How to Draw a 16×16 Winged-Guard Rapier in Pixel Art

Published on July 16, 2026 · 9 min read

This 16×16 weapon is read from two different rhythms. The blade is a steady down-right staircase, while the hilt opens into two irregular gold wings. The wings are not mirrors: the upper one hooks tightly around the joint and the lower one spreads farther left. That asymmetry makes the tiny silhouette feel forged rather than stamped.

The exact CC0 reference uses 122 visible pixels and 10 visible colours. We will draw it in five decisions. Every coordinate is written as (x, y), with (0, 0) in the top-left corner.

Explore the complete drawing history

Move through the saved frames before placing pixels. Turn on Show changes to see which cells belong to the blade, each guard wing, and the grip.

Step 1: block the diagonal blade

Start with a black cap across x0–2 on row 0. Then build a widening steel strip:

• Row 1: outline at x0 and x3; base steel at x1–2.
• Row 2: outline at x0 and x4; base steel at x1–3.
• Row 3: outline at x1 and x5; base steel at x2–4.
• Row 4: outline at x2 and x6; base steel at x3–5.
• Row 5: outline at x3 and x7–8; base steel at x4–6.
• Row 6: outline at x4 and x9; base steel at x5–8.
• Row 7: outline at x5 and x9–10; base steel at x6–8.
• Row 8: outline at x5 and x11; base steel at x6–10.
• Row 9: outline at x6–7 and x12; base steel at x8–11.
• Row 10: outline at x7; base steel at x8–9.
• Row 11: keep one exposed base-steel collar at (9,11).

Use #A5C9C9 for every metal cell at this stage. The extra outline pixels at (8,5) and (10,7) make two small steps on the blade’s lower edge. Keep them: they prevent the long diagonal from looking like a perfectly smooth tube.

The silhouette stays open around the hilt. The two guard wings will close those gaps later, so do not invent a continuous black border there.

Step 2: cut a zigzag reflection into the steel

Leave base steel at (1,1), (2,1), (1,2), (10,8), (11,9), (8,10), and (9,11). These quiet cells separate the brighter bands.

Place the brightest shine #F4FEFE at:

(4,3), (3,4), (5,4), (4,5), (6,5), (5,6), (7,6), (8,6), (6,7), (8,7), (6,8), and (7,8).

Now weave the supporting values through it:

• blue steel #608888: (2,2), (3,3), (9,9);
• light steel #CEECEC: (3,2), (2,3), (9,8), (8,9);
• shadow steel #83A3A3: (4,4), (5,5), (6,6), (7,7), (8,8);
• deep steel #476367: (10,9) and (9,10).

The shine and shadow chains cross each other one row at a time. That repeating offset suggests a faceted blade even though the drawing has no anti-aliasing and only six steel values.

Step 3: build the upper golden guard wing

Begin a separate outline island at x11–12 on row 5. On row 6, put black at x11 and x13 with amber #E0993C at x12. Row 7 uses black at x11, x13, and x14, with gold #FBBD5D at x12.

Turn the branch toward the blade:

• Row 8: gold at x12, amber at x13, black at x14.
• Row 9: gold at x13, black at x14–15.
• Row 10: gold at x10–11 and x13, amber at x12 and x14, black at x15.

Notice that the wing is not a filled triangle. Its contour advances in short two- and three-pixel groups, while the transparent cells above and below cut the shape into a hooked ornament.

Step 4: counterbalance it with the lower wing

The lower branch begins with a four-pixel black ledge at x5–8 on row 11. Keep the steel collar at x9 and place gold at x10.

Continue the descending hook exactly:

• Row 12: black x5, amber x6, gold x7–8, black x9, amber x10–11.
• Row 13: black x6–7, amber x8, gold x9–10, black x11–12.
• Row 14: black x7–9, amber x10, black x11.
• Row 15: black x9–11.

This wing contains more outline than colour. That heavy black underside makes it act as a visual counterweight to the brighter upper branch. Resist filling the cells inside its staircase: the open pockets keep the 16×16 hilt readable.

Step 5: finish the grip and amber pommel

The grip follows the same down-right axis as the blade. Put dark leather #7E4E26 at (11,11), (12,12), and (13,13).

At row 11, place amber at (12,11) and black at x13–15. Add black at (13,12), then black at x14–15 on row 13. Finish with black at (13,14) and (15,14), amber at (14,14), and a three-pixel black cap across x13–15 on row 15.

Only two amber cells belong to the handle. The first is a collar beside the grip; the second is the pommel highlight. Reusing the guard’s warm colour ties the three hilt sections together without adding another palette entry.

Exact row blueprint

Watch the two wings assemble

The automatic player paints every new cell and every steel recolour in lesson order. Pause after the upper wing, then compare its compact hook with the lower wing’s longer black staircase.

Draw the weapon yourself

Build the blade before touching the gold palette. When the two guard wings are present, use Diff to find accidental fills in their negative space. Finish with the three leather pixels and the isolated amber pommel.

What this sprite teaches

• A repeated one-cell offset creates direction. The blade reads diagonally before it receives any highlights.
• Reflections need quiet gaps. Base-steel cells stop the shine chain from becoming one white stripe.
• Ornament can be asymmetric. Two different guard wings still balance around a shared joint.
• Outline density changes visual weight. The lower wing feels heavier because its underside is mostly black.
• Palette reuse creates material unity. Amber connects the guards, collar, and pommel.

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