How to Draw a 16×16 Basket-Hilt Steel Saber in Pixel Art

Published on July 17, 2026 · 10 min read

This compact saber has three readable paths. The dark blade hooks from the upper-left into the centre, a gold knuckle guard sweeps back toward the lower-left, and a short handle continues toward the lower-right. Keeping those last two paths separate is the key to the basket-hilt silhouette.

The exact CC0 reference contains 78 visible pixels and 11 visible colours. We will build it in six stages. Coordinates use (x, y) from the top-left.

Explore the complete drawing history

Move through the saved frames once before drawing. Show changes isolates the guard bow from the handle so their black outlines do not merge visually.

Start with an empty 16×16 canvas

The history viewer, automatic player, and editor share one exact 16×16 basket-hilt saber.

Step 1: block the hooked blade in one steel value

Row 0 stays empty. Begin with black at x1–2 on row 1. Then expand the blade:

Row 2: black x1 and x3; base steel x2.
Row 3: black x1 and x3–4; steel x2.
Row 4: black x1 and x5; steel x2–4.
Row 5: black x1 and x6; steel x2–5.
Row 6: black x1 and x7–8; steel x2–6.
Row 7: black x2 and x9; steel x3–8.
Row 8: black x3 and x10; steel x4–9.
Row 9: black x4–7; steel x8–9. The hilt closes the right side.

Fill all 28 metal cells with base steel #A5C9C9. The long black ledge on row 9 creates the inside hook. Do not shorten it: that ledge separates blade from the gold guard path below.

Step 2: light the forward cutting edge

Place light steel #CEECEC at (3,6), (3,7), (4,7), (4,8), and (5,8).

These five cells form a short two-pixel-wide staircase on the lower-left side of the blade. It marks the cutting edge without outlining the entire curve in white. The small highlight group is enough because most of this weapon is meant to read as dark steel.

Step 3: build the blue-and-deep middle planes

Use blue steel #608888 at (2,2), (2,3), (5,5), (5,6), (6,6), and (5,7). The first pair colours the narrow tip; the remaining four cells bridge the blade bend.

Place deep steel #476367 at (4,5), (4,6), (6,7), and (7,7). These cells form a darker inner plane beside the blue bridge. Together, both values turn the blade from a vertical tip into a right-facing hook.

Step 4: darken the back and blade root

Keep base steel only at (2,6) and (6,8).

Place charcoal steel #2F4049 at (3,4), (4,4), (3,5), (8,7), (9,8), and (9,9). Add shadow steel #83A3A3 at (2,4), (2,5), (7,8), (8,8), and (8,9).

The upper charcoal group defines the blade back; the lower charcoal group compresses the root. Shadow steel sits between the cutting edge and those dark groups, preventing a harsh light-to-black jump.

Step 5: sweep the gold knuckle guard

Start with a black cap at x11–12 on row 7. Place amber #E0993C at (11,8) and black at (12,8). Continue with gold #FBBD5D at (10,9) and black at (11,9).

Row 10 uses black x8 and gold x9. Row 11 uses black x7, amber x8, and black x9. Close the lower end with black x7–8 on row 12.

Read this as one diagonal running from upper-right to lower-left. The two gold middle cells make the guard brightest near its centre, while amber softens both ends.

Step 6: finish the short leather handle

The handle begins separately at (10,10) in dark leather #7E4E26, with black at (11,10). Row 11 uses black x10, amber x11, and black x12.

On row 12, place black x11, amber x12, and black x13–14. Row 13 contains black x12, copper #C07F3A at x13, and black x14. Finish with black x12–14 on row 14.

The guard and handle approach each other around rows 10–11 but never share a warm pixel. Their separate black borders preserve the basket opening.

Exact row blueprint

Row	Final non-transparent pixels
0	empty
1	x1–2 outline
2	x1 outline, x2 blue steel, x3 outline
3	x1 outline, x2 blue steel, x3–4 outline
4	x1 outline, x2 shadow steel, x3–4 charcoal, x5 outline
5	x1 outline, x2 shadow steel, x3 charcoal, x4 deep steel, x5 blue steel, x6 outline
6	x1 outline, x2 base steel, x3 light steel, x4 deep steel, x5–6 blue steel, x7–8 outline
7	x2 outline, x3–4 light steel, x5 blue steel, x6–7 deep steel, x8 charcoal, x9 outline; x11–12 outline
8	x3 outline, x4–5 light steel, x6 base steel, x7–8 shadow steel, x9 charcoal, x10 outline, x11 amber, x12 outline
9	x4–7 outline, x8 shadow steel, x9 charcoal, x10 gold, x11 outline
10	x8 outline, x9 gold, x10 leather, x11 outline
11	x7 outline, x8 amber, x9–10 outline, x11 amber, x12 outline
12	x7–8 outline; x11 outline, x12 amber, x13–14 outline
13	x12 outline, x13 copper, x14 outline
14	x12–14 outline
15	empty

Watch the two hilt branches separate

The automatic player completes all four blade passes first. It then paints the gold guard toward the lower-left and the handle toward the lower-right as two independent decisions.

Automatic drawing

Start with an empty 16×16 canvas

0 / 104 pixel changes

The replay separates hooked geometry, cutting light, steel planes, root shadows, guard bow, and handle into six passes.

Draw the saber yourself

Finish the blade before selecting a warm colour. Draw the entire guard branch, switch to Diff, and verify its black closure. Only then draw the handle; leave the basket opening transparent.

Draw the basket-hilt steel saber yourself

Match 70%

Rebuild all 78 visible pixels. Use Diff view to separate the swept guard bow from the short handle.

Target

Editor

What this sprite teaches

Dark blades still need a small cutting highlight. Five pale cells identify the functional edge.
Separate material planes into groups. Blue, deep, shadow, and charcoal each occupy coherent regions.
A guard can be a path, not a bar. The gold bow protects the hand by sweeping around it.
Use black borders to preserve negative space. The guard and handle remain distinct at 16×16.
Keep the grip short when the guard is complex. A compact handle leaves room for the basket silhouette.

The source sprite is by Shade and is released under CC0 on OpenGameArt. The finished tutorial frame matches every source cell exactly.