What is Pixel Art?
Pixel art is a term for any artistic design based on pixels and created using digital means, typically simple image editing tools. However, this does not mean it is a simple technique, as the choice of color palette and use of colors become very important to achieve the intended result.
Video game design is one of the broadest fields in the digital entertainment sector, both because of the (virtually limitless) possibilities it offers and the styles it can create.
One such style is 3D Pixel Art, such as Minecraft Pixel Art, a unique and distinctive style that we detail below, including how to master it.
Digital Art in Video Games
Some video games today are so realistic that gamers feel they are dealing with real people, and impossible scenarios look like real representations, creating an amazing immersion effect! In comparison, imagine what it was like to play video games in the 90s and 2000s. Many have fond memories, but we will now break down what we mean in more detail.
If you are familiar with the video game industry, you know there are very different game styles: realistic games present in almost all action and sports genres, cel shading adapted to new technologies, the trend of polygonal games and geometric shapes, and video games based on Pixel Art and Pixel Art 3D.
Digital art is part of all these games, and due to the specifics of their development, they all use pixels. Essentially, they are all digital art based on pixels.
However, Pixel Art does not refer to all existing games, but to a very specific style of design, based on classic programmer art of video games. It is a pixel-by-pixel rasterization process that, using small colored mosaics, allows creating all the elements of a video game.
The 80s and 90s were the decades in which Pixel Art truly developed, so much so that today the retro trend is wonderfully reviving it.
Pixel art has essentially resurfaced and is now stronger than ever, paradoxically competing with the prevailing realistic trends in the video game industry, presenting displays that combine nostalgia, cheerfulness, bright colors, and spectacle, based on clearly identifiable pixels.
Learn to Create Your Own Pixel Art
When pixel art was just emerging, the reference program for this style of design was MS Paint.
Today there are many programs for game development that help create pixel art and 3D pixel art.
To master this art, several factors must be considered:
First, a passion for video games and, in particular, video game design. The most valuable creations in the history of this industry are made by professionals who are passionate about their work. Working on what you love is a synonym for quality and good work.
Second, proper training is necessary. At Tokyo School, you are offered several courses specifically aimed at developing your talent in video game design. With the right approach to learning, providing access to the best and most innovative resources, as well as a team of professionals focused on your education, you are guaranteed to master Pixel Art and other styles.
Finally, creativity. A video game designer can use programs with built-in functions and design techniques that have already been invented, but ultimately the creation of each specific element will depend on the creative input you can bring to every character, shape, or even pixel.