How to Draw a 16×16 Gilded Wing Broadsword in Pixel Art

Published on July 16, 2026 · 10 min read

This broadsword combines a large cool-steel mass with an equally assertive gilded hilt. The blade is not a simple gradient: a bright diagonal ridge cuts across broad shadow bands, then the metal darkens sharply at the joint. Two separate guard wings wrap around that joint from opposite directions.

The exact CC0 reference uses 128 visible pixels and 10 visible colours. We will draw it in six decisions so neither guard wing becomes an unreadable gold cluster. Coordinates use (x, y) from the top-left.

Explore the complete drawing history

Move through the saved states before drawing. Turn on Show changes to see the upper and lower guard wings arrive in separate frames.

Start with an empty 16×16 canvas

The history viewer, automatic replay, and practice editor share one exact 16×16 broadsword target.

Step 1: block the broad blade in one steel value

Start with black across x0–2 on row 0. Row 1 uses black at x0 and x3–4, with base steel #A5C9C9 at x1–2. The extra black cell at (4,1) gives the tip a short stepped back rather than a perfectly regular wedge.

Continue the body:

Row 2: black x0 and x5; steel x1–4.
Row 3: black x1 and x6; steel x2–5.
Row 4: black x1 and x7; steel x2–6.
Rows 5–9: keep five steel cells between two black edges while shifting right.
Row 10: black x7; steel x8–11.
Row 11: black x8; steel x9–10.

At this stage, fill all 46 metal cells with base steel. The right side remains open on rows 10–11 because the gilded joint will close it later.

Step 2: lay the bright diagonal blade ridge

Use light steel #CEECEC at (3,2), (2,3), (8,6), and (6,8). These four cells support six brighter shine pixels #F4FEFE at (5,3), (6,4), (3,5), (7,5), (4,6), and (5,7).

Read the shine coordinates as two staggered runs. One begins near the upper right of the blade; the other begins on the lower-left edge. Their alternating positions form a diagonal ridge across the broad face instead of tracing a single outer edge.

Step 3: build the shadowed steel planes

Keep base steel at (1,1), (2,1), (1,2), (4,2), (2,4), (9,7), (10,8), (7,9), (11,9), (8,10), and (9,11).

Place blue steel #608888 at (2,2), (3,3), (4,3), (3,4), (8,7), (7,8), (8,8), (9,8), and (8,9).

The widest shadow plane uses #83A3A3 at (4,4), (5,4), (4,5), (5,5), (6,5), (5,6), (6,6), (7,6), (6,7), and (7,7). Finally, place deep steel #476367 at (9,9), (10,9), (9,10), (10,10), (11,10), and (10,11).

The broad shadow band sits between the shine ridge and the blue face. Near the hilt, the six deep cells compress into a dark wedge that visually locks the blade into the guard.

Step 4: shape the upper gold guard wing

Create a detached black cap at x10–11 on row 5. On row 6, place black at x10 and x12 with amber #E0993C at x11.

Continue the hook:

Row 7: gold #FBBD5D at x11–12; black at x13–14.
Row 8: gold x12, amber x13, black x14.
Row 9: gold x13, black x14.
Row 10: amber x12, gold x13, amber x14, black x15.

The wing begins as a separated outline island, then connects to the blade only near rows 7–10. Preserving that gap gives the ornament a cut-out silhouette.

Step 5: spread the lower gold guard wing

Start farther left with black at x5–6 on row 10. Row 11 uses black x5, amber x6, gold x7, and the existing blade outline at x8.

Build the lower sweep:

Row 12: black x6, gold x7–8, black x9, amber x10–11.
Row 13: black x7, amber x8, gold x9–10, black x11–12.
Row 14: black x7–9, amber x10, black x11.
Row 15: black x10–11.

This branch is wider and contains a longer black underside than the upper wing. The unequal shapes balance because both use exactly five gold and five amber cells.

Step 6: finish the leather grip and amber pommel

Place dark leather #7E4E26 at (11,11), (12,12), and (13,13). Add amber at (12,11) for the collar and (14,14) for the pommel.

Outline the handle with black at x13–15 on row 11, x13 on row 12, x14–15 on row 13, x13 and x15 on row 14, and x13–15 on row 15.

The handle uses the same amber as the guard, but no gold. That small palette restriction keeps the bright focal point on the two wings.

Exact row blueprint

Row	Final non-transparent pixels
0	x0–2 outline
1	x0 outline, x1–2 base steel, x3–4 outline
2	x0 outline, x1 base steel, x2 blue steel, x3 light steel, x4 base steel, x5 outline
3	x1 outline, x2 light steel, x3–4 blue steel, x5 shine, x6 outline
4	x1 outline, x2 base steel, x3 blue steel, x4–5 shadow steel, x6 shine, x7 outline
5	x2 outline, x3 shine, x4–6 shadow steel, x7 shine, x8 outline; x10–11 outline
6	x3 outline, x4 shine, x5–7 shadow steel, x8 light steel, x9–10 outline, x11 amber, x12 outline
7	x4 outline, x5 shine, x6–7 shadow steel, x8 blue steel, x9 base steel, x10 outline, x11–12 gold, x13–14 outline
8	x5 outline, x6 light steel, x7–9 blue steel, x10 base steel, x11 outline, x12 gold, x13 amber, x14 outline
9	x6 outline, x7 base steel, x8 blue steel, x9–10 deep steel, x11 base steel, x12 outline, x13 gold, x14 outline
10	x5–7 outline, x8 base steel, x9–11 deep steel, x12 amber, x13 gold, x14 amber, x15 outline
11	x5 outline, x6 amber, x7 gold, x8 outline, x9 base steel, x10 deep steel, x11 leather, x12 amber, x13–15 outline
12	x6 outline, x7–8 gold, x9 outline, x10–11 amber, x12 leather, x13 outline
13	x7 outline, x8 amber, x9–10 gold, x11–12 outline, x13 leather, x14–15 outline
14	x7–9 outline, x10 amber, x11 outline, x13 outline, x14 amber, x15 outline
15	x10–11 outline; x13–15 outline

Watch the guard wings arrive one at a time

The automatic player paints and recolours every lesson change. Pause after the upper wing, then compare its compact gold hook with the lower wing’s long black staircase.

Automatic drawing

Start with an empty 16×16 canvas

0 / 163 pixel changes

The replay separates blade geometry, metal planes, both guard wings, and the grip into six readable passes.

Draw the broadsword yourself

Complete the cold blade before selecting amber or gold. Build each guard wing as its own shape, then use Diff to correct the transparent pockets and the three-pixel leather grip.

Draw the gilded wing broadsword yourself

Match 50%

Rebuild all 128 visible pixels. Use Diff view to check the separate steel planes and open guard-wing spaces.

Target

Editor

What this sprite teaches

A ridge can cross a blade instead of following its edge. Staggered shine cells imply a faceted face.
Group shadows by plane. Ten connected mid-shadow pixels read more clearly than scattered noise.
Build ornate guards as separate branches. Each wing keeps its own outline rhythm and negative space.
Balance does not require symmetry. Equal warm-colour counts can stabilize unequal silhouettes.
Reserve gold for the focal structure. The leather grip reuses amber but leaves the brightest colour to the guard.

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