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game-art skill

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This skill helps you select art styles, optimize asset pipelines, and apply color and animation principles to accelerate game art workflows.

npx playbooks add skill vudovn/antigravity-kit --skill game-art

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SKILL.md

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---
name: game-art
description: Game art principles. Visual style selection, asset pipeline, animation workflow.
allowed-tools: Read, Glob, Grep
---

# Game Art Principles

> Visual design thinking for games - style selection, asset pipelines, and art direction.

---

## 1. Art Style Selection

### Decision Tree

```
What feeling should the game evoke?
│
├── Nostalgic / Retro
│   ├── Limited palette? → Pixel Art
│   └── Hand-drawn feel? → Vector / Flash style
│
├── Realistic / Immersive
│   ├── High budget? → PBR 3D
│   └── Stylized realism? → Hand-painted textures
│
├── Approachable / Casual
│   ├── Clean shapes? → Flat / Minimalist
│   └── Soft feel? → Gradient / Soft shadows
│
└── Unique / Experimental
    └── Define custom style guide
```

### Style Comparison Matrix

| Style | Production Speed | Skill Floor | Scalability | Best For |
|-------|------------------|-------------|-------------|----------|
| **Pixel Art** | Medium | Medium | Hard to hire | Indie, retro |
| **Vector/Flat** | Fast | Low | Easy | Mobile, casual |
| **Hand-painted** | Slow | High | Medium | Fantasy, stylized |
| **PBR 3D** | Slow | High | AAA pipeline | Realistic games |
| **Low-poly** | Fast | Medium | Easy | Indie 3D |
| **Cel-shaded** | Medium | Medium | Medium | Anime, cartoon |

---

## 2. Asset Pipeline Decisions

### 2D Pipeline

| Phase | Tool Options | Output |
|-------|--------------|--------|
| **Concept** | Paper, Procreate, Photoshop | Reference sheet |
| **Creation** | Aseprite, Photoshop, Krita | Individual sprites |
| **Atlas** | TexturePacker, Aseprite | Spritesheet |
| **Animation** | Spine, DragonBones, Frame-by-frame | Animation data |
| **Integration** | Engine import | Game-ready assets |

### 3D Pipeline

| Phase | Tool Options | Output |
|-------|--------------|--------|
| **Concept** | 2D art, Blockout | Reference |
| **Modeling** | Blender, Maya, 3ds Max | High-poly mesh |
| **Retopology** | Blender, ZBrush | Game-ready mesh |
| **UV/Texturing** | Substance Painter, Blender | Texture maps |
| **Rigging** | Blender, Maya | Skeletal rig |
| **Animation** | Blender, Maya, Mixamo | Animation clips |
| **Export** | FBX, glTF | Engine-ready |

---

## 3. Color Theory Decisions

### Palette Selection

| Goal | Strategy | Example |
|------|----------|---------|
| **Harmony** | Complementary or analogous | Nature games |
| **Contrast** | High saturation differences | Action games |
| **Mood** | Warm/cool temperature | Horror, cozy |
| **Readability** | Value contrast over hue | Gameplay clarity |

### Color Principles

- **Hierarchy:** Important elements should pop
- **Consistency:** Same object = same color family
- **Context:** Colors read differently on backgrounds
- **Accessibility:** Don't rely only on color

---

## 4. Animation Principles

### The 12 Principles (Applied to Games)

| Principle | Game Application |
|-----------|------------------|
| **Squash & Stretch** | Jump arcs, impacts |
| **Anticipation** | Wind-up before attack |
| **Staging** | Clear silhouettes |
| **Follow-through** | Hair, capes after movement |
| **Slow in/out** | Easing on transitions |
| **Arcs** | Natural movement paths |
| **Secondary Action** | Breathing, blinking |
| **Timing** | Frame count = weight/speed |
| **Exaggeration** | Readable from distance |
| **Appeal** | Memorable design |

### Frame Count Guidelines

| Action Type | Typical Frames | Feel |
|-------------|----------------|------|
| Idle breathing | 4-8 | Subtle |
| Walk cycle | 6-12 | Smooth |
| Run cycle | 4-8 | Energetic |
| Attack | 3-6 | Snappy |
| Death | 8-16 | Dramatic |

---

## 5. Resolution & Scale Decisions

### 2D Resolution by Platform

| Platform | Base Resolution | Sprite Scale |
|----------|-----------------|--------------|
| Mobile | 1080p | 64-128px characters |
| Desktop | 1080p-4K | 128-256px characters |
| Pixel art | 320x180 to 640x360 | 16-32px characters |

### Consistency Rule

Choose a base unit and stick to it:
- Pixel art: Work at 1x, scale up (never down)
- HD art: Define DPI, maintain ratio
- 3D: 1 unit = 1 meter (industry standard)

---

## 6. Asset Organization

### Naming Convention

```
[type]_[object]_[variant]_[state].[ext]

Examples:
spr_player_idle_01.png
tex_stone_wall_normal.png
mesh_tree_oak_lod2.fbx
```

### Folder Structure Principle

```
assets/
├── characters/
│   ├── player/
│   └── enemies/
├── environment/
│   ├── props/
│   └── tiles/
├── ui/
├── effects/
└── audio/
```

---

## 7. Anti-Patterns

| Don't | Do |
|-------|-----|
| Mix art styles randomly | Define and follow style guide |
| Work at final resolution only | Create at source resolution |
| Ignore silhouette readability | Test at gameplay distance |
| Over-detail background | Focus detail on player area |
| Skip color testing | Test on target display |

---

> **Remember:** Art serves gameplay. If it doesn't help the player, it's decoration.

Overview

This skill covers core game art principles: choosing a visual style, designing efficient asset pipelines, and establishing animation workflows. It helps teams make repeatable decisions about style, color, resolution, and organization so art supports gameplay. Use it to align art direction with production constraints and player readability.

How this skill works

The skill presents a decision tree for selecting art styles based on mood and resources, plus comparative trade-offs for common styles (pixel, PBR, hand-painted, etc.). It maps 2D and 3D asset pipelines to tools and outputs, outlines color and animation rules, and recommends naming and folder conventions. The guidance is practical: pick a base resolution/unit, define a style guide, and follow pipeline checkpoints to deliver engine-ready assets.

When to use it

At project start to choose an art direction and set realistic scope
When defining pipelines for 2D or 3D asset production
To create a palette and visual hierarchy for gameplay clarity
When onboarding new artists to enforce naming and folder standards
During optimization cycles to align resolution, LODs, and asset scale

Best practices

Pick one coherent style and document a short style guide
Define base resolution or unit early and never work only at final scale
Prioritize silhouette and value contrast for gameplay readability
Use modular pipelines (concept → creation → atlas/retopo → integration)
Automate exports and follow consistent naming conventions

Example use cases

Indie dev chooses pixel art for nostalgia with a sprite atlas and 16–32px character scale
Mobile studio adopts flat/vector art to speed production and reduce skill floor
AAA team implements PBR workflow with high-poly → retopo → Substance Painter textures
Team sets frame-count guidelines for walk/run/attack cycles to ensure consistent feel
Producer enforces asset folders and naming to simplify engine imports and LODs

FAQ

How do I decide between stylized and realistic art?

Match the intended mood, budget, and required scalability: stylized is faster, more forgiving; realistic needs higher skill and pipeline investment.

What resolution should I target for sprites?

Choose a base resolution by platform (e.g., 1080p mobile with 64–128px characters) and stick to that unit across assets.