Pixel art eyes design - Techniques and styles

When designing a character in pixel art the eyes are one of the most important aspects. The eyes are the first detail we observe in a sprite. They own the power to convey emotions and personality, all in just a few pixels.

This post is an exploration of different eyes styles and designs at different resolutions (8x8, 16x16, 32x32, 64x64).

For each resolution we discuss the limitations, some common designs and styles, and also some strategies to make your character's eyes stand out.

This post act as a reference, an inspiration for you to come up with your own pixel art eyes design.

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8x8 resolution

Designing a unique 8x8 character is already a challenge.

On the few 8x8 characters examples on the web, most of them are required to either have a single eye pixel or no eyes at all.

8x8 sprite, using 1 pixel for both eyes

The strategy at this small scale is to convey the character personality from other details, such as colors, clothes, and hairstyle.

An exceptional example is this sprite sheet below of 8x8 characters:

Dragon ball characters made as 8x8 pixel art sprites

As you can see, all the characters are restricted to 1 pixel eye, and all have the same eyes in the same position.

Nonetheless, you may be able to recognize all the characters from Dragon Ball. Amazing!

Note ☝️: Usually the hairs are not included in the pixel limit. As you can see, some characters count more than 8 pixel if we include the hairs.

Exceeding the pixel limit may not be allowed when working on a sprite for a game.

16x16 resolution

16 pixels are still too few to reserve much space for the eyes alone.

Nonetheless, 16 pixels allow more room for different styles.

The most common design technique consists in emphasizing the size of the head, which can take half of more of the total space available.

A big head leaves more freedom to add "details" to the eyes (similar to a 32x32).

A 16x16 sprite with a bigger head, which leaves more space for details on the eyes

In most cases the eyes consist in a 2x2 pixel square, with 2 black pixel (pupils) and 2 white (usually with 2 shades).

The 2 pixel at the top can also be used as eyebrows, by adding another black pixel and leaving only 1 pixel white.

16x16 sprite with 2 black pixels in the upper part of the eyes as eyebrows

You can also go as far as giving the same color to all 4 pixels, making the eyes a 2x2 pixel square:

16x16 sprite example with 2x2 eyes all of the same color

Another common option is using 2 (or 3) vertical or horizontal pixels.

16x16 sprite example with 3 horizontal pixels for the eyes

A common design for 16x16 characters consists in having 2 vertical pixels for the eyes

The choice of style shapes the personality of the character. For example, a 2 pixel horizontal eye gives the impression of old age or a sense of disinterest.

16x16 character set with 2/4 pixels for the eyes

Finally, also for a 16x16 sprite is common to give the eyes only 1 pixel or leaving them out entirely:

Different examples of eye design, with 1 pixel eyes or no eyes at all

In between 16x16 and 32x32 there are also some interesting examples of eyes design. In this post we are mainly going to focus on a subset of resolutions (8x8, 16x16, 32x32, etc.)

Pixel art for the character Celeste, with no eyes

A 24x24 pixel character in a more anime style, giving more space for bigger eyes (more cute)

32x32 resolution

With 32 pixel you start to see more variability in each character shape and details. Each unique personality choice dictates in part also the style of the eyes.

Different eye designs for the same head size and shape

The most common styles are the same as the 16x16 characters we discussed above, with usually 2 or 4 pixels reserved for the eyes, horizontal or vertical.

32x32 character with 3 vertical pixel for the eyes

32x32 character with 3 horizontal pixel for the eyes

At 32x32 there is enough space to give more emphasis on the eyes. It is possible to make the eyes bigger to achieve a manga/anime style (big cute eyes):

32x32 pixel art character in an anime style, giving more emphasis and space to the eyes

The manga style in pixel art consists of a 4 or even 6 pixels square for the eyes and a more detailed eyebrow to give a clear expression to the character:

Multiple examples of pixel art characters in a manga style, with different eyes design and shapes

The eyes have more variability especially when the charterers represent monsters, skeletons, slimes, or when they wear some sort of hat or helmet:

4 pixel of the same dark color for the eye while wearing a mask

Give more emphasis to the eyes by using a color with high contrast with respect to the skin, hair, or accessories

Note 💡: In this post we are more focused on "normal" human or "humanoid" pixel eyes.

If we consider also strange monsters and creatures the styles and proportions start to vary a lot, too much to categorize them in one place (just take a lot at all the different Pokemon).

64x64 resolution and above

Once we reach the 64x64 resolution mark the possibilities and styles start to grow exponentially.

With 4.096 pixels available (64x64) there is plenty enough space to come up with all different kinds of style and designs for the eyes.

All the main characters in the cartoon "Scooby-Doo" in a pixel art style

Even more when the pixel resolution goes above 64x64. At these sizes we start to move more into "traditional" drawing, with less constraints on the details for each character.

An anime style pixel art at 64 pixels, with huge emphasis on big eyes to make the character look cute

At these resolutions the suggestion is to start searching for references specific for the technique and style that we want to use in our sprite, focusing on the details of the eyes:

Example of detailed manga eye design, with eyebrow, pupil, and light reflections

In a more manga style we use less pixels for the white of the eye and instead give more space to a big pupil, to make the character look chibi and cute:

Portrait of a pixel art manga style character, with big and colorful eyes

The size of the pupil conveys a lot about the feeling and expression of the character. Also in this case it depends on the personality of the character you want to portray:

Same manga style but with less emphasis on the pupil and more space for the white of the eye

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We learned some common designs for smaller resolutions eye in pixel art. With few pixels available the styles are limited and shared between sprites.

As the amount of space increases we see more variability, and making an exhaustive collection of stylistic choices becomes impossible.

Below you can see a picture that gives a good idea of different resolutions and the amount of pixels available for each:

Example of pixel art eye designs at different resolutions

This overview is intended to act as a reference for common styles. From here you can continue your personal exploration into the beauty of pixel art.

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Thanks for reading.