
Adobe Photoshop, for instance, has all of the basic functions you need to make pixel images, and Adobe Illustrator lets you align your work on a pixel grid to get the granular control you need for good-looking retro images. Like those other mediums, pixel art is easy to pick up, and once you know the basics there’s no end to your command of it.Īnything that lets you place squares on a grid is a potential pixel editor. Cross-stitch, pointillism, and the Ben Day process all do the same thing. It’s an art form that uses distinct, discrete color elements to create images. Pixel art is easy to learn, and there’s no limit on what you can do with it. Artists had a bigger canvas to work with, but they were still working with individual pixels - each of which played an important role in creating the overall image. In the 16-bit era of the 1990s, pixel art became more detailed but the spirit remained the same. A few red pixels would have to suggest Mario’s hat, and one or two pixels would have to be understood as his hands or face. The artists making video games in the 1970s and 1980s had to innovate and boil images down to their essence.

The visual style of the Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis, and early computer graphics influenced - and continue to influence - millions of creative minds.
