Draw a small game sprite that stays readable
Create a simple key icon with a clean silhouette, editable layers, and a transparent PNG export.
First Play Studios · Edition 1 · Updated November 14, 2026
A 64 × 64 key icon with a layered .kra source and a checked transparent PNG.
Before you start- Krita already installed
- A new practice image
- A place to save the editable file and export
In this guide
Start with a readable outline
A key icon needs to read as a key at the size it will appear in the game. Begin with a 64 × 64 image and draw a simple ring, shaft, and two teeth. Use one dark shape first. The exercise size is a design constraint, not a required standard for every game.
Look at the image at 100% zoom frequently. A small ornament may be attractive when enlarged but disappear during play. If the outline needs explanation, simplify it before adding highlights. Keep some empty space around the silhouette so it does not touch the edge of its slot.
Use layers to make revisions easy
Krita composites visible layers into the image you see. Keep a silhouette layer, a color layer, and an optional highlight layer. Give them names you can understand tomorrow. Separating these jobs lets you change the color without redrawing the outline.
Place a temporary dark background beneath the key, then try a light background. Look for edges that disappear. Adjust the key’s value or outline until both tests are usable. Hide the test backgrounds before export. Transparency is absence of visible pixels, not a painted checkerboard.
Keep the source and check the export
Save the layered work in Krita’s .kra format. Use Export for the delivery image so the open source document remains your editable file. PNG can store transparency; check the export option that stores the alpha channel when needed.
Open the resulting PNG as a separate document. Confirm its dimensions, transparent surroundings, and appearance at normal size. Compare against the source with the test backgrounds hidden. This catches accidental background layers and an export that was saved to a different folder than you expected.
One key, two backgrounds
- Draw a key silhouette in a 64 × 64 image, leaving empty space at the edges.
- Add a color layer and one simple highlight. Keep each layer named.
- Compare the result on light and dark temporary backgrounds at 100% zoom.
- Save key_icon.kra, hide the background layers, and export key_icon.png with transparency.
- Reopen the PNG and write down one change that improved its readability.
Check your result.
- The icon can be recognized without its label at normal viewing size.
- The .kra still contains separately editable layers.
- The exported PNG is 64 × 64 with transparent surroundings, not an opaque rectangle.
Common mistakes to watch for.
- Judging only at very high zoom.
- Exporting with a test background visible.
- Keeping only the flattened delivery image and losing the editable source.
Keep the conversation useful.
I am drawing a 64 × 64 key icon in Krita [version]. It is hard to read on [background]. Describe one change to silhouette, value, or outline that I can test. Keep the exercise small, explain the reason, and tell me how to compare it at actual display size.
Sources & version notes.
Based on the Krita 5.3 manual. This is a small-image exercise, not a complete pixel-art course; menu wording can vary by version.
Further reading from the original documentation:
Practice times are estimates. Software-specific exercises are documentation-based unless their version note says otherwise.A question or a small win?
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