Artwork

This area of the site is for artists interested in pixel art. Maybe you already know all about the art form. Maybe you've never heard of it before. You could be an aspiring independent game developer or just an artist looking for a new art form to conquer. Whatever brought you here, we hope to be able to provide you with some background, examples, and tutorials on how to get started making 2D art on a pixel-by-pixel level.

Failing that, we should at least be able to direct you to some other great sites on the same subject. You should check out PixelJoint and Pixelation, two of the largest pixeling communities on the Web.

What is pixel art?

Remember popping your favorite game into your NES or Sega Genesis or Atari 2600 as a kid? We remember long hours playing Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros., and other legendary titles. All those old games, up through the SNES, used pixel art for both backgrounds and characters.

Old game systems weren't very powerful, and were limited in how many colors could be displayed on the screen, the size of individual sprites, and other things varying from console to console. Developers had to make small, low-resolution graphics for these systems. To make such small images look good, the artists had to create everything pixel by pixel, making sure nothing was awkward or out of place. Messiness wasn't something they could afford.

Modern pixel art

Alright, so now we're in the 21st century. Game consoles don't have any of those old limitations any more, so why should anyone care about pixel art? Well, for starters, it's still being used. Konami's Castlevania series on the Nintendo DS and Gameboy Advance use a lot of pixel art, with some 3D flourishes thrown in. In fact, a lot of handheld consoles still use the medium, and every once in awhile, pixel art will pop up in a game on one of the new consoles.

Pixel art has also seen a big comeback in independently developed games. It's a lot easier to make good looking sprites than it is to make good looking 3 dimensional art. Now it can be seen in several flash based games, as well as hand-coded ones such as Cave Story.

Then there are people like Kevin, who just enjoy the medium. Pixel art is fun to make. It requires a different skill set than painting, and stresses your ability to conserve colors and control your art closely.

Links

Here's a collection of useful links to pixel art communities, resources, and games.

• Pixeljoint
  Pixeljoint is a gallery-based site where artists upload their own pixel art. Includes tutorials, forums, and links to other great pixel art communities.
• Pixelation
  Pixelation: Way of the Pixel is a forum dedicated to pixel art, and some other forms of low spec art. If you're looking to improve through critique, definitely check it out.
• Derek Yu
  Derek Yu does a lot of great pixel art, and has an excellent tutorial on his site. Also, check out some of his games. We recommend Spelunky.
• Origami Hero
  Bernie has made a bunch of great games using Multimedia Fusion 2, and all are available for download on his site. Darkside Adventures is Kevin's personal favorite.
• Konjak
  The home of Joakim Sandberg (figuratively speaking). Another great artist, both of the pixel and digital painting variety. Sandberg's games are some of the best independent ones we've played, and his art style is frequently better than what we've seen in professional games. Most of his games are free. Noitu Love 2 costs you 10 dollars, but trust us, it's worth it. Download the demo if you don't believe it.
• Cave Story
  Cave story is an excellent indie game made by Studio Pixel (a one-man group, the alias of one Daisuke Amaya). You owe it to yourself to play it. Seriously.
• Purloux Tutorials
  Pixel art tutorials by Jon and Kevin of Studio Purloux.