Ok, we'll i basically suck at pixel art. I just turned 13 and i still suck....I need some serious help, like for some reason i can think of ideas. Filling things are the problem. I see many diffrent styles like dythering, regular, and some other wierd one using about 3 colors and put em in a triangle and keep going. If anyone could make a small tut tha'd be awesome.

l0ol snader don't be bad..
i just gotta tell you..
you wont be good at pixel art just beacuse you are 1 age older..
amm getting good i jsut a matter of practice i suggest you to move your piels to the WIP forum... so we can help you =)

Also, if you have problems "filling shapes" it's a sign you lack knowledge of lighting and shading. You should go to pen and pencil and just carry a sketchbook. Look at how real objects are lit. See how a flashlight illuminates a ball. Look at things and see the details, both in the object's design and in how light reflects off of it. You can't become an ace pixel artist just by doing pixel art; practice is essential but only does good when you know what you're aiming for. And to know that you have to look around in life. You see things every day, but you need to take it one step further and LOOK at the things you encounter. You see your keyboard; look at the shadows of the keys and the subtle shading of the concave tops. Notice how light hits edges. Get a feel for perspective. Have trouble with textures? Get a good look at one IRL. Sketch it maybe. Look at it closely. See how it changes as you back away. You can do a lot to improve your art, but complaining about it is worth less than studying 3-year olds' crayon drawings. Get out there and see life, pixel what you see, improve.

Edited by Monkey 'o Doom - 26 August 2007 at 9:17am

I dunno whether it's been said already, but if it has make sure you remember it.. you need to practice, you need to want to practice, and you have to be able to learn from your mistakes and take critisism. If you're really serious about it you'll be really good in a year, i suspect.

You also need to practice your traditional media in art. And also many of the general things, such as human/animal anatomy (depending what you draw), colour theory, perspective etc etc...

Good luck.


Edited by Larwick - 26 August 2007 at 4:09pm

<debbie downer> Maybe you just suck. </downer>

Buy a good book, and study.
Then practice.
Then study more.
Then practice for the rest of your life.
Study some more..
And keep practicing.

And no whining.

I'm 20 and I ain't all that good. :P And I know it's because I don't practice as much as I should. I'm not really trying to get "good" tbh, I do pixel art mostly for fun. To me it's fun to try and improve a piece. If I did it right from the get-go, I'd get pretty bored. XD

Mac users never do :p

Ah, yes, that would explain it.

But every time I hear someone mention a Mac  all I can picture is the last Mac I ever used... an Apple II. So it gets kinda hard to imagine doing any real work.

Oh noes. I made my first pixearts (icons, b/w isometric) on my kick ass UD$2000 Apple II. Took breaks playing 'Glyder'.