Skip to content
Browse the store

Home › AI game prompts › How to turn your own drawings and images into game assets for an AI game maker

Levelwick guide

How to turn your own drawings and images into game assets for an AI game maker

Prepare drawings and photos as game assets: single subjects, transparent PNGs, consistent size and style, and the rights you need before uploading.

Steps

  1. Check you have the rights. Use your own drawings, images you have permission to use, or assets under a licence that allows use in games.
  2. Draw or pick one subject per image. Each image should show one character, item or tile, clearly separated from the background.
  3. Remove the background. Export as PNG with a transparent background, or draw on plain white or a flat colour you can remove.
  4. Keep size and style consistent. Use the same canvas size, line weight and lighting for related assets, and crop tightly.
  5. Name files clearly. Use names like player.png, coin.png, enemy-slime.png so your prompt can refer to them.
  6. Tell the AI how to use each image. In your prompt, say which file is which object, the size it should appear at, and that hitboxes stay separate from images.

Why your own art changes everything

Many AI game makers, and some chat assistants, let you upload images to use in a game. A child's drawing as the hero, your logo as a collectible or your photos as puzzle pieces make a game personal. A little preparation makes the difference between art that looks great and art that looks pasted on.

First, the rights

Only upload images you're allowed to use. That generally means:

  • Drawings and photos you made yourself.
  • Images where the creator has given you permission.
  • Assets under a licence that allows use in games, and commercial use if you plan to sell or monetise.

Avoid characters, logos and artwork from existing games, films or brands. Also check your game tool's terms about uploaded content and what rights you grant the service. If photos show people, get their permission, especially for children.

One subject per image

An AI game maker works best with images that show one thing: one character, one coin, one tree. Group shots or full scenes are hard to turn into separate game objects. If you draw on paper, draw each item separately with space around it.

Transparent backgrounds

A PNG with a transparent background lets the object sit naturally on any game background. If your drawing is on paper:

  1. Photograph it in even daylight, straight on, without shadows.
  2. Increase contrast so the paper becomes pure white.
  3. Remove the white background with an image editor's background removal or magic eraser tool.
  4. Export as PNG.

If you can't remove the background, tell the AI the background is plain white so it can try to treat white as transparent, though results vary.

Consistent size and style

Assets that belong together should look together. Use the same canvas size for similar objects (for example, 256 x 256 px for characters and items), similar line thickness and similar lighting. Crop tightly so there isn't a lot of empty space, which can make objects appear smaller than expected or misalign with hitboxes.

Tell the AI exactly how to use them

Name files clearly and describe each one in your prompt:

Use player.png for the player (draw it 48 px tall), coin.png for coins (24 px), and slime.png for enemies (40 px). Keep collision boxes as rectangles slightly smaller than the images. If an image fails to load, draw a coloured rectangle instead.

The fallback rectangle keeps the game playable while you test.

Animation tips

For simple animation, upload two or three frames of the same character with small differences (legs apart, legs together) at identical canvas sizes, and ask the game to switch between them while moving. Consistent canvas sizes stop the character from jumping around between frames.

FAQ

What file format should I use?

PNG with a transparent background is the safest choice for characters and items. JPG is fine for full backgrounds.

Can I use images I found online?

Only if the licence allows use in games, including commercial use if you plan to earn money. When in doubt, use your own work.

How big should my images be?

Large enough to look sharp at the size shown in the game; a few hundred pixels per side is usually plenty for characters and items.

Why does my character look blurry or stretched?

The image may be scaled up or the aspect ratio changed. Upload a larger image and tell the AI to keep its aspect ratio.

Can I upload photos of my friends or kids?

Get permission from everyone shown, and from parents for children, and check what the tool does with uploads before you share.

Browse the free prompts

Levelwick Pro

Ship a whole game, not just a first draft

30 fill-in master templates with worked examples, 12 multi-step build recipes (what to prompt, what to check after each step, and the fix prompt when it breaks), 40 bug-fix prompts by symptom, 20 art-direction briefs with upload tips, and a game-design + launch checklist. Markdown files, instant download.

One-time $12. Use and adapt the prompts in your own games, commercial ones included. 14-day fix-or-refund if it doesn't work as described. Secure checkout by Stripe.

Free sampler

T01 · Path defense master template (template)

Use it for: classic tower defense with a fixed route and placed towers. The most reliable starting point for the genre.

Variables

VariableWhat to writeExample
{{theme}}Setting in a few wordsbackyard garden
{{enemy}}Who walks the pathslugs
{{base}}What the player protectsthe garden gate
{{waypoints}}Path as a waypoint description6 waypoints snaking left to right
{{tower_1..3}}Name, price, rolePea Shooter, 25, single target
{{start_money}} / {{reward}}Economy100 / 5
{{lives}} / {{waves}}Lose and win conditions10 / 12
{{palette}}Visual styleflat bright greens and browns

Master prompt

Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game set in a {{theme}}.
PATH: {{enemy}} walk a fixed path through {{waypoints}} to {{base}}. Draw the path clearly. Enemies move from waypoint to waypoint and never leave the path.
BUILDING: The player clicks or taps an empty build tile beside the path to open a small menu of towers:
- {{tower_1}}
- {{tower_2}}
- {{tower_3}}
Greyed-out buttons when unaffordable. Tapping a built tower shows its range circle and a Sell button (refund 50%).
ECONOMY: Start with {{start_money}} coins. Each enemy defeated gives {{reward}} coins with a floating "+{{reward}}".
WIN/LOSE: {{base}} has {{lives}} lives; each enemy that reaches it costs 1. Survive {{waves}} waves to win.
WAVES: Waves start with a Start Wave button. Use a wave list: each wave adds enemies and +10% enemy health; every 4th wave adds a faster enemy type; the last wave has a boss with a health bar.
FEEDBACK: Enemies flash white when hit, pop into particles when defeated, and the screen shakes briefly when a life is lost.
HUD: coins, lives and wave number at the top; Start Wave and Pause buttons.
STYLE: {{palette}}, simple shapes drawn in code, no external images.
CONSTRAINTS: one HTML file, works with mouse and touch, all movement based on elapsed time, Restart button on the win and lose screens.

Worked example

Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game set in a backyard garden. PATH: slugs walk a fixed path through 6 waypoints snaking from the left edge to the garden gate on the right… Towers: Sprinkler, 10 coins, slows enemies 40% in range; Pea Shooter, 25 coins, single target; Bee Hive, 40 coins, small area damage. Start with 100 coins, 5 per slug. 10 lives, 12 waves. Flat bright greens and browns…

After the first generation, check: enemies stay on the path; towers only fire within the drawn range; selling refunds the right amount; the boss appears on the last wave.

Strong follow-ups

  • "Add a 2x speed button. Don't change anything else."
  • "Add upgrades: tap a tower to upgrade to level 2 (+50% damage) for 1.5x its price."
T13 · Classroom quiz engine template (template)

Use it for: any subject quiz you'll reuse with new questions every week.

Variables

VariableExample
{{subject}}Year 6 science: forces
{{questions}}your list, pasted in the format below
{{timer}}20 seconds, or "no timer"
{{teams}}2 to 4 teams, or "single player"
{{reward}}a star burst and a "Great thinking!" message

Master prompt

Make a quiz game for {{subject}}.
DATA: put all questions in an editable array at the very top of the code, clearly labelled QUESTIONS. Each item: question, four answers, index of the correct answer, optional explanation. Use exactly these questions:
{{questions}}
FLOW: shuffle questions and answer order; never repeat within a game. One question at a time with four large buttons (keys 1-4 also work).
TIMER: {{timer}}.
TEAMS: {{teams}}. If teams: show whose turn it is; correct = +10 to that team; turns rotate each question.
FEEDBACK: correct: {{reward}}. Wrong or timeout: chosen answer red, correct answer green, explanation shown for 3 seconds.
END: scoreboard, list of missed questions with correct answers, Play Again.
DESIGN: high contrast, at least 28 px answer text, readable on a projector and a phone.
CONSTRAINTS: one HTML file, works offline, no external fonts or images.

Question format to paste

Q: What force pulls objects toward Earth? | Friction | Gravity* | Magnetism | Air resistance | Gravity pulls everything with mass toward the Earth's centre.

(An asterisk marks the correct answer; the last field is the explanation.)

Check: the asterisk is removed from displayed text; explanations show for wrong answers only; teams rotate correctly after a timeout.

Ship a tower defense in 6 prompts · Step 1 of 6 (recipe-step)
Make a one-screen 2D tower defense game. Cartoon beetles walk a fixed path of 6 waypoints from the left edge to a tree stump on the right. The player clicks or taps a grass tile to place a Leaf Turret for 25 coins; it shoots the nearest beetle within 120 px once per second. Start with 100 coins; each beetle gives 5 coins. The stump has 10 lives; each beetle reaching it costs 1. A Start Wave button sends 8 beetles. Show coins, lives and wave at the top. Shapes drawn in code, flat greens and browns. Restart button on game over.

Check after:

  • Beetles follow the path exactly and never cut corners through grass.
  • Turrets can't be placed on the path or on top of each other.
  • Coins rise on each defeat; lives drop when a beetle reaches the stump.

If it breaks:

  • *Beetles leave the path:* "Move enemies from waypoint to waypoint in a straight line at constant speed; when within 2 px of a waypoint, snap to it and target the next one. Don't change anything else."
  • *Towers placed on the path:* "Mark path tiles as unbuildable using a grid; highlight buildable tiles on hover in green and unbuildable in red."
A cozy farm in 8 prompts · Step 1 of 8 (recipe-step)
Make a cozy farming game with a 6x4 grid of soil plots. Tap a plot to cycle: till, plant, water. Seeds: Turnip (2 coins, 2 days), Carrot (5, 3 days), Pumpkin (12, 5 days), chosen from a seed bar. A Sleep button advances the day. Watered plots grow one stage per day (3 visible stages); unwatered plots don't grow. Tap a ripe plant to harvest into a basket. Start with 20 coins. Show coins and day.

Check: crops only grow when watered; watering resets each morning.

Checklist · Core loop (checklist)
  • [ ] I can describe the game in one sentence: the player does X to achieve Y while avoiding Z.
  • [ ] The main action is fun on its own for 30 seconds, before any upgrades or levels.
  • [ ] Every action gives an immediate visible result.
  • [ ] There's a reason to do the action again (score, progress, story, collection).
  • [ ] The game has a clear end state for a session (game over, level complete, day end) or a natural stopping point for idle/cozy games.
  • [ ] I removed features that don't support the core loop.
Fix prompt: "Remove [feature]. It doesn't support the core loop. Don't change anything else."
Checklist · Mobile and touch (checklist)
  • [ ] The game works with touch only, without hover.
  • [ ] Touch targets are at least 48-64 px, with space between them.
  • [ ] Multi-touch works (move and jump at once).
  • [ ] The page doesn't scroll, zoom or pull-to-refresh during play.
  • [ ] The game fits portrait and landscape, or clearly asks to rotate.
  • [ ] HUD stays clear of notches and rounded corners.
  • [ ] Audio starts after the first tap.

Works well with

Propwren Creator Asset Pack848 upload-ready images + 168 game audio files from our own packs, licensed for AI game makers. $19 once.Shipfern Web Game Starter KitTurn a prototype into a game you own: HTML5 template with levels, daily challenge, share cards, PWA, Stripe unlock, portal adapters. $49 once.Game asset packsTilesets, monsters, icons, VFX, UI, shaders, 3D and textures with live demos and free samplers.