How to Become a Pixel Artist

Pixel art is an image drawn pixel-by-pixel using a limited color palette and usually primitive/ retro computer graphics tools. Microsoft Paint, a bitmap graphics editor, was a popular software for creating 2D sprites and pixel art.

Pixel art was used for 2D games. It's retro now. 3D games took over and there weren't many 2D games around any more. MapleStory is one which still uses pixel art. Computer icons and those tiny smiley graphics are also still created using pixel art.

Like ASCII art, pixel art is coming back into usefulness now that there are small applications (for mobile phones, etc.) which need simple art files and illustrations.

I've begun making pixel art. Mine is the size of icons. I've used some of my pixel art as favicons for my sites. It's interesting to work with pixels. You need a fairly steady hand, or the patience to go back over your work and remove tiny extra lines and pixels one by one. Most of the graphics software make it easy to fill in your colour. To make the more detailed art you need to pay attention to shadowing and light. Just as photographers and other graphic artists do.

Pixel art used for icons is much simpler. It's flat. You can use two basic colours, one for the outline to give it shape inside the basic outline and the other just to give it colour rather than leaving it black and white.

I'd like to do the more detailed pixel art. I've been working my way up to it. I'm not ready to share my early creations, they are a bit discouraging while I figure out the process and how to make the light and shadows work to give my graphics depth rather than just looking odd and warped.