Introduction

Lo-fi art can be a bit difficult to master, especially for those who have never created a piece. Here are some tips and tricks to get you headed in the right direction when creating a Lo-fi artwork.

Recommendations for a Better Piece

The first part of making your art is having an idea of what you're going to draw. Lo-fi art can range from artwork depicting a large city to the landscape of a rural area. My first tip would be to draw a place that seems calming to you, and if there are people in your art I recommend having them in a calm situation. For example, here is some simple artwork of my husky sleeping.

I also recommend keeping your Lo-fi art in a simple style, although it is completely up to you to decide how to make it. Another tip is coloring the lineart since black lineart can be a bit harsh to look at. This can be done by locking the transparent pixels and coloring over the lines in a color that is a bit darker than the paint color.

The next tip is adding lighting. It can change a piece and add more beauty to it. I start shading normally, (using the blending modes Screen and Multiply) and then using the airbrush, add an optional glow to the piece. I added a simple background by using the eyedropper for the following example.

Picking a Color Palette

When it comes to picking a color palette, you have quite a few options. Some people choose to limit the colors of their pieces to one general color, (As I did in the picture above, using a pale blue.) or by using different colors and using the lighting to make it look like one color, or perhaps add a more natural touch to the scene. If you decide to use one general color, remember to add some varying hues so that you don't overdo it, and then (optionally) use the lighting and background to add a light layer of the general color to the varying parts.

Conclusion

That ends this Lo-fi art tips and tricks article! These are, of course, only recommendations and not rules, so feel free to experiment and create your unique piece. Thank you for reading this, I hope you have a great day. :)