How to Draw a 16×16 Fullered Steel Longsword in Pixel Art
This longsword uses a dark central strip to suggest a fuller: the recessed channel that lightens a real blade and becomes a useful value landmark in pixel art. A pale upper edge, base and muted bevels, shadowed socket, and tiny warm hilt keep the long diagonal readable on a 16×16 canvas.
The exact CC0 reference contains 85 visible pixels and 11 visible
colours. We will build it in five stages. Coordinates use (x, y) from the
top-left corner.
Explore the complete drawing history
Step through the saved frames first. Show changes separates the black structure, midtone bevel, pale edge, dark fuller, and six warm hilt cells.
Step 1: outline the long blade and compact hilt
Use black #000000 for all 36 outline pixels. Start with x0–2 on row 0,
then follow this exact row map:
r1: x0, x3
r2: x0, x4
r3: x0, x4
r4: x0, x5–6
r5: x1, x7
r6: x2, x8
r7: x3, x9
r8: x4, x10
r9: x5, x11
r10: x6, x12
r11: x7, x11
r12: x8, x10, x12
r13: x9, x11, x13
r14: x12, x14
r15: x13–14
The blade remains broad through row 10, then the black rails pinch inward around the guard. Keep the small gaps between the left guard, central grip, and right pommel transparent.
Step 2: block in eleven midtone bevel cells
Place base steel #A5C9C9 at (3,2), (3,4), (4,5), (6,5), (6,8), (6,9), and (7,9).
Add muted steel #608888 at (7,7), (8,7), (7,8), and (8,8). The base
cells appear in separated patches, allowing brighter and darker planes to pass
between them. The four muted cells form a compact square near the blade root.
Step 3: add fifteen pale steel edge cells
Use light steel #CEECEC at:
(1,1), (1,2), (1,3), (3,3), (1,4), (2,4), (4,4), (2,5), (3,5), (5,5), (3,6), (4,6), (4,7), (5,7), (5,8)
The first three make a continuous pale run below the tip. From row 3 onward, the light cells spread into a broken two- and three-cell bevel, then narrow to one cell before the muted root square.
Step 4: build seventeen dark fuller cells
Place deep steel #476367 at:
(2,1), (2,2), (2,3), (5,6), (6,6), (7,6), (6,7), (9,8), (8,9), (9,9)
The upper three form the straight beginning of the fuller. The next four widen it across the centre blade, and the final three turn it toward the socket.
Add shadow steel #83A3A3 at (7,10), (8,10), (8,11), and (9,11).
Finish the steel with charcoal #2F4049 at (10,9), (9,10), and (10,10).
This seven-cell shadow cluster closes the fuller and separates it from the hilt.
Step 5: finish six warm hilt details
Use warm copper #E0993C at (11,10) and (9,12). Place deep copper #C07F3A at (11,12) and (12,13).
Add gold #FBBD5D at (10,11), then dark leather #7E4E26 at (13,14).
The gold cell marks the blade-to-grip junction. The two copper tones create a
small stepped guard, and the single leather cell colours the lower grip before
the black pommel cap.
Exact row blueprint
| Rows | Final construction |
|---|---|
| 0–3 | three-cell black cap, pale edge, deep fuller, and first base-steel cell |
| 4–5 | pale bevel expands around separated base-steel facets |
| 6–7 | three-cell deep fuller, pale edge, base patches, and muted root plane |
| 8–9 | pale edge and midtones turn into a deep/charcoal socket |
| 10–11 | shadow-steel socket, charcoal core, copper guard tip, and gold junction |
| 12–13 | copper guard branches and deep-copper grip transition |
| 14–15 | one leather grip cell inside a black two-cell pommel cap |
Watch the fuller travel down the blade
The automatic player draws the black silhouette, places the eleven midtones, adds the pale edge, builds the seventeen-cell dark fuller and socket, and finishes the six warm hilt cells.
Automatic drawing
Start with an empty 16×16 canvas
Draw the sword yourself
Draw the outline and midtones first, then follow the pale edge from top to bottom. Use Diff to check the dark fuller before adding the six warm hilt cells.
Draw the fullered steel longsword yourself
Rebuild all 85 visible pixels. Use Diff view to inspect the dark central fuller, pale edge, and compact six-cell hilt colouring.
What this sprite teaches
- A fuller can act as a value guide. The dark channel organizes a long blade without requiring extra outline width.
- The pale edge can break and reconnect. Small gaps allow midtone facets to interrupt the reflection naturally.
- A square root plane adds weight. Four muted cells slow the blade’s visual movement before the socket.
- Compact shadows separate blade and hilt. Shadow and charcoal cells create a clear material boundary.
- A small hilt needs a strong focal point. One gold cell makes the junction readable among copper and leather tones.
The source sprite is by Shade and is released under CC0 on OpenGameArt. The finished tutorial frame matches every source cell exactly.