Pixel art

Nintendo, Sega, Atari, if you ever played on theses systems then you know what video games really are. The graphics we had in those days were not like that to be retro or cool. This was as much the system could draw in one run.

I remember playing the NES until smoke came out of it. There was poor ventilation and no heatsink to keep it alive, so at some point the solder would melt away.

My older brother who was no more then 12 at the time, would dig in my father's Do not touch closet and grad a soldering gun. A few minutes later, we would back in front of TV, playing our revived console.

When I see graphics from these days today, it hurts my eyes. Both emotionally and physically.

However pixel art is not just something to be remembered as the limitation of computers from back in the day. At its core, is simplicity. A foundation.

I'm not so much of an artist but making those little drawings takes the uncanney valley out of the equation. Because I am not trying to make things so perfect, I can focus on simple colors and shapes to create whatever I want.

If you look at the process very complex drawings are made, it looks a lot like pixel art. These drawings could be further refined into something more detailed. But for pixel art that is not the goal.

Here is something that started as pixel art and got a little more refined.

Although Photoshop can be used to create these sorts of images, I have created these from a new tool my friend has been working on.

Check it out, create art, and don't forget to share it back with me and the rest of the world.

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