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Artists Megan Hughes and Ashley Godbold show two ways to turn flat video-game sprite imagery into physical work: Hughes builds layered paper cutouts, while Godbold joins fuse-bead pieces into three-dimensional figures. Their methods, described in a GamesBeat feature originally published October 14, 2012, make depth through different means—one by separating and stacking shapes, the other by fitting bead-built planes together.
Two ways to make a sprite physical
The GamesBeat feature identifies Hughes as “TheToaster” and Godbold as “BraveDeity.” Its accessible second page describes their craft processes; the archive summary says the full feature covered five artists, but the available material here identifies only these two. The displayed update date is June 18, 2025, but the reported techniques and Etsy references are historical, not confirmation of either artist’s current work or shop availability.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →| Approach | Materials and workflow described | How it creates dimension | Design constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Layered papercraft | Paper, glue, an X-Acto knife, and a cutting mat; sketch the character on graph paper, divide it into parts, cut the shapes, and arrange them in layers. | Separate planes, such as a head set above the body, create visual depth. | Characters with many distinct parts, including some bosses, can mean a more complex cutout. |
| Fuse-bead figures | Beads, a clear plastic pegboard, 5 mm graph paper for planning, and an iron; lay out and iron flat bead sections, then join the pieces. | Shaped bead planes connect to form a figure with multiple faces. | The bead grid favors boxy designs; some shapes are harder to adapt, especially when avoiding glue. |
How Megan Hughes builds layered sprite papercraft
Hughes’s process begins with a sprite’s clear, readable silhouette. She sketches the character on graph paper, then decides which parts should occupy separate layers. A head, for example, can be cut as its own piece and placed above the body, creating a small shift in plane that makes the image read as dimensional rather than flat.
#1 Best Overall
That construction keeps the original character recognizable while giving the maker room to vary paper, texture, and assembly. Hughes describes sprites as useful source material because their designs are straightforward: “Mega Man will always be Mega Man, no matter how he is put together.” The complexity rises when a character has many separate components to draw, cut, and place.
How Ashley Godbold joins fuse-bead pieces
Godbold starts from a two-dimensional sprite and plans how its shapes will wrap into a three-dimensional figure. She uses 5 mm graph paper to work out the design, places beads on clear plastic pegboards, and irons them into flat sheets before fitting the pieces together. The finished figure can have multiple faces and parts that snap together.
The problem-solving is central to the method: each plane must be designed to connect with the others while retaining the pixel-art character. Godbold describes working out how a 2D image can “wrap around in 3D space and snap together perfectly” as the part she enjoys most.
When a layout needs correction, she describes removing an unwanted section with a craft knife or adding beads with a small iron as “Perler surgery.” The phrase captures how construction can continue after the first sheets are assembled: a small adjustment may be needed to make the figure fit or read correctly.
Why Minecraft suits the bead grid
Godbold says Minecraft’s boxy visual design translates especially well into her 3D bead figures. Beads naturally form a grid of square units, so a block-like silhouette can be divided into planes and joined without having to imitate flowing curves. Other game designs may be harder to translate, because the bead format constrains the shapes available—particularly for glue-free construction.
The contrast between the two approaches is practical as well as visual. Paper construction relies on cutting out and layering the parts that make a sprite legible. Bead construction relies on designing grid-based planes that can connect into a stable shape. Neither process is described as a tested measure of cost, durability, safety, or difficulty; the feature records the artists’ materials and methods, not a controlled comparison.
Rank #4
- Page Count: 272 pages
- Binding: Softcover
- Images: 408 illustrations
- Release Date: October 10, 2019
- Dimensions: 23.0 x 17.0 cm
What the feature does—and does not—establish
This is a historical craft profile, not a current buying guide. GamesBeat mentions Hughes’s and Godbold’s Etsy names and Godbold’s experience with Nabbi and Hama beads, but those references do not establish current shop listings, artist activity, or present-day material availability. The feature’s archive summary describes five artists working with 8-bit sprites, while the accessible second page provides the two profiles covered here; it does not establish the identities or methods of the other three.
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