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While making a game, you will inevitably have to deal with how it will look. The visual aspect of the game, be it a technical side (establishing rendering, lighting) or artistic (creating concept art, visualizing the game’s ideas), will be one of the first things your potential customers will be caught on after watching a trailer or seeing an announcement card posted on social media. So creating striking, eye-catching visuals for your game is a must these days.
Today, we will talk about 2D art studios, how they typically create 2D game art, what obstacles they encounter and in what ways 2D art can be used in games.
But let’s start with two basic questions.
Art studios like this specialize in creating two-dimensional art for various uses. It can be a complex background or a simple 2D asset. Studios like this have teams of artists with years of experience working with different styles, genres and assets.
While making a game, you may have to put 2D elements into it. It can be a minor addition (like a 2D animation between the gameplay sequence) or something complex, requiring a lot of effort. 2D art studios produce this type of art, which correlates with your game’s themes, overall aesthetic and visual style.
Two-dimensional art is, as you can guess, a drawing of an in-game asset of any scale.
Characters, props, UI and environments can all be made in 2D art, creating a visual cornerstone for games. This basis will not only make the game pleasant to look at but also will let players immerse themselves in the game.
2D art can be of various styles and you can choose the one that suits your game’s needs, tone and overall aesthetic. From pixel art to hand-drawn style, from casual, family-friendly platformers to hardcore audience-oriented experiences, the style of your 2D art will help to communicate your game’s ideas visually, creating a vivid experience that will work on all levels of perception.
2D Art is usually made with digital tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate and so on. Thanks to this software, artists can produce high-quality art quickly and efficiently.
In many ways, the hand-crafted aspect of 2D, be it digital or traditional art, tends to resonate with players better than 3D models. While the three-dimensional stuff is great for immersing players into a realistic world that is not “flat”, the 2D has a distinct, handcrafted charm that a lot of people appreciate.
The reasons for big popularity of 2D studio art:
It’s also important to note that 2D art is not only about the game assets. Let’s take a look at the alternative ways your art can be used.
Specialized 2D art studios can help with the game-making process by contributing to several aspects of it. It can be used in a variety of ways in the gaming industry. Let’s take a look at the most popular ones.
The user interface is used to indicate several important elements of your game’s mechanics, be it a health point meter or the amount of resources. Producing a striking and memorable interface that is not only practical but also curious and remarkable can be a great way to add additional uniqueness to the game’s look.
2D studio art is perfect for producing character art. One of the most important aspects of memorable characters is their recognizable silhouette, which is two-dimensional, naturally. A character design should be simple, yet striking – and this is exactly what 2D excels at, allowing artists to create straightforward characters enriched with unique details.
Making a place feel real and telling players a story of a place they’ve discovered by just making it intricately decorated in a certain way, can be achieved by the implementation of 2D environmental art. Thanks to the adaptability of 2D art, it can be of various kinds: stylized, casual, realistic, cartoon-like or isometric.
2D works really well as a promotional tool: you can represent the game’s look and feel with a distinct drawing that stands out among other marketing materials. Think of it as the poster for a movie: you need to catch attention to ensure that people will be interested in your product, so investing in marketing art in 2D can be a good decision.
Two-dimensional animation is also a great choice: it still works as well as 3D animation in terms of storytelling with the exception that it tends to be cheaper. A lot of people still love 2D animation, thanks to its historical, artistic nature and unique feel. A lot of modern animated series are made in 2D even nowadays, when both approaches are available
Creating textures can also be considered 2D artwork, which will later be implemented in 3D assets. If you’re making a stylized game that should feel visually like a thoroughly crafted painting that came to life, creating textures is obligatory.
In addition, 2D is much more suitable for prototyping the potential 3D assets, especially if they’re going to be big and expansive. It’s called concept art, and game developers tend to use it to represent the idea they have in mind to see if it’s going to work at all before exploring it further. Like that, 2D game concept art is a necessary part of brainstorming, especially if the scope and ambitions you’re aiming to keep growing big.
When creating this type of art, a 2D studio goes through the process which tends to be very similar to all kinds of processes in game-making.
Here’s a summary of a traditional workflow that you will go through while working on 2D art.
During the pre-production phase which is so common for these types of pipelines, you have to settle on the software you have to use, what type of mood and tone are you aiming for this game with your art, and what kind of budgeting method fits you well. 2D artists tend to choose digital painting software, such as Photoshop, Procreate, Figma and Substance Painter.
The creation process is arguably the most interesting – you get the opportunity to put all your ideas out here. While creating, be sure to keep in mind that there is always a place for experiments – they tend to lead you to newer, more interesting places, and if they’re too experimental, according to feedback, you can always adjust it by toning it a bit down.
It’s very important to create art that works well not only with the game’s themes and tone but also on a technical level, otherwise, it will work badly or feel as if it’s been torn out of a different game. You want consistent art made in the style of the game you’re making. Different genres will require different approaches to it, so bear that in mind while working on 2D art.
It’s important to hear feedback and take it into consideration as you work on editing your piece. As mentioned above, it may be quite tricky to pinpoint the exact vision you have that will correlate with the project’s standards, so it may be considered a necessary part of a big work. Don’t forget about the technical, performance optimization and putting out the final strokes to align with the game’s overall aesthetics.
Such pipelines can cause some occasional difficulties here and there. Some of them can be unexpected and subjective to your project, but some of them can be easily foreseen. Let’s discuss them.
Several hiccups may occur during your work on 2D art. Some of them can be challenging, and you better be ready for them.
If you experience difficulties during the art creation, you can always rely on a 2D art studio. Working usually on an outsourcing model, they help to overcome obstacles that will inevitably appear during a complex process of producing all kinds of materials for the project.
At RocketBrush, one of the leading video game art studios, we create 2D and 3D art of all types of genres, styles and complexities. We have been working since 2016, collaborating with prominent game development studios, such as SuperCell, Paradox and many others. You can look at our portfolio here and read our testimonials here.
Artistic output can be pretty complicated, but it’s worth it: the game you’re creating will only benefit from the usage of beautiful, remarkable 2D art. A lot of players tend to appreciate artists’ work even after beating the game: if a character or a place made in 2D art is memorable enough, they will produce fan art, ensuring your game’s aspects will live long and prosper in people’s memories.
If you ever struggle with the challenging process of 2D art creation, be sure to collaborate with a 2D art studio. Our experience, professionalism and tested workflow will lead to results that will meet your deadlines and expectations.
We can’t wait to create beautiful 2D art for your game and see how it makes a lasting impression on players!
