How to Draw a 16×16 Steel-and-Gold Nunchaku in Pixel Art
This sprite combines two rigid steel batons with a flexible four-step connector. The upper baton leans down-right from the top-left corner; the lower baton continues near the bottom-right. Between them, alternating leather and gold cells bend twice, making the weapon read as articulated instead of solid.
The exact CC0 reference contains 78 visible pixels and 6 visible
colours. We will construct it in six stages. Coordinates use (x, y) from
the top-left.
Explore the complete drawing history
Step through the saved frames first. Show changes separates the two steel bodies, their inner sockets, and every cell in the flexible connector.
Step 1: outline both batons and the bent chain path
Close the upper baton with black at x1–2 on row 0. Its outer boundaries widen through rows 1–3, narrow to x2 and x4 on rows 4–5, then end around the socket on row 6. The lower baton mirrors this construction from rows 9–15, ending with black at x13–14 on row 15.
Do not join the batons with one straight tube. Instead, outline three small joint boxes:
- row 5 closes the upper joint across x5–7;
- row 7 closes the next turn across x3–5;
- row 8 opens the lower turn at x6 and closes it across x10–12;
- row 10 closes the lower joint across x8–11.
These boundaries account for all 42 black pixels and establish both rigid parts before any colour is added.
Step 2: fill the pale steel body planes
Use pale steel #CEECEC six times in each baton.
For the upper baton, place it at (1,1), (2,2), (3,3), (3,4), (3,5),
and (3,6). For the lower baton, place it at (12,9), (12,10), (12,11), (12,12), (13,13), and (14,14).
The upper sequence changes from diagonal to vertical near its socket. The lower sequence performs the reverse, so the two pieces feel related without being simple copies.
Step 3: cut deep facets into both steel batons
Add deep steel #476367 around the pale cores:
- Upper rows 1–3 alternate deep, pale, deep across each widening cross-section.
- Add a final deep socket cell at
(5,6). - Lower rows 12–14 repeat the same three-value rhythm around their pale cores.
- Add the matching inner socket cell at
(10,9).
There are 12 deep-steel pixels in total. They build faceted metal planes rather than a flat grey fill.
Step 4: mark the two blue-steel chain sockets
Place blue steel #608888 at (4,6) and (11,9). Each cell sits between a
pale baton core and a deep socket shadow. This two-cell accent identifies the
precise point where rigid metal hands off to the flexible connector.
Step 5: build the six dark-leather chain shoulders
Use dark leather #7E4E26 at these coordinates:
(7,6), (6,7), (8,7), (7,8), (9,8), (8,9)
Read them row by row as one, two, two, one. The paired middle rows make each
bend three pixels wide, while the single cells taper into the metal sockets.
Step 6: finish the four golden chain highlights
Place gold #FBBD5D at (6,6), (7,7), (8,8), and (9,9). These four
cells form a perfect main diagonal through the centre of the connector.
The gold line supplies continuity; the leather cells shift around it to create articulation. Keeping the gold centres aligned is the easiest way to prevent the chain from looking broken.
Exact row blueprint
| Rows | Main construction |
|---|---|
| 0–3 | upper steel cap and alternating deep–light–deep facets |
| 4–5 | narrow pale-steel neck plus black inner-joint boundaries |
| 6 | upper socket: pale, blue, deep, gold, leather |
| 7–8 | leather–gold–leather articulated middle links |
| 9 | lower socket: leather, gold, deep, blue, pale |
| 10–11 | lower black joint boundary and narrow pale-steel neck |
| 12–15 | lower alternating facets and two-pixel end cap |
Watch the flexible connector join the batons
The automatic player completes all boundaries first, fills the pale and deep metal planes, marks both sockets, and then builds the leather and gold chain in two separate passes.
Automatic drawing
Start with an empty 16×16 canvas
Draw the nunchaku yourself
Finish both steel pieces before touching the connector. Then use Diff to check the six leather shoulder cells and finish with the four gold centres.
Draw the steel-and-gold nunchaku yourself
Rebuild all 78 visible pixels. Use Diff view to check the mirrored steel facets and the four-step flexible connector.
What this sprite teaches
- Rigid and flexible parts need different rhythms. Long steel runs contrast with short alternating links.
- Mirrored value patterns connect separate objects. Both batons use the same pale and deep steel vocabulary.
- Sockets explain material transitions. Two blue-steel cells anchor the connector visually.
- A stable centre line supports a bend. Gold stays diagonal while leather shifts around it.
- Tapering sells articulation. The connector changes from one cell to three and back again.
The source sprite is by Shade and is released under CC0 on OpenGameArt. The finished tutorial frame matches every source cell exactly.