Pixel Art Guide
Master the art of pixel creation with PixelMint
Quick Start Tutorial
Get started in 5 easy steps
Choose Your Canvas Size
Start with 16×16 or 32×32 for your first project. Smaller canvases are easier to manage and force you to be creative with limited space.
Select a Color Palette
Pick from our retro console palettes (NES, Game Boy) or modern pixel art colors. Limiting your palette helps create cohesive artwork.
Draw Your Outline
Use the pencil tool (P) to sketch your basic shape. Start with a silhouette before adding details.
Add Colors and Shading
Fill in your base colors, then add highlights and shadows. Remember: light comes from one direction!
Export Your Creation
Save as PNG for static images or GIF for animations. Scale up to make your pixel art crisp on modern displays.
Drawing Tools Reference
Master your pixel art tools
Pencil Tool
Your primary drawing tool. Click or drag to place pixels one at a time for precise control.
Eraser Tool
Remove pixels to create transparency. Works on the current layer only.
Fill Bucket
Fill connected areas with the current color. Great for coloring large sections quickly.
Eyedropper Tool
Sample a color from your canvas to use as the active color.
Line Tool
Draw pixel-perfect straight lines. Click to set start point, drag to end point.
Rectangle Tool
Draw rectangular shapes. Hold Shift for perfect squares.
Circle Tool
Draw circular shapes. Hold Shift for perfect circles.
Selection Tool
Select a rectangular area to move, copy, or delete pixels.
Pixel Art Techniques
Level up your pixel art skills
Shading Basics
Good shading brings your pixel art to life. Here are the fundamentals:
- ▸ Establish a consistent light source direction
- ▸ Use at least 3 tones: highlight, midtone, shadow
- ▸ Transition gradually between light and dark areas
- ▸ Add rim lighting for depth and separation
Anti-Aliasing
Smoothing jagged edges with intermediate colors:
- ▸ Use medium tones between contrasting colors
- ▸ Apply sparingly - too much looks blurry
- ▸ Focus on curves and diagonal lines
- ▸ Skip it for authentic retro aesthetics
Animation Tips
Bring your pixel art to life with smooth animations:
- ▸ Start simple - 2-4 frame loops are effective
- ▸ Use onion skinning to see previous frames
- ▸ Vary frame timing for dynamic movement
- ▸ Make animations loop-friendly
- ▸ Add squash and stretch for bouncy movement
Color Selection
Choosing the right colors elevates your art:
- ▸ Limit your palette (8-16 colors is plenty)
- ▸ Vary saturation, not just hue
- ▸ Ensure enough contrast for readability
- ▸ Study palettes from games you admire
- ▸ Test in grayscale to check values
Keyboard Shortcuts
Speed up your workflow
Tools
Actions
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