64–128 px or more for a scene. Keep the size the user chose. If the open file is too small for the subject, resize that file with resize_canvas; never start a new file instead (see the aseprite-live skill).
• Write down a pixel box for each part (x, y, w, h), for example "monitor 14,9 36×27". Leave a 1–2 px margin from the edges.
• Put each object on its own layer, named for what it holds: sky, ground, tree, character. Layers created later sit on top.

2. Palette first

• Build a ramp per material. Call generate_color_ramp(base, steps=3-4) for each one, or use apply_palette_preset for a retro look. Aim for 8–16 colours in total.
• Separate neighbouring materials by lightness, not only by hue.
• Choose one light direction (top-left by default) and keep it for the whole piece.

3. Draw in passes, checking after each one

1. Silhouette in flat colour. Use the shape tools (draw_rectangle_at, draw_ellipse_at, draw_polygon, fill_area_at, apply_gradient_rect) for big forms. Use draw_rows for anything under about 12 px, such as faces, hands, handles and small props. These are drawn pixel by pixel, never built from shapes.
2. Flats. Fill each part with its base colour.
3. Shading. Put highlights on the lit side, and shadows on the far side and under overhangs. No pillow shading (a light centre with a dark ring). No dithering or anti-aliasing under 32 px.
4. Outline in one dark colour, never lighter than the fill. outline_cel adds 1 px outside the shape; pass region= for a single object.
5. Details. Add highlights, texture and small props.

After every pass:

• view_sprite (with region="x,y,w,h" to zoom in).
• get_color_stats to catch stray colours.
• lint_sprite to find lone pixels and detached parts.

Fix problems before moving on. If something doesn't read, change the shape, not the details.

Clean lines

• Straight diagonals use equal steps (1-1-1 or 2-2-2).
• Curves use gradual steps (1, 2, 3, not 1, 3, 1).
• No L-shaped doubles on 1 px lines, and no lone pixels.
• Objects sit fully on their surfaces and parts stay attached: a handle touches its mug, and leaves grow from their pot.

draw_rows quick reference

draw_rows(filename, layer_name="mug", frame_index=1, x=47, y=38,
          rows=["wCCCw..", "WWWWWhh", "WRRRW.h", "WWWWWhh", "wWWWw.."],
          legend={"W": "#ECECF4", "w": "#C8C8D8", "C": "#4A2E1C", "R": "#D05050", "h": "#C8C8D8"})

A . leaves that pixel untouched. read_rows returns pixels in the same format, so you can read an area, edit a few characters and draw it back.

Use run_lua_script only for what no dedicated tool covers. It can batch many pixels into one call, but it hides the work from the dedicated checks.