How to make pixel art
- Pick a canvas size: 16 × 16 suits icons and small sprites, 32 or 64 gives room for detail.
- Choose a color and draw with the pencil. Use fill for big areas, the eraser or a right-click to remove pixels, and the color picker to reuse a color. Turn on mirror to draw both halves of a face or character at once.
- Pick a download size and press Download PNG. Empty pixels stay transparent.
Tips for pixel art
- Start with an outline in a dark color, then fill the inside. It’s easier to fix the shape before adding shading.
- Use few colors. Classic pixel art often uses four to eight colors for a whole character.
- Shade with a darker version of the same color, on the side away from the light, rather than with black.
- Avoid jagged lines. Steps of equal length (1-1-1 or 2-2-2) look smoother than mixed ones like 1-3-1.