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I'm looking to learn specific style for my game. I want to draw environment objects and backgrounds in a painterly style similar to what you'd see in 80s and 90s animation. I want to do this digitally.

The way I learn best is to get practical advice and then try to apply it myself. However, when I try to look up resources on this kind of stuff, it is mostly "Here's some brushes and a time lapse of something I made over music." Which is not so helpful for me.

Wondering if anyone has any resources they can point me towards for this.

Position still open.

About Me

Hi, I’m a 33-year-old solo developer, and I've been pouring myself into Mothwing for the past few months. Over the last decade, I’ve self-taught myself game design and narrative writing, and more recently, I’ve taken on programming as well.

My talents have gotten me a job at Once Lost Games working on The Wayward Realms. I've been doing this job for almost a year, but I have my own vision for a game I wish to make. One that I call Mothwing.

About Mothwing

Devlog here: https://itch.io/t/4839562/mothwing-2d-dark-fantasy-adventure-game-with-insects

Mothwing is set in a world I’ve been building for 4 years—rich with lore, characters, and events. The game takes place close to the end of this world’s bronze age, and in the last few months, I’ve developed a working prototype with hand-drawn digital art and animation.

Mothwing is set early in the world's timeline during an age known as The Age of Perpetual Night where time stood still during night for 103 years. The setting is ancient Celtic inspired, set in a failed kingdom with lots of nature and wild life around it. The small scale world of bugs makes walking through giant blades of grass like moving through a forest dense with trees. Dangerous predators like mantises and spiders watch from the shadows, and even fouler super natural entities lurk just around the corner.

Thanks to Itchio, I've been able to get a composer on board. Now I need a talented artist/animator and then I think this game can become a reality.

What I'm Looking For

The project is unpaid, for now. However, I plan to monetize the game on release and potential compensation may come if the game makes enough money. I think with a talented artist/animator, this game can break through in the indie scene.

• A 2D animator experienced with frame-by-frame animation
• Someone comfortable animating
  • Character walk cycles
  • Idle & attack animations
  • Bug/insect-like creatures (crawling, flying, etc.)
  • Most are bugs, but some characters are not (a platypus character for example)
  • Possibly some ambient animations (e.g. leaves falling, wings fluttering)
• Able to match or complement a hand-drawn art style
• Open to collaboration and visual storytelling
  

Art Style/World

The art is hand-drawn textures, dark lines, and organic shapes. The world is gritty, strange, and atmospheric — a time of darkness in an insect kingdom filled with an endless night, curious villagers, and hidden lore.

Something I really want to achieve is a 80s/90s animation aesthetic, painted background elements with characters that have bold lines and flat colors, just with a top down game perspective. I cannot do that on my own and need an artist capable of making this vision come to life. I'll use this shot from the Redwall TV show as an example of what I mean.

Why Join?

• A chance to be part of a stylish, narrative-rich indie project
• Build your portfolio with meaningful, unique animations
• Potential compensation if the project becomes commercial
• Work on a world that’s visually and thematically rich

How to Apply

If this sounds like something you'd enjoy, I'd love to hear from you!

• Message me here on Itch.io or email me at sixwingdev@hotmail.com
• Please include links to your animation work or art portfolio
• Let me know what kind of animation or creature design you enjoy most

Thanks so much for reading. I know this is unpaid for now, but I’m dedicated to seeing this through and making something we can be proud of. Let’s make something strange and beautiful together.

I have started a devlog

https://itch.io/t/4839562/mothwing-2d-dark-fantasy-adventure-game-with-insects

New Crisp Art

As I said in the previous post, I've been redrawing all the current assets with a new workflow that results in much more crisp art. The way I originally did it was that I was drawing all the art at its in game resolution. Which was really hard to keep the color within that thin line art. Being so meticulous with it was taking up a lot of time. So this new way I've been doing it has been a bit faster.

What I Did Differently

This time I drew each asset at 4 times its in game resolution. All the line art was also done with 4 times the final size. So where I would use a 4 pixel brush before, I am now using a 16 pixel brush. In turn, this also gave me room to use different line weights. For finer details I switch to an 8 pixel brush, which, when scaled down, results in a crisp 2 pixel line. With the lines this big at the higher resolution, I am much more easily able to keep the color within the line art which saves some of time. I haven't finished all of it, there's still some more to go, but a lot of it has been redone. I'll show some examples.

Examples

Here we have the main character, Ash. On the left is the original art, on the right is the new art. Below is full resolution art. You can see that the lines are a lot more crisp and the details, especially on the wings, look a lot better.

 

Here we have UI icons for the bow ability moonstone. The new one is a lot more readable and less "blobby" due to the higher starting resolution. Being able to use a thinner brush weight for the string and arrow makes it looks a lot nicer too.

This is a sprite for a blade of grass found in many locations. The original art is on the left, and the new art is on the right. I've taken the opportunity of redrawing the assets to change it up in some places. In the original art, it kind of just had a flat cut off on the bottom. On the new art you can see that the grass curls up to a tube on the bottom, much like an actual blade of grass does.

About Mothwing

Mothwing is a 2D top down dark fantasy adventure game with insect characters. All of the graphics are digitally rendered hand drawn and animated assets, so far done by only me. I've been world building this setting for around 4 years now. I originally wanted to do something like Redwall but with bugs. However, as I kept building on it, more and more fantasy elements began creeping in and I also started going down a Celtic inspired path.

The setting has a long timeline filled with events and characters spanning across several ages. This game takes place during the Age of Perpetual Night, a time when time stood still and night lasted for 103 years. You play as a Moth named Ash who is on a journey to the dead kingdom of Moonglow for purposes unknown to the player at first. It is the kind of narrative where you go in blind not knowing anything and the main character, plot, and lore all slowly reveal themselves and the game progresses. As such, this devlog will be as spoiler free as possible.

Gameplay

Gameplay is similar to 2D Legend of Zelda games, a top down perspective action game. You will explore the kingdom of Moonglow and its mostly unsettled lands. You will fight wild insects, cordyceps infected husks, and super natural creatures.

The NPCs that exist in this world are there to explore and reveal the lore. Not every single person is there for you. They are their own people, living their own lives. Though some have optional quest lines that further reveal the plot and lore in a more direct, character driven fashion.

The Moonstone system allows you to collect different abilities, equip them to Ash's weapon, and use them in combat. Moonstones come in three types. Active abilities which grant Ash powerful combat techniques, passive supports which modify the active abilities in certain ways, and passive upgrades which augments various statistics while equipped. With a limited amount of space to equip moonstones, you will have to choose what will serve you best in any given situation, or whatever combination you like using the most.

What I Have Done

I'm still working on the basic gameplay loop. I have the basic combat mechanics implemented, I have moonstones implemented (but not all currently functioning), two types of enemies almost fully functional (aphid and mosquito), basic cutscene control, environmental interactions (the gate lever in the video), and a "plane" system that creates layers of verticality in the 2D world.

What's Next

Currently I am redoing the visual assets. The reason why is because I realized a work flow that makes them look a lot more crisp, nice looking, and readable. I will be posting about that in an update at a later time.

I am also currently looking to get a couple people on board to help me make Mothwing. I don't think I'd be able to complete it entirely on my own. What I need is an Artist/Animator and a Composer/Sound Designer. I currently already have a Composer/Sound Designer lined up, but not officially added to the project yet. If you're interested, I have a help wanted post I made here on Itchio which can be found from this link.

https://itch.io/t/4805812/art-animation-composer-unpaid-looking-for-help-with-2d...

Your portfolio is certainly impressive. I would very much like to have a chat with you.

Looks like positions are still open. 

I'll also be starting a devlog relatively soon.

Absolutely. Let's talk. Do you have an email?

My dream style would be something akin to 80/90s animated stuff with the painted environments and flat colored animated characters. Since Redwall is one of my inspirations, I'll use a shot from the show as an example.

Something akin to this, just a top down game perspective and bolder lines. Though, not having the painted environments is not a deal breaker for me, might be a little difficult to pull off, But its part of my dream vision.

Positions are still open for anyone who is interested.

At a certain point I will be probably, not yet though.

Introduction

Mothwing is a linear action-adventure fantasy game set in a dark, mysterious world with Celtic-inspired themes. The story takes place on the island of Lamose, a hidden realm where kingdoms of bugs thrive at the base of ancient trees and within the tall grass. The world is frozen in time—locked in a 103-year stasis known as The Age of Perpetual Night.

About Me

Hi, I’m a 33-year-old solo developer, and I've been pouring myself into Mothwing for the past few months. Over the last decade, I’ve self-taught myself game design and narrative writing, and more recently, I’ve taken on programming as well.

I currently contribute as a writer and designer for The Wayward Realms, the upcoming RPG from Once Lost Games. That opportunity grew out of my self-taught journey—but Mothwing is my own vision. My own world.

About Mothwing

Devlog here: https://itch.io/t/4839562/mothwing-2d-dark-fantasy-adventure-game-with-insects

Mothwing is set in a world I’ve been building for 4 years—rich with lore, characters, and events. The game takes place close to the end of this world’s bronze age, and in the last few months, I’ve developed a working prototype with hand-drawn digital art and animation.

Gameplay-wise, I’m aiming for something close to a Metroidvania structure—freedom of movement and progression, gated by the abilities and tools you discover. The world is alive with NPCs: some offer side quests, others simply exist to enrich the setting and deepen the lore.

A core mechanic is the Moonstone system—magical stones that can be fused with the protagonist’s weapon, unlocking active abilities, attack modifiers, and passive bonuses. Think Final Fantasy VII’s materia, or Path of Exile’s skill gems—with a limit on what you can equip, allowing for unique builds and dynamic problem solving.

• Explore dense biomes
• solve environmental puzzles
• engage in fast-paced combat using your Moonstone-enhanced arsenal.

Inspirations

Narrative/Worldbuilding:

• Grounded
• Redwall
• Hollow Knight

Gameplay/Design:

• The Legend of Zelda
• Final Fantasy
• Path of Exile
• The Metroidvania genre in general

Why I’m Reaching Out

While I’ve been able to take Mothwing this far on my own, I know I can’t do it all. To bring this vision fully to life, I’m looking for passionate collaborators to join me—people who believe in creative worlds, emotional storytelling, and the magic of games.

Mothwing is built from a deep love of storytelling, worldbuilding, and the magic of interactive art. I’m hoping to connect with creators who are here because they believe in that magic too—who want to make something beautiful, meaningful, and creatively fulfilling together.

Open Positions

Artist / Animator

• 2D hand-drawn art & animation (digitally rendered)
• Character, creature, and environment design (stylized bugs, fantasy creatures, rich natural backdrops)
• Sprite sheets, textures, tilesets

Dream Features (stretch goals):

• Backgrounds inspired by 80s/90s animated films (flat-colored characters on painted environments)
• Short fully animated cutscenes for major moments (reveals, transitions, etc.)

Closed Positions

Composer / Sound Designer

• Strong grasp of music theory, tonal/modal composition, and emotional storytelling through music
• No live instruments required—high-quality VSTs are perfect
• Sound design is a major plus! I’ve been relying on CC resources so far, and could use help crafting a more distinct and immersive soundscape

Dream Features (stretch goals):

• Familiarity with Celtic instruments or motifs to help deepen the cultural flavor of the world

What If Your Role Isn’t Listed?

Got a skill you think would help Mothwing come to life—even if it's not listed above? Please still reach out. I’d love to hear your ideas and find creative ways to collaborate.

Potential Compensation

Mothwing is being built with the intent to monetize on release. With hard work and a little luck, it could find its place in the indie space. If revenue is generated, I’m fully open to discussing fair compensation for contributors. For now, this is a labor of love—and I’m seeking those who feel the same.

Interested?

Let’s talk. If any part of this vision excites you, please reach out either here or at sixwingdev@hotmail.com

I will also be making a discord account relatively soon which will be updated here when it happens.

Prototype Showcase

All audio in this video is placeholder creative commons resources. Everything else is done by me.

Concept Art

Here’s some early concept art. I’m not a professional artist, but it’s helped solidify the style and tone I’m aiming for:

Final Thoughts

This world has lived in my head for years. Now, it’s starting to take shape—and with your help, it could grow into something truly special.