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

Published on July 17, 2026 · 9 min read

This sword pairs a simple three-pixel-wide diagonal blade with a much more complex hilt. The steel core changes value in short bands; the black outline then turns into a hollow square basket around warm leather and metal accents.

The exact CC0 reference contains 58 visible pixels and 10 visible colours. We will build it in five stages. Coordinates use (x, y) from the top-left.

Explore the complete drawing history

Move through the saved frames before drawing. Show changes separates the blade rails, five steel bands, basket geometry, and four warm hilt materials.

Start with an empty 16×16 canvas

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

Step 1: outline the blade, square basket, and pommel

Start with black at x0–1 on row 0. From rows 1 through 8, draw two outline rails around the main diagonal: one at x(y−1), the other at x(y+1). Leave the centre xy empty for the blade colour.

On row 9, place black at x8 and across x10–13. The first cell continues the left blade rail; the four-cell run is the top edge of the basket guard.

Build the square guard and offset pommel through rows 10–15:

keep a left wall at x9 through row 13;
turn the inner wall through x12–13;
extend the lower-right loop to x15;
close the pommel with black x13–15 on row 15.

The full outline contains 40 black pixels.

Step 2: fill the three bright steel blade bands

Fill the blade core along the main diagonal:

light steel #CEECEC at (1,1), (2,2), and (5,5);
near-white shine #F4FEFE at (3,3) and (4,4);
base steel #A5C9C9 at (6,6) and (7,7).

These seven cells create three ordered brightness bands. The white pair marks the blade’s brightest cutting section without making the entire weapon glow.

Step 3: shade the blade root and guard socket

Place shadow steel #83A3A3 at (8,8) and (9,9). This two-cell run darkens the blade as it approaches the guard.

Add charcoal steel #2F4049 at (10,10). The charcoal cell sits inside the basket’s top-left corner and marks the recessed socket where blade and hilt meet.

Step 4: build the leather-and-amber hilt foundation

Add dark leather #7E4E26 at (11,10) and (10,11). These cells form an L-shaped grip inside the basket.

Place amber #E0993C at (12,10) and (10,12). The amber pair mirrors that L across the grip, giving the square guard two warm diagonal corners.

Step 5: finish the gold and copper hilt accents

Add gold #FBBD5D at (11,11) in the centre of the basket and (14,14) near the pommel. Then place copper #C07F3A at (12,12) and (13,13).

The two copper cells continue the main diagonal while the last gold cell shifts one step right. This offset creates a hooked decorative finish instead of a straight continuation of the blade.

Exact row blueprint

Rows	Final construction
0–2	black blade cap and two light-steel cells
3–4	two near-white shine cells between black rails
5–7	light then base-steel blade bands
8–9	shadow-steel root and basket’s four-cell top edge
10	charcoal socket, leather, amber, and right boundary
11	leather and central gold inside the basket
12	amber turn and first copper cell
13	hollow lower basket plus second copper cell
14–15	offset gold pommel and black end cap

Watch the blade enter the square basket

The automatic player establishes the full black geometry first, fills the bright blade bands, darkens the socket, builds the leather-and-amber foundation, and finishes the gold-copper diagonal.

Automatic drawing

Start with an empty 16×16 canvas

0 / 58 pixel changes

The replay separates blade value bands, socket shadows, hollow basket geometry, and the offset decorative pommel.

Draw the sword yourself

Finish both blade rails before colouring the core. Use Diff to check the hollow basket, then place its warm cells from the socket toward the pommel.

Draw the square basket-hilt steel sword yourself

Match 77%

Rebuild all 58 visible pixels. Use Diff view to check the unbroken blade rails, hollow basket guard, and offset pommel.

Target

Editor

What this sprite teaches

Short value bands can shade a long narrow blade. Five steel colours need only ten cells.
Outline geometry can change roles. The blade rail becomes the basket wall on row 9.
A hollow guard needs deliberate negative space. Transparent cells inside the square keep it readable.
Mirrored L-shapes organize warm materials. Leather and amber define the basket interior.
An offset accent makes an ornate pommel. The final gold cell breaks the otherwise straight diagonal.

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