Keeping my simple sprites consistent

Question

I'm creating a simple top down 2D game from scratch. Problem is, I also have to make all of the sprites for it. Now, I'm decent at graphic design but I have a hard time keeping everything with a single theme. What can I do to make sure my sprites are consistent in theme and appearance?

Answer 1

Without knowing what type of sprites.. here are some general ideas to remain consistent.

1. Create a color palette and stick to it for everything. Don't use any color which is not in your palette.

2. Create a library of common objects to pull from. If your sprites are people... then clothing, bodies, hairstyles. If your sprites are buildings, then windows, lights, awnings, etc.

3. Use items 1 and 2 above to create a feeling of diversity, even though you are be merely pulling from the same library. You can have a Shirt in the library.. that shirt will work in red, yellow, green, blue from your color palette. So you can recolor, but don't need to recreate.

4. Copy and recolor or Copy and tweak position or copy, recolor, and distort a little.