Game design atlas

Art styles

Watercolor

Pigment blooms on paper, edges keep some white, and the wash has depth. The mood can be soft, but paths, people, and danger need a darker stroke or a ring of paper.

See the traits

• Important objects use a darker edge or a white gap, not a sealed ink line
• One hue varies like a water stain, and pure black is rare
• Paper grain stays light enough to leave motion readable
• Interactive things keep one stable mark, such as a darker ring

Reference gamesGRIS · Dordogne

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Art styles

Clean contour drawing

Clear contours, sparse internal marks and open space describe figures and objects. Flat color is possible without ink washes or dense volume hatching.

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• Character: few clear contours; Scene: grouped lines and open space; UI: heavier symbols and clean text fields
• Keep stroke width and closed forms stable; poses can communicate direction before effects.
• Can you distinguish targets, decoration and text, and do neighboring lines merge when reduced?

Reference gamesHidden Folks · TOEM: A Photo Adventure

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Art styles

Painterly brushwork

Visible brushwork, color masses and varied edges build the image. Portraits and layered scenes have distinct production needs, beyond one generic oil-painting label.

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• Character: readable color masses and brush direction; Scene: separate depth layers; UI: quiet fields and concise icons
• Move brushwork coherently with assets and check character/background contacts first.
• Do marks support form and routes, and does the character survive a dense background when reduced?

Reference gamesDisco Elysium · The Master's Pupil

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Art styles

Graphite and hatching

Hatching density, pencil pressure and erased highlights describe volume. A spatial scene still reads as marks on paper.

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• Hatching follows form
• Density separates values without a gray overlay
• Leave clean paper around key contours

Reference gamesMundaun · Neverending Nightmares

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Art styles

Ballpoint drawing

Fine single-color marks preserve repeated strokes and cross-lines on paper. Blue or black ink follows one consistent drawing system.

See the traits

• Keep a related line weight
• Model with cross-lines and spacing
• Separate focal contours from paper

Reference gamesInked: A Tale of Love · Ballpoint Universe - Infinite

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Art styles

Crayon drawing

Color behaves like grainy crayon on paper, leaving gaps along edges and fills. Simple shapes still need clear feedback.

See the traits

• Scale marks with objects
• Keep stable paper gaps in fills
• Make interaction marks deliberate

Reference gamesCrayon Physics Deluxe · Yoshi's New Island

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Art styles

Ink-wash-inspired art

Brush energy, ink density and open space describe forms. Ink-wash treatment is not a label for every East Asian setting and can coexist with 3D space.

See the traits

• Give major contours brush direction
• Use ink density for depth
• Reserve open space for routes and targets

Reference gamesOkami HD · Rain Blood Chronicles: Mirage

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Covers are original AI-generated style illustrations. Game names reference publicly visible design choices and remain the property of their owners. This atlas does not supply screenshots or assets from those games. Prompts and combinations are original drafts for new games.