In our second term, first three weeks, as the team member responsible for art, I primarily explored and developed concepts for future character designs and the overall asset style. Although pixel art is a broad category, my research revealed several distinct pixel art styles. For example:

• High contrast, high saturation, and limited color usage
• Low contrast, low saturation, and extensive color usage

Based on the project we worked on last semester, Sprout, I adapted it into different pixel art styles for the characters. During the design process, I experimented with compressing the character proportions, enlarging the head, elongating the body, or merging the head and body. I also adjusted the size of leaves on the character, which provided multiple ways to reinterpret the same design.

For the ground design, I explored both high-contrast and low-contrast color palettes. I also experimented with different drawing techniques, particularly in the depiction of leaves and grass. In some games, grass is portrayed using individual lines, while in others, large leafy shapes are used to represent grass or weeds. Drawing inspiration from these variations, I designed multiple styles for grass and foliage.

After a team discussion, I received feedback that the current character design looked less like the envisioned sprite and more like a small person wearing a hoodie. Based on this feedback, I decided to redesign the character. For the ground design, the feedback indicated that our game would benefit from a high-contrast, high-saturation style with distinct color blocks. I used these inputs to revisit and refine my designs.

During the redesign, I aimed to make the character feel more like a sprout. For example, I took inspiration from Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy, which features a treelike character with distinct visual traits. I explored designs where the character was part of a sprouting stone or embodied a tiny blade of grass.

Fortunately, this iteration received very positive feedback, and we unanimously decided on the final design:

  (Redesigned as a 32x32 pixel sprite)

Next, we focused on finalizing the style for the ground tile set. I created several small illustrations in different styles to represent grassland.

In the next phase, we will fully dedicate ourselves to asset creation to prepare for the first playtest. We also decided to allocate more time to overall atmosphere design. As a result, tasks like character sprite animations, originally scheduled for next week, will be postponed. Instead, we will prioritize rendering the game’s ambiance and creating background art.