For the most part, pixel art is no different from traditional art. As with any medium, it makes some aspects easier and some more difficult, but it's plain old art like pencil drawing, acrylics, or watercolor. As with any form of art, yes,  line drawing practice will help you a lot, but that doesn't mean you have to become an excellent pencil artist before you ever put cursor to pixel. I'm a pretty horrible traditional artist yet I get by with pixels.

I'd suggest making an attempt at something you'd like to do--say, a sprite for the hero of your RPG--and posting it in the WIP forum right from the start. It's much easier to proved assistance with a specific case than advise on the entire learning process. And you don't need to feel embarrassed about posting anything--we welcome all skill levels here and we do not tolerate ridicule. But DO be prepared to receive honest, sometimes blunt, critique, as that's strongly encouraged; that's how we learn.

EDIT: Forgot to say, welcome to PixelJoint!


Edited by Hatch - 03 July 2010 at 7:28pm