{"id":69821,"date":"2021-10-13T07:55:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T14:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.picsart.tools\/?p=69821"},"modified":"2022-03-09T15:08:23","modified_gmt":"2022-03-09T23:08:23","slug":"how-to-make-pixel-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picsart.com\/blog\/how-to-make-pixel-art\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Make Pixel Art: A Beginner’s Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you interested in making pixel art, but have no idea where to start? Don\u2019t worry, you\u2019re not the only one. Like all things retro, pixel art has surged in popularity in recent years. Back in the day, it was mostly used in 8-bit and 16-bit video games due to technical limitations, but nowadays it\u2019s a whole artistic movement with a fond cult following. If this old school aesthetic has piqued your interest, then you\u2019ll be happy to know that it\u2019s also easy to learn how to make pixel art.<\/p>\n

We’ve dropped all the knowledge you could possibly need below, along with some helpful tips and tricks to try out immediately.<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s get to it.<\/p>\n

What is Pixel Art?<\/span><\/h2>\n

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To understand what pixel art is and how it was created, we need to go a little back in time. Pixel art is a form of digital art specifically created for the first video game consoles.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve encountered pixel art through video games, you might\u2019ve also heard the term sprite or spriting. Sprites are two-dimensional images or animations that are integrated into a larger scene mostly in 2D games. To put it in more simple terms, it\u2019s often the characters you encounter or play as in two-dimensional games. So what does this have to do with pixel art? Well, hobbyists often use the term spriting to describe the act of creating or modifying pixel art.<\/p>\n

Something can be considered pixel art if it was created by deliberately controlling the placement of each individual pixel. There is some disagreement among pixel artist aficionados about whether images created with filters that mimick the pixelated effect should be considered true pixel art or not.<\/p>\n

Another characteristic of pixel art is the limited number of colors used within artworks. Back in the day, this was due to display and hardware limitations, but nowadays, it\u2019s employed as a way to feed into the retro aesthetic. A large number of colors similar in value also tends to make the image look muddy and so is not recommended by experienced artists.<\/p>\n

Is it Difficult to Learn?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Now that we have established what qualifies (or not), you’re probably wondering how to create your own. Really, it depends what type of pixel artwork you want to make. Some pixel artists work on elaborate pixelated masterpieces while others favor old-school simplicity. The choice is entirely yours.<\/p>\n

The thing that makes pixel art easier to master than traditional art is that it\u2019s rather easy to copy. While with traditional art, you have to focus on individual brush strokes, with pixel art you only have to think about where to place each pixel. If you\u2019re trying to recreate pixel artwork, all you have to do is create a grid and copy the placement of pixels according on your empty canvas.<\/p>\n

If this sounds like something you\u2019re interested in, then it\u2019s time to make some pixel art of your own.<\/p>\n

Tutorial for Beginners<\/span><\/h2>\n

Approaching pixel art is no different than any other art form out there. It takes patience and practice. That said, it\u2019s easy to get into and the tools required to create pixel art are widely available. You won’t need anything more than your phone or a computer.<\/p>\n

It goes without saying that achieving more advanced levels of pixel art takes as much dedication as other types of drawing. We\u2019ll highlight everything you need to begin at a basic level, here.<\/p>\n

The Tools<\/b><\/h4>\n

You don\u2019t necessarily need the latest paid drawing platforms to make amazing pixel art. There are both paid and free platforms that you can create pixel art on whether you\u2019re on your phone or computer. And the best part is, they\u2019re all completely viable. If you\u2019re using your mobile phone, you can simply download Pixelart by Picsart. It\u2019s both free, and it includes tons of tutorial-like mini games that work perfectly as your first steps for creating pixel art. You can also use both the app and web tools on Picsart<\/a> itself.<\/p>\n

The Basics<\/b><\/h4>\n

Pixel art can get super complex and advanced. It depends how deep you want to go really. But we\u2019ll stick to the basics for this short tutorial.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve broken everything down to three simple concepts that will help. They’re easy to pull off on any platform too. Yes, even in Microsoft paint.<\/p>\n

But before we begin, you need to set up your canvas. We\u2019ll start with the bare minimum to make things super easy. When starting a new project choose to set your canvas size by pixels and set the width and height both to 16. This will give you a neat little square canvas to draw your first pixel art illustration in.<\/p>\n

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  1. Line<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    You need to start with the pencil tool of your platform, and set its size to 1px (the smallest size). To make pixel art, all you need is the pencil tool and a lot of patience.<\/p>\n

    Start off by drawing the outline of your illustration by putting in one pixel after the other in what\u2019s known as a pixel perfect line. The outline of your illustration needs to be exactly one pixel wide, in a straight line, connecting only diagonally with other pixels whenever you need to draw a curve.<\/p>\n

    If you do end up with a third pixel that\u2019s in between two other diagonal pixels, that\u2019s known as a jaggy. Simply erase it to keep your pixel perfect outline.<\/p>\n

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    1. Base<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      This is the easiest step. Once you finish the outline of your pixel art, simply grab the bucket bucket tool of your platform, and fill in the color of each section of your illustration.<\/p>\n

      Just make sure each separate section of your pixel art is closed off from another in order to contain the paint from the bucket tool in its respective section.<\/p>\n

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      1. Shade<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        This is the trickiest part out of the whole process. Choose one of the sections of your artwork, then select the pencil tool.<\/p>\n

        Pick a color that\u2019s a couple of shades darker than the color you used to fill the section you\u2019re about to shade. Once you find the perfect color, fill in one by one the pixels (areas) that you think would be in shadow.<\/p>\n

        Then pick a color that\u2019s a couple of shades lighter than the original color you picked to fill in the section. Now fill in the edges that the light would hit one by one. Repeat this process for all the different colors that are in your illustration.<\/p>\n

        Tips<\/b><\/h4>\n