Create retro pixel art online. Simple, clean editor with powerful tools and curated palettes.
173+ pixel art icons. Click any icon to load it into the editor and make it yours.
Pixel art isn't just nostalgia — it's a vibrant, active art form with a massive community of creators. From indie game developers to digital artists to icon designers, pixel art's deliberate, grid-based approach produces artwork with a unique charm that no other medium can match.
The constraint of working pixel by pixel forces you to make every element count. There's no hiding behind gradients or blur effects. Each pixel is a conscious decision about form and color. This discipline produces artwork that is clean, readable, and often more expressive than higher-resolution alternatives.
Pixel art is also incredibly accessible. You don't need a drawing tablet, years of art training, or expensive software. A mouse, a good eye, and a limited palette are all you need. Many professional pixel artists started with nothing more than MS Paint.
Color choice is everything in pixel art. With limited space, you need colors that work hard. Here are key principles:
Hue shifting: Instead of just darkening a color for shadows, shift the hue as well. Warm colors shift toward purple in shadows; cool colors shift toward blue-green. This creates much richer, more natural-looking pixel art.
Value contrast: The most important factor in readability. Make sure your light areas are clearly lighter than your dark areas. Squint at your art — if you can still make out the forms, your value contrast is good.
Palette harmony: Use palettes where colors work together. Our built-in Pico-8 and Endesga 32 palettes are specifically designed for pixel art, with colors that harmonize naturally.
Sub-pixel rendering: At very small sizes, you can suggest detail that isn't actually there by carefully choosing pixel colors. A skin-tone pixel next to an eye pixel can make the eye appear to have detail at sizes where detail shouldn't be possible.
Anti-aliasing (manual): While pixel art typically avoids anti-aliasing, strategic placement of intermediate-color pixels along curves can smooth jagged edges without losing the pixel art feel.
Clustering: Group same-color pixels together when possible. Scattered single pixels create visual noise. Clean clusters create readable shapes. This is especially important at small canvas sizes.