I made this image back in '96, placed 11:th in The Party ‘96 graphics competition:
http://pixeljoint.com/pixelart/98518.htm

Some steps posted here:
http://www.antialias.se/prowler_lib/steps/floating_on_air/
I have hundreds of steps on my old Amiga HD which is stashed away in my parents attic, so I hope these will do to set the image as accepted

best regards, prowler

I don't recall this pic but I the cobblestones, at least, are NPA.

Your images are great and you are talented and nothing in that realm is in question.

Your images are however demoscene pixels and not pixelart as defined for the PJ gallery.

cure has a great thread where all this is explained HERE. The main point of it all is having control on the pixel level in the entire piece.
All tools are not controlled on the pixel level so the spraycan tool is NPA (not pixel art).

We have many demoscene members and it has become the accepted consensus over demo pixels and oekaki too.
A demo pixel can be pixelart but not all demo pixels are pixelart.

We are not saying or determining what is and what is not pixelart, which we'll leave for the future.
We only strive to keep the PJ gallery as pure as possible at the expense of the highly skilled and experienced so that those who are new keep the tradition and limitations of the artform alive.
Some modifications have been made thru time but any change is fought to the death.

If you are interested the galleries of some awesome demosceners who have understood the distinction between demo and pixelart include:
fool, iKkle, tomic, exocet, jamon and many, many others which I don't list only because they have hard to spell handles :/

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Some of the other pieces you submitted also contain many troublesome areas even tho some its just minimal. The angel you submitted has some funky stuff going on in the feathers of the wings, for example.

I'm glad you can see some logic beacuse if you can't then we could not communicate.


How anyone goes about producing is not important at all. Final result is what really matter to most pixel nerds. As a demoscener it just seems like you carry the pixel pushing just a little too far and leave the pixelart realm.
To be fair to all any piece that is pixelart but contains even just a little of 'other' is sent back because then it becomes a question of 'its ok for some and not for others' which is unfair. It just makes it easier to have a line of some kind.
Many choose to submit pure pixel versions and then link in the art description to a hybrid, demo, NPA version of the submission.


Ideally no, but every piece is seen on its own. Take oekaki pixels, for example, they are all pixel by pixel but never added to the gallery because they have no control on the pixel level which is the main thing considered.


No. no one cares about style or any form of artistic choice or expression. Process is way more important and of all process 'control on the pixel level' rules the day. Every piece on its own merit and never against any other work, artist or anything like that.
We want to add everything and we look for a way to include as much as possible. We don't like or want to reject.


Again, style is not important. Oldskool is very relative. The gallery wants any pixelart that is hand pixelled with control on the pixel level in a way that respects the only way to pixel when technology forced the issue without resorting to anything CGd.
We all understand the demoscene was all about this and taking it as OTT as possible. However, the focus of the demoscene was/is process in visuals, music, etc. and not really concerned with control on the pixel level.


Many here have pixelled since then too and evolving, learning and practicing never stops which is what makes pixelart so much fun.

I want to say again that you have talent and all the work I've seen so far shows that you can pixel and understand what it means.
Perhaps because of your experience, habits and just being in your comfort zone you just step it a little too far and leave the realm of pixelart as it has become the accepted norm of the PJ community which if you did not notice already is control on the pixel level >.<

Just want to step in here and address this one bit.

The phrase “pixel control” refers to the idea that a pixel artist knows exactly why they placed a pixel where they did. A spray can tool doesn't give you that level of control unless you’re going in to edit the “sprayed” area after you use the tool. You don’t need to justify the use of every last individual pixel, but you should know why pixels in certain areas are the color they are (and why that color is necessary in that area).

The piece you’re showing off looks amazing. I won’t bother saying otherwise. But if you admit to using the spray can tool, you’ve all but admitted that you lack “pixel control” in the piece. It’s not about “randomness”—it’s about making it look “random” and knowing exactly how you made it look that way.

Please excuse my delay in responding.

PJ has always been community driven and there is not set rule on what is and what is not pixelart.
We focus on the 'control' thing and never, ever judge one person to another or one piece to another.
Everything and everyone is unique.

I personally have issues with the angel piece and feel that just crosses the line. The horned guy and the landscape I'm much more receptive to and have yet had time to really inspect really closely which I would do in your case because the angel issues force me to.

I feel adequate with demo pixels but its not my thing.
I have PMd several PJers that come from the scene or are still currently in it for feedback and help. I have also PMd some hard pixel purists for their feedback too.
In the gallery's 'public queue' where all can vote yes/no on every submission the activity is high as it always is with demoscene submissions.
I have yet to hear from everyone.

In the event that you are interested there is some discussion on your work in the chatterbox which should show how divisive demopieces are and can be.
ps: the plagiarism talk does NOT apply to you ;)
http://pixeljoint.com/pixels/chatterbox.asp

It has always been a roughly 50/50 split with a lean towards purity.
I hope, if nothing else, that you see by our actions that we do not just decide things and call it a day in a black and white world.
We understand art is grey and seek input, feedback and discussion and try our best to be fair and open and are willing to open up the same can of words every few months.

I can't say it enough that you are talented and superior to most Demosceners who rely on other's work or start with a base not made by themselves.
The pixelart parts and talent is superior and in many areas terrific.

You are very welcome here and hopefully we can learn from you as you learn from us.

Yes, for sure the twin towers picture was inspired by this illustration.
And as you must understand, the face of the Indian guy and the horned guys are also based on real photos, I did not create these character faces from scratch. For example, the Indian guy was the train conductor I met on a train in India!
The same with the owl, obviously I look at real pictures of animals before I do a picture, but as most other artists I try to do my thing in the way of pixeling.

I understand what you aim for on this site, and I guess both my technique and my motives are not really fit here.
Sorry to waste your time.

As I understand it from the past, even copying is ok here, as long as all references are clearly linked and marked as such in the description when submitting a piece... but well, I might remember the policy on that wrong so I need to ask:

If someone would make a pixel art version of some heavy metal album cover or a Boris&Bell or Rojo painting and they would link to the original in the description thus clearly stating that it is a recreation of some other original work but in pixels (and is not just an automated reduction) then that would be eligible to get added to the gallery, correct?

Thanks for re-explaining those details.