Pixel Art for Games Lesson 2 of 6

Clean lines and shapes

Beat the jaggies: consistent stair-steps, no doubles, no orphan pixels.

A diagonal line in pixel art is really a staircase. It reads as smooth only when the steps are consistent — for example, two pixels across, then down one, then two across again. When the step lengths jump around (1, then 3, then 1), the eye sees a jagged, broken edge. Pixel artists call these bad spots "jaggies."

The three most common line mistakes

Two pixel staircases: the left has uneven step run-lengths of 1, 3, 1, 2 and reads as jagged; the right has even 2, 2, 2 steps and reads as a clean smooth diagonal.
Uneven step lengths (left) read as jaggies; even, gradually-changing runs (right) read smooth.
  • Jaggies — uneven step lengths that break an otherwise smooth curve
  • Doubles — two stacked pixels that thicken a 1px line and interrupt its flow
  • Orphan pixels — a lone pixel poking off a shape with nothing connecting it
  1. Block in the shape roughly first — do not chase clean lines yet
  2. Walk the outline and even out the stair-steps so each run is a consistent length
  3. Remove any doubled pixels along a 1px line
  4. Delete or reattach orphan pixels so every pixel is part of a shape
Quick check

A curved outline looks jagged and broken. What is the most likely cause?

▶ Practice a clean diagonal Draw a diagonal line, then fix the steps until it reads smooth.
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