Early stages of games development - create 2d animation images for iOS games?

Question

I am in the early stages of developing a game. I don't have an artist or graphics person on board yet. How can I create simple images for animation to work through the early stages of game development? Should I create stick figure images in Photoshop/Pixelmator or are there other ways of using sample artwork or some other tools which can help make images for animation?

Answer 1

Any kind of art work that allows you to see what's happening is great. Whatever you need to be able to:

• See that the art is being drawn in the correct place.
• See that the art is not missing any part (cut in half, etc).
• Ensure the art is not inverted.
• Ensure the rotation is correct.

Typically I'll do some kind of colored pattern, with a different color on each edge and text or something in the middle so I can tell if the texture is mirrored.

The colors on each edge allow you to be sure that the rotation is how you want it.

Additionally, if you have textures that are supposed to line up, like for a skybox, I would draw colored lines across the textures where they are supposed to meet, to ensure they are aligned correctly in game.