10 Pixel Art Ideas & Projects to Spark Your Creativity

Do you remember that “blocky” look that old video games used to have? Back then, digital displays could only handle so many pixels, so everything had to be done in very low resolution.

Today, in the world of 4K and hyper-realistic video games, going back to pixelated images feels quite nostalgic. You can use pixels—not out of necessity, but with intention—to create art that has a charming retro feel to it. And with the tools we have available to us today, the only limit is your imagination.

To help you get inspired, let’s take a look at 10 easy pixel art ideas and projects you can try for yourself.

Characters & Creatures

Some of the most iconic video game characters were first introduced to us through pixels (and were commonly known as sprites), so why not use them as inspiration in your pixel art? You can recreate classic characters like Mario or invent brand-new heroes that could star in their own RPGs.

A pixel art image of five characters walking through dark woods. — Still from Skillshare class Pixel Perfect: Mastering the Art of Pixel Art 101 by Mostafa Nassar.

You don’t have to stop at human characters, either—nothing says kawaii like a pixel drawing of an adorable animal. You could even have fictional creatures as the focus of your pixel art. Bring imaginary species into existence by borrowing features from real animals, or give life to inanimate objects by giving them faces and limbs.

A pixel art image of two blob-shaped creatures, one wearing a baseball cap and the other a bow. — Still from Skillshare class Pixel Perfect: Mastering the Art of Pixel Art 101 by Mostafa Nassar.

Landscapes & Worlds

Nature is a beautiful subject for art, and pixel art is no exception. Take inspiration from games like Minecraft, for example. Using only pixels, you can create stunning landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes. Using a diverse color palette can help add detail and dimension to your pixel art.

A pixel art image of a seascape at sunset. — Still from Skillshare class Make Pixel Art with Aseprite by Simon Sanchez.

Just like your characters, your landscapes don’t have to exist in real life. Let your imagination run wild and craft entire worlds out of pixels. Use your favorite video games, movies, and books for inspiration, or think of something completely new. For example, how about drawing a dungeon, underground tunnel system, enchanted forest or a castle in the sky?

A pixel art image of a video game character navigating through an underground passage. — Still from Skillshare class Make Pixel Art with Aseprite by Simon Sanchez.

Faces & Emoji Designs

Pixel drawings of people generally aren’t very detailed, so if you want to capture a character’s personality, make the face the star of the show. When you use your canvas to depict only what’s above the shoulders, you have much more real estate to play with. Have fun creating pixel portraits or even avatars for social media. Take inspiration from emojis and experiment with facial expressions and emotions.

Still from Skillshare class Pixel Art: Design Your Avatar in Aseprite by Acetony.

A pixel art image depicting three happy face emojis. — Image by godesign3d on Freepik.

Animation & Interactive Art

Pixel art got its start in video games, where characters were brought to life with animation, and players could control their movements. So, while static pixel art is a wonderful medium, adding a bit of motion to it only seems like a natural extension. It doesn’t have to be anything complex—a simple blink of the eyes or a wave of the hand can add lots of personality to your art. You can use a program like Aseprite to both design and animate it.

A pixel art GIF of a character looking out at the sunrise, while the wind is whooshing by. The sun rays and wind gusts are animated. — Clip from Skillshare class Pixel Perfect: Mastering the Art of Pixel Art 101 by Mostafa Nassar.

If you’re interested in dipping your toes into video game development, why not make your animations interactive? Again, you can keep things simple here and look to early 2D platformer games for inspiration. Designing your own video game characters and programming their movements and interactions can be tons of fun!

A pixel GIF animation of three video game characters navigating through a system of walls and platforms. — Clip from Skillshare class How to Make a 2D Platformer Game in the Godot Engine by Christopher Navarre.

Physical & Handmade Pixel Art

By definition, a pixel is a small area on a display screen, so it makes sense why pixel art is primarily a digital medium. But it doesn’t have to be! You can use digital pixel art as inspiration and see how you can recreate it in the physical world. You have plenty of tools at your disposal that lend themselves perfectly to this. You can:

Make pixel art with Perler beads or Hama beads
Design your own cross-stitching chart and bring it into the physical world with some canvas and thread
Purchase a diamond painting kit or DIY your own
Try weaving and using threads of different colors to create pixelated artwork
Try weaving with seed beads
Sketch a grid onto your canvas or paper and fill in each square with paint, markers or pencils of different colors
Cut colored paper into small squares and glue them down to create a mosaic

A white pegboard rests on a bright pink surface, featuring an unfinished Pokemon perler bead design. Loose perler beads are scattered on the side. — Image by Annica Utbult on Pixabay.

A hand is holding up a small embroidery hoop, featuring a cross-stitch design of the word “Joy” and a few decorative flowers. — Still from Skillshare class Intermediate Cross Stitch: Backstitch Like a Boss by Dana Batho.

Become a Pixel Artist

Pixel art is incredibly versatile and has so many applications in both digital and physical mediums. If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of pixel art classes that will teach you how to make pixel art and how to master tools like Aseprite and Photoshop. Get started on your first pixel art project and see where your imagination takes you!

Written By

Sayana Lam

Sayana is a musician, writer and graphic designer based in Toronto, Canada.