Pixel art, which appeared in the early 70s and was widespread until the 90s of the last century, is a type of computer graphics, nowadays it is used in a narrow, but important niche of mobile devices with low-resolution screens. A feature of this graphics is painstaking, point by point, creation of images at the level of one pixel. To work in this technique, it is enough to have a computer and the simplest graphic editor, however, due to its specificity, today Pixel art is the lot of either specialists or a narrow circle of connoisseurs.
It is necessary
- - a computer;
- - graphics editor;
- - freehand drawing skills.
Instructions
Step 1
In a graphics editor, create a new document, 300x300 in size. Set the resolution to 72 dpi. If there is such an option, in the main settings of the program, adjust the interpolation of the image "By neighboring pixels" so that the picture has clear edges, and not anti-aliased ones.
Step 2
Imagine the process of creating your drawing as laying out an image from bricks, the size of which is only 1 pixel (an elementary unit of a raster image). Moreover, all elements of the composition must be proportionate to this value. Lines more than 1 pixel wide are only acceptable in extreme cases.
Step 3
Draw with the Pencil tool 1 pixel in size and use the same size Eraser tool to remove lines and pixels. When looking at a drawing, the viewer should clearly see exactly the pixel drawing with its characteristic lines, consisting of segments evenly displaced by 1 pixel, forming "steps". However, a strong "jaggedness" spoils the appearance of the graphics, therefore, all uneven bends and breaks of the lines must be carefully corrected, made smoother and smoother.
Step 4
To mix colors, create smooth transitions between them and add volume to the elements of the picture, use the "dither" technique, ie. "mixing". This technique consists in the arrangement of pixels of two adjacent colors in a checkerboard pattern at a certain interval between these colors. It is not worth making the blending area less than two pixels, because smoothing the monitor screen will destroy the effect. "Dithering" also allows you to get colors that are not in the palette of the graphics editor
Step 5
The drawing process can be greatly simplified by creating a preliminary sketch either with a pencil on paper (followed by scanning), or using a graphic tablet directly in your graphics editor. After that, finish the sketch "to mind" using the principles and techniques of pixel art described above.
Step 6
In general, the main skill for you should be the ability to add or remove pixels to create clear lines and shapes that do not get lost or smudged in the miniature image. You can learn this only by constantly practicing, studying and copying the works of recognized masters and creating your own drawings.
