self-critique & takeaways on digitizing graphite sketch to create a watermark
plus, 10-minute timelapse video (link below!)
I created a graphite sketch of pixel art based on a dream I'd just woken up from.
Later, I wanted to recreate it as true pixel art….
background: inspiration, brainstorming, planning
If you stayed on this page versus skip ahead to the timelapse video, then I surmise additional background information may be of interest.
graphite sketch
It was a pixelated toilet with poop next to it.
I drew it with a matte Blackwing in my Moleskine sketchbook as soon as I woke up, not using any references.
The snapshots in the above screenshot were taken with my cellphone, a moto g7 plus, to show my friend, who I knew would get a kick out of it.
I loved everything about the idea of a pixel art toilet next to pixelated poop with its simultaneously modern yet nostalgic spin on the poop emoji. I loved the tangible sketch as I captured it, as well. I love its origin story.
Anyway, I loved it too much to not do more with it. Already between taking the first and second photos I sent to my friend, I revisited the sketch’s shading, specifically finessing the shading in front right below the white seat, relying on the toilet in my bathroom as reference.
to create a watermark
The stated purpose came into play in part inspired by a game, in fact. I had Pokemon sprites from 1996’s Green version on my mind and I thought through my pencil work….
One thing led to another. The bold, simple pixel art used to portray my lighthearted graphic would be a spiffy little emblem, no?
The Gameboy’s screen back then was 160 x 144 pixels1 — its entire screen was the size of the optimal watermark dimensions at 150 x 150 pixels.
On my mind, as well, was that the toilet was predominantly white — plenty of canvas to legibly weave my name into the work. The parameters certainly seemed conducive for creating an icon to be used as a watermark in pixel art.
choosing Procreate for pixel art
I never tried making pixel art in Procreate before!, and I’m extremely novelty-seeking — using the little pixelated toilet sketch as a means to try making pixel art in Procreate for the first time seemed fated.
Are you ready to watch for yourself what happened?
progressing through the process itself
I had multiple Procreate files in rotation, flushing out different design aspects. For the timelapse video, I actually edited together all the different Procreate timelapse exports. You’ll have to watch the video to gauge just how many. It’s just like how I work in more than one sketchbook, referencing back and forth between the Procreate files.
Unfortunately, I didn’t screen record, so those details didn’t make it into the video. Another relevant piece of content missing is my juggling and customizing of the brushes. Now I know, and I’ll remember next time to not rely on the Procreate timelapse exports.
Anyway, here is a still from the timelapse video. I made the turquoise lines to enforce structure that I believed contributed to a pleasing design.
The orange, though, I whipped out because I got too lost in the monochromatic pixels to shade effectively. Also, orange is my favorite color.
“final” piece’s before & after: sketchbook pencil drawing to final .PNG watermark
I haven’t done the journey’s drama justice in just text and images, so you may still want to experience it via the timelapse video for yourself.
before
For your convenience, see the initial graphite sketch below.
That’s the the first documented recording of its existence.
& after
Here's the current state of the final version of the watermark…:
You could make a game out of trying to spot the differences between the two. For reference, here’s the initial sketchbook drawing upon its arrival into Procreate:
Here’s another still from the middle of the timelapse video, in the throes of the process — exemplifying how actually far I moved away from my initial sketch:
With the background, process, and results all in mind, how would you say I did?
self-critique: giving & receiving critical feedback (to & from yourself!)
There's parts I am at peace with & aspects I resent.
my self-critique in a five-point summary (commentary up next! then, final takeaways)
I excelled at outthinking my thoughts, advancing my original idea
too busy overthinking, an obvious quick fix evaded me
better-than-expected design is so much better than expected such that I forgive me for my shitty line quality
outstanding open-mindedness opens gaps — gaps that remain outstanding
as much as I hate not being confident in my decisions, some stylistic choices nonetheless warrant scrutiny of the longitudinal variety
but wait — there’s more! identifying a #1 highlight: what I’m most proud of…
…if you’re interested in what I have to say about that, then you’ll first definitely want to check out where else I’m at! I just updated my about page…
…and added details at the bottom on what to expect from me across different platforms.
how I critiqued myself: explanation, notes, commentary, and details
Below is just an excerpt, but you can read the rest of my self-critique here.
Next, I went back and forth on "cleaning up" the graphite marks -- the ones I didn't erase from the graphite sketch from the toilet's white areas. I'm still not confident in my decision to go through with their digital removal, but I also know I wouldn't have been confident with the decision to leave them either. I know it doesn't matter at 150 x 150 pixels, but I, regardless, hate not being confident in my decision. Everything is iterative, though. Nothing is ever really done. Keeping that in mind prevents indecision from paralyzing me.
One final thing -- what I was most proud of is: It did occur to me to see how the image looked on white, as well as on black backgrounds from a distance, or miniaturized, or whatever. Pursuing that line of thought is what inspired me to figure out how to get a thick black border around the drawing. Which also helped emphasize the pixelated effect I was going for. Which means I did a good job (or better job than I otherwise would have) conveying what I intended to convey. Kudos, me.
Read my self-critique in its entirety here.
final takeaways
Read about my personal final takeaways here.
reminders for you - IMPORTANT!
everything is fluid:
don’t stick with a plan only because you committed to it in the first place -- constantly reassess, and pivot as it makes sense to do so
nothing is ever done -- everything can always be better:
let that empower you to be at peace with your decisions that you know are good enough only for now -- when it stops being good enough, you’ll be equipped in the “new now” to again make it good enough
the process sucks:
it’s brutal -- know that you absolutely should not gaslight yourself into pretending otherwise; instead, loathe the process but learn to laugh about it afterwards and how to recognize and maintain consciousness of the resultant learnings
please let me know if you have any questions or anything on anything
otherwise, more to come
yours,
jansen
Per Nintendo technical data.