The Audacity I Had 💀

Me two months ago: “Pixel art looks easy, it’s just squares lol”

Me now: sobbing over anti-aliasing at 3am

Let’s talk about my JOURNEY (and by journey I mean my descent into madness) 🎭

Week 1: Confidence Was High ✨

I downloaded Aseprite. I watched one (1) YouTube tutorial. I was READY.

My first sprite: A blob. It was supposed to be a character.
My confidence: Shattered
My dignity: Gone
Hotel: Trivago

The tutorial made it look SO EASY. “Just place pixels intentionally” they said. “It’s all about fundamentals” they said.

LIES. DECEPTION.

Week 2: The Humbling 😤

Turns out there’s this thing called “color theory” and apparently you can’t just slap random colors together and expect it to work?? Who knew??? (Everyone. Everyone knew.)

Things I Learned the Hard Way:

  1. Dithering is NOT optional - It’s the difference between “cool retro sprite” and “my eyes hurt”
  2. Outlines matter - Black outlines on everything = rookie move
  3. Color palettes exist for a reason - No, you can’t use all 16 million colors
  4. Animation is HARD - Making 4 frames took me 6 hours (not a flex)

Pixel Art Learning

Week 3: Small Wins 🎯

I made a tree. AN ACTUAL RECOGNIZABLE TREE.

Y’all don’t understand - this was my Mona Lisa moment. I sent screenshots to everyone I know. My mom said “that’s nice dear” but I KNOW she was impressed 😤

Pro tip I discovered: Start with small stuff. Don’t try to make a full character on day 1. Make a rock. Make a coin. Make literally anything that isn’t 64x64.

Week 4-8: The Grind 💪

This is where it got real. I joined pixel art Discord servers (shoutout to all the patient souls who answered my dumb questions 🙏).

What Actually Helped:

1. Daily Challenges
Even if it’s just one tiny sprite, make SOMETHING every day. Consistency > Perfection

2. Study the Masters
Look at old SNES games. Like actually LOOK. Zoom in. See how they solved problems with limited colors.

3. Steal Like an Artist
(Legally) Use references. No one expects you to invent perspective from scratch.

4. Embrace the Suck
Your first 100 sprites will be mid. That’s NORMAL. Keep going.

The Tools I Actually Use 🛠️

  • Aseprite: The GOAT. Worth every penny
  • Lospec: Free color palettes that actually work
  • Pinterest: For reference images (don’t @ me)
  • Coffee: Essential for 3am pixel placement sessions ☕

What I Wish Someone Told Me 📢

“It’s Supposed to Look Kinda Bad at First”

Stop comparing your day 5 art to someone’s year 5 art. Comparison is the thief of joy and also the reason you’re not having fun anymore.

“Limitations Are Your Friend”

Working with a 16-color palette isn’t restricting - it’s LIBERATING. You can’t overthink if you literally don’t have options 🧠

“The Community is Actually Nice”

Unlike some parts of the internet, pixel artists are genuinely supportive. Everyone remembers being bad. Ask questions.

Month 2: Plot Twist - I’m Hooked 🎣

Now I can’t stop. I see everything in pixels. I analyze sprite work in old games. I have OPINIONS about dithering patterns.

Am I good? Not really.
Am I better than week 1? ABSOLUTELY.
Will I keep going? You couldn’t stop me if you tried 😤

My Current Skill Level (Honest Edition) 📊

  • Characters: Can make cute blob people ✅
  • Environments: Getting there 🤔
  • Animation: Baby steps (literally, I can make walking cycles now) 🚶
  • UI Elements: Actually pretty decent? 🎨
  • Confidence: Through the roof for no reason 📈

The Real Talk 💯

Learning pixel art humbled me HARD but also gave me mad respect for every pixel artist ever. These people are wizards. They make masterpieces with 32x32 pixels while I’m over here struggling with circles.

But you know what? Every pixel artist started somewhere. Every cool sprite you’ve ever seen came from someone who once drew a weird blob and called it a character.

Resources That Actually Helped 📚

  • Pixel Logic by MortMort (YouTube): Changed my life
  • Pedro Medeiros on Twitter: Free tutorials, actual gold
  • Lospec Palette List: Because choosing colors is hard
  • r/PixelArt: For when you need motivation (or to feel bad about yourself, it’s a toss-up)

Where I’m Going From Here 🚀

Goals for the next few months:

  • Make a full character sprite sheet
  • Learn proper animation timing
  • Stop using black outlines for EVERYTHING
  • Make something I’m actually proud of
  • Git gud (ongoing)

Final Thoughts 🌟

If you’re thinking about learning pixel art: DO IT. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, you’ll want to quit. Yes, your first attempts will look like abstract modern art.

But also? It’s SO rewarding. There’s something magical about placing pixels and watching a picture come to life. Plus, you get to join the cool kids club 😎

Difficulty: 7/10 (but worth it)
Would I recommend: 11/10 absolutely
Chance I’ll still be doing this in a year: 100% guaranteed

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a 16x16 sword sprite to finish and it’s only taken me 3 hours so far 💀

Written in Aseprite (yes, you can write in Aseprite, don’t ask)