Draw a pixel art wooden floor, step by step

By · October 16, 2026

To draw a pixel art wooden floor, fill a square with a brown main tone, draw dark seams to split it into planks, shade the bottom of each plank, light the top, and add a little wood grain. Draw it below on a 32 by 32 canvas.

This sprite is wide. It's easier to draw on a computer, or with your phone turned sideways.

Step 1

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Show the finished step
From my course video: the same piece, drawn on camera, sped up 40 times. Also on our YouTube.

The palette

A main tone, one highlight, two shades for shading, and one darker shade just for the seams between the planks. That's all a good wooden floor needs.

Step 1: Planks and seams

A brown square divided into planks by dark seam lines

Fill the canvas with the main tone. A plank is 6 pixels tall. The top plank only shows 3 pixels, so start the first seam on pixel 4, then leave 6 pixels and draw the next seam. Copy the two lines and paste them down the canvas.

Then the short vertical seams that split the planks into boards: one 7 pixels in from the left on one row, others at different spots on the next rows, so they never line up.

Step 2: Shading

The planks with a darker strip along the bottom of each one

The seams are small grooves, and the wood right next to them gets less light. So shade the bottom of every plank, where it meets the seam. Then sprinkle a few dark pixels into the corners. Now the planks have depth.

Step 3: Lighting

The planks with short light lines along their top edges

The top of every plank catches the light. Put a short line of the highlight along the top edge, with a couple of pixels next to it. Keep the lines short and uneven so it doesn't look stamped.

Step 4: Details

The finished wooden floor tile with small dark grain marks

The grain: small dark lines and bits you always see on wooden floors. A few on the boards, a few in the corners. Then play with it. Change the colors, the size of the planks, the grain. It's your floor.