[ qkyuzx ]
~~ Art journey ~~
Asexual | 18 | Agender
INTJ! 5w4! 548?? sx??/sp
Artfight: @qkyuzx
"The sound of liquid-touching-glass is resonating in the thick atmosphere,
an erratic beat;
the crimson liquid in the for-wine glass is not from anyone but the walls."
🇵🇸🍉❤️🤍💚🖤🍉🇵🇸From the bottom of my heart, thank you!🙌🏼❤️
With your precious support and big hearts, we were able to reach $1,000. Every dollar of this money means a lot to us, it helps us meet our basic needs and gives us a glimmer of hope in these difficult times.🥺
My second goal is to reach $5,000. We are still suffering from the effects of war and the loss of everything, as well as from the lack of capabilities and high prices. This amount is not just a number, but a real opportunity to rebuild our lives and put a smile back on my parents' faces.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for standing by us. Together, we can get through this and build a better future for my family.🙌🏼❤️
Every contribution, no matter how small, is a ray of hope that lights our way. We believe that with you, we can achieve this dream, step by step.❤️💚🤍🖤
Hello, my name is Tofu and I'm a professional pixel artist. I have been supporting myself with freelance pixel art since 2020, when I was let go from my job during the pandemic.
My progress, from 2017 to 2024. IMO the only thing that really matters is time and effort, not some kind of natural talent for art.
This guide will not be comprehensive, as nobody should be expected to read allat. Instead I will lean heavily on my own experience, and share what worked for me, so take everything with a grain of salt. This is a guide, not a tutorial. Cheers!
🔹 Do I need money?
NO!!! Pixel art is one of the most accessible mediums out there.
I still use a mouse because I prefer it to a tablet! You won't be at any disadvantage here if you can't afford the best hardware or software.
Because our canvases are typically very small, you don't need a good PC to run a good brush engine or anything like that.
✨Did you know? One of the most skilled and beloved pixel artists uses MS PAINT! Wow!!
🔹 What software should I use?
Here are some of the most popular programs I see my friends and peers using.
Stars show how much I recommend the software for beginners! ⭐
💰 Paid options:
⭐⭐⭐ Aseprite (for PC) - $19.99
This is what I and many other pixel artists use. You may find when applying to jobs that they require some knowledge of Aseprite. Since it has become so popular, companies like that you can swap raw files between artists.
Aseprite is amazingly customizable, with custom skins, scripts and extensions on Itch.io, both free and paid.
If you have ever used any art software before, it has most of the same features and should feel fairly familiar to use. It features a robust animation suite and a tilemap feature, which have saved me thousands of hours of labour in my work. The software is also being updated all the time, and the developers listen to the users. I really recommend Aseprite!
⭐ Photoshop (for PC) - Monthly $$
A decent option for those who already are used to the PS interface. Requires some setup to get it ready for pixel-perfect art, but there are plenty of tutorials for doing so.
Animation is also much more tedious on PS which you may want to consider before investing time!
⭐⭐ ProMotion NG (for PC) - $19.00
An advanced and powerful software which has many features Aseprite does not, including Colour Cycling and animated tiles.
⭐⭐⭐ Pixquare (for iOS) - $7.99 - $19.99 (30% off with code 'tofu'!!)
Probably the best app available for iPad users, in active development, with new features added all the time.
Look! My buddy Jon recommends it highly, and uses it often.
One cool thing about Pixquare is that it takes Aseprite raw files! Many of my friends use it to work on the same project, both in their office and on the go.
⭐ Procreate (for iOS) - $12.99
If you have access to Procreate already, it's a decent option to get used to doing pixel art. It does however require some setup. Artist Pixebo is famously using Procreate, and they have tutorials of their own if you want to learn.
🆓 Free options:
⭐⭐⭐ Libresprite (for PC)
Libresprite is an alternative to Aseprite. It is very, very similar, to the point where documentation for Aseprite will be helpful to Libresprite users.
⭐⭐ Pixilart (for PC and mobile)
A free in-browser app, and also a mobile app! It is tied to the website Pixilart, where artists upload and share their work. A good option for those also looking to get involved in a community.
⭐⭐ Dotpict (for mobile)
Dotpict is similar to Pixilart, with a mobile app tied to a website, but it's a Japanese service. Did you know that in Japanese, pixel art is called 'Dot Art'?
Dotpict can be a great way to connect with a different community of pixel artists! They also have prompts and challenges often.
⭐⭐ ReSprite iOS and Android. $19.99 premium or $$ monthly
ReSprite is VERY similar in terms of UI to Aseprite, so I can recommend it. They just launched their Android release!
🔹 So I got my software, now what?
◽Nice! Now it's time for the basics of pixel art.
❗ WAIT ❗ Before this section, I want to add a little disclaimer. All of these rules/guidelines can be broken at will, and some 'no-nos' can look amazing when done intentionally.
The pixel-art fundamentals can be exceedingly helpful to new artists, who may feel lost or overwhelmed by choice. But if you feel they restrict you too harshly, don't force yourself! At the end of the day it's your art, and you shouldn't try to contort yourself into what people think a pixel artist 'should be'. What matters is your own artistic expression. 💕👍
◽Phew! With that out of the way...
🔸"The Rules"
There are few hard 'rules' of pixel art, mostly about scaling and exporting. Some of these things will frequently trip up newbies if they aren't aware, and are easy to overlook.
🔹Scaling method
There are a couple ways of scaling your art. The default in most art programs, and the entire internet, is Bi-linear scaling, which usually works out fine for most purposes. But as pixel artists, we need a different method.
Both are scaled up x10. See the difference?
On the left is scaled using Bilinear, and on the right is using Nearest-Neighbor. We love seeing those pixels stay crisp and clean, so we use nearest-neighbor.
(Most pixel-art programs have nearest-neighbor enabled by default! So this may not apply to you, but it's important to know.)
🔹Mixels
Mixels are when there are different (mixed) pixel sizes in the same image.
Here I have scaled up my art- the left is 200%, and the right is 150%. Yuck!
As we can see, the "pixel" sizes end up different. We generally try to scale our work by multiples of 100 - 200%, 300% etc. rather than 150%. At larger scales however, the minute differences in pixel sizes are hardly noticeable!
Mixels are also sometimes seen when an artist scales up their work, then continues drawing on it with a 1 pixel brush.
Many would say that this is not great looking! This type of pixels can be indicative of a beginner artist. But there are plenty of creative pixel artists out there who mixels intentionally, making something modern and cool.
🔹Saving Your Files
We usually save our still images as .PNGs as they don’t create any JPEG artifacts or loss of quality. It's a little hard to see here, but there are some artifacts, and it looks a little blurry. It also makes the art very hard to work with if we are importing a JPEG.
For animations .GIF is good, but be careful of the 256 colour limit. Try to avoid using too many blending mode layers or gradients when working with animations. If you aren’t careful, your animation could flash afterwards, as the .GIF tries to reduce colours wherever it can. It doesn’t look great!
Here's an old piece from 2021 where I experienced .GIF lossiness, because I used gradients and transparency, resulting in way too many colours.
🔹Pixel Art Fundamentals - Techniques and Jargon
❗❗Confused about Jaggies? Anti-Aliasing? Banding? Dithering? THIS THREAD is for you❗❗
As far as I'm concerned, this is THE tutorial of all time for understanding pixel art. These are techniques created and named by the community of people who actually put the list together, some of the best pixel artists alive currently. Please read it!!
🔸How To Learn
Okay, so you have your software, and you're all ready to start. But maybe you need some more guidance? Try these tutorials and resources! It can be helpful to work along with a tutorial until you build your confidence up.
⭐⭐ Pixel Logic (A Digital Book) - $10
A very comprehensive visual guide book by a very skilled and established artist in the industry. I own a copy myself.
⭐⭐⭐ StudioMiniBoss - free
A collection of visual tutorials, by the artist that worked on Celeste! When starting out, if I got stuck, I would go and scour his tutorials and see how he did it.
⭐ Lospec Tutorials - free
A very large collection of various tutorials from all over the internet. There is a lot to sift through here if you have the time.
⭐⭐⭐ Cyangmou's Tutorials - free (tipping optional)
Cyangmou is one of the most respected and accomplished modern pixel artists, and he has amassed a HUGE collection of free and incredibly well-educated visual tutorials.
He also hosts an educational stream every week on Twitch called 'pixelart for beginners'.
⭐⭐⭐ Youtube Tutorials - free
There are hundreds, if not thousands of tutorials on YouTube, but it can be tricky to find the good ones.
My personal recommendations are MortMort, Brandon, and AdamCYounis- these guys really know what they're talking about!
🔸 How to choose a canvas size
When looking at pixel art turorials, we may see people suggest things like 16x16, 32x32 and 64x64. These are standard sizes for pixel art games with tiles. However, if you're just making a drawing, you don't necessarily need to use a standard canvas size like that.
What I like to think about when choosing a canvas size for my illustrations is 'what features do I think it is important to represent?' And make my canvas as small as possible, while still leaving room for my most important elements.
Imagine I have characters in a scene like this:
I made my canvas as small as possible (232 x 314), but just big enough to represent the features and have them be recognizable (it's Good Omens fanart 😤)!! If I had made it any bigger, I would be working on it for ever, due to how much more foliage I would have to render.
If you want to do an illustration and you're not sure, just start at somewhere around 100x100 - 200x200 and go from there.
It's perfectly okay to crop your canvas, or scale it up, or crunch your art down at any point if you think you need a different size. I do it all the time! It only takes a bit of cleanup to get you back to where you were.
🔸Where To Post
Outside of just regular socials, Twitter, Tumblr, Deviantart, Instagram etc, there are a few places that lean more towards pixel art that you might not have heard of.
⭐ Lospec
Lospec is a low-res focused art website. Some pieces get given a 'monthly masterpiece' award. Not incredibly active, but I believe there are more features being added often.
⭐⭐ Pixilart
Pixilart is a very popular pixel art community, with an app tied to it. The community tends to lean on the young side, so this is a low-pressure place to post with an relaxed vibe.
⭐⭐ Pixeljoint
Pixeljoint is one of the big, old-school pixel art websites. You can only upload your art unscaled (1x) because there is a built-in zoom viewer.
It has a bit of a reputation for being elitist (back in the 00s it was), but in my experience it's not like that any more. This is a fine place for a pixel artist to post if they are really interested in learning, and the history.
The Hall of Fame has some of the most famous / impressive pixel art pieces that paved the way for the work we are doing today.
⭐⭐⭐ Cafe Dot
Cafe Dot is my art server so I'm a little biased here. 🍵
It was created during the recent social media turbulence. We wanted a place to post art with no algorithms, and no NFT or AI chuds. We have a heavy no-self-promotion rule, and are more interested in community than skill or exclusivity.
The other thing is that we have some kind of verification system- you must apply to be a Creator before you can post in the Art feed, or use voice. This helps combat the people who just want to self-promo and dip, or cause trouble, as well as weed out AI/NFT people.
Until then, you are still welcome to post in any of the threads or channels. There is a lot to do in Cafe Dot. I host events weekly, so check the threads!
⭐⭐/r/pixelart
The pixel art subreddit is pretty active! I've also heard some of my friends found work through posting here, so it's worth a try if you're looking.
However, it is still Reddit- so if you're sensitive to rude people, or criticism you didn't ask for, you may want to avoid this one. Lol
🔸 Where To Find Work
You need money? I got you! As someone who mostly gets scouted on social media, I can share a few tips with you:
Put your email / portfolio in your bio
Recruiters don't have all that much time to find artists, make it as easy as possible for someone to find your important information!
Clean up your profile
If your profile feed is all full of memes, most people will just tab out rather than sift through. Doesn't apply as much to Tumblr if you have an art tag people can look at.
Post regularly, and repost
Activity beats everything in the social media game. It's like rolling the dice, and the more you post the more chances you have. You have to have no shame, it's all business baby
Outside of just posting regularly and hoping people reach out to you, it can be hard to know where to look. Here are a few places you can sign up to and post around on.
/r/INAT
INAT (I Need A Team) is a subreddit for finding a team to work with. You can post your portfolio here, or browse for people who need artists.
/r/GameDevClassifieds
Same as above, but specifically for game-related projects.
Remote Game Jobs / Work With Indies
Like Indeed but for game jobs. Browse them often, or get email notifications.
VGen
VGen is a website specifically for commissions. You need a code from another verified artist before you can upgrade your account and sell, so ask around on social media or ask your friends.
Once your account is upgraded, you can make a 'menu' of services people can purchase, and they send you an offer which you are able to accept, decline, or counter.
The evil websites of doom: Fiverr and Upwork
I don't recommend them!! They take a big cut of your profit, and the sites are teeming with NFT and AI people hoping to make a quick buck. The site is also extremely oversaturated and competitive, resulting in a race to the bottom (the cheapest, the fastest, doing the most for the least).
Imagine the kind of clients who go to these websites, looking for the cheapest option. But if you're really desperate...
🔸 Community
I do really recommend getting involved in a community. Finding like-minded friends can help you stay motivated to keep drawing. One day, those friends you met when you were just starting out may become your peers in the industry. Making friends is a game changer!
Discord servers
Nowadays, the forums of old are mostly abandoned, and people split off into many different servers. Cafe Dot, Pixel Art Discord (PAD), and if you can stomach scrolling past all the AI slop, you can browse Discord servers here.
Twitch Streams
Twitch has kind of a bad reputation for being home to some of the more edgy gamers online, but the pixel art community is extremely welcoming and inclusive. Some of the people I met on Twitch are my friends to this day, and we've even worked together on different projects!
Browse pixel art streams here, or follow some I recommend: NickWoz, JDZombi, CupOhJoe, GrayLure, LumpyTouch, FrankiePixelShow, MortMort, Sodor, NateyCakes, NyuraKim, ShinySeabass, I could go on for ever really... There are a lot of good eggs on Pixel Art Twitch.
🔸 Other Helpful Websites
Palettes
Lospec has a huge collection of user-made palettes, for any artist who has trouble choosing their colours, or just wants to try something fun.
Rejected Palettes is full of palettes that didn't quite make it onto Lospec, ran by people who believe there are no bad colours.
The Spriters Resource
TSR is an incredible website where users can upload spritesheets and tilesets from games. You can browse for your favourite childhood game, and see how they made it! This website has helped me so much in understanding how game assets come together in a scene.
VGMaps
Similar to the above, except there are entire maps laid out how they would be played. This is incredible if you have to do level design, or for mocking up a scene for fun.
Game UI Database
Not pixel-art specific, but UI is a very challenging part of graphics, so this site can be a game-changer for finding good references!
Retronator
A digital newspaper for pixel-art lovers! New game releases, tutorials, and artworks!
Itch.io
A website where people can upload, games, assets, tools... An amazing hub for game devs and game fans alike.
A few of my favourite tools: Tiled, PICO-8, Pixel Composer, Juice FX, Magic Pencil for Aseprite
🔸 The End?
This is just part 1 for now, so please drop me a follow to see any more guides I release in the future. I plan on doing some writeups on how I choose colours, how to practise, and more!
I'm not an expert by any means, but everything I did to get to where I am is outlined in this guide. Pixel art is my passion, my job and my hobby! I want pixel art to be recognized everywhere as an art-form, a medium of its own outside of game-art or computer graphics!
This guide took me a long time, and took a lot of research and experience. Consider following me or supporting me if you are feeling generous.
And good luck to all the fledgling pixel artists, I hope you'll continue and have fun. I hope my guide helped you, and don't hesitate to send me an ask if you have any questions! 💕
My other tutorials (so far):
How to draw Simple Grass for a game
Hue Shifting
What are commission scams? - These scams occur when someone messages you on Instagram/Facebook/etc and asks you to draw their pet/son/daughter because they really love your art style and saw you had commissions open. They may not have liked any of your drawings or had and previous contact. They will ask you if you do commissions even if you clearly have stated yes.
What is the scam? - The scam occurs when they ask you if you would take $300 or more for the commission. While amount isn’t too unreasonable for a commission, it may be far more then your usual asking price which should be a red flag that something isn’t right. They may also ask if you’ll accept a check for payment and if you’ll deposit it with a banking app which is another red flag for not being a legitimate customer.
How is it a scam? - The check they will send you is a fake check that will bounce if you deposit it no matter how long it might take to go through. This check is not legitimate and you won’t be scamming the scammer just because you deposited it. The money isn’t real and it isn’t theirs either. You’ll just lost your money and they have no plan to pay you for your work.
What can you do? - Have a clear terms of service for commissions and ask questions regarding payment plans if your suspicious of the commission requester. If they turn hostile, block them once you deny their order. And alert your Art friends.
—
Are there other versions of this scam? - On occasion, someone may steal artwork from other users and pass off a commission sheet as theirs and take commissions that they can’t actually do. They’ll take money and orders but are really not intending to fulfill them.
Anything else? - Sometimes these are art scams where someone says they’ll pay you for using your art in a mural. Unless this comes from a legitimate business account or a real account, this is yet again someone trying a fake check scam.
—
If you found this information useful, feel free to share this post to your friends! If you really appreciate it, I accept pocket change or words of support. Hope this helps! I also post guides on how to spot scam blogs.
Faten’s family We are a family of four girls and two boys from Gaza. At the start of the war, we faced terrifying nights, living in constant fear. We were displaced from our home in northern Gaza due to nearby threats, then again when houses around us were bombed. A third displacement occurred when we were forced to move south, enduring harsh weather, food and water shortages, and health issues. Despite these hardships, we continued to face bombings, and my mother was injured. We lost my eldest brother, Nidal, who stayed in northern Gaza and hasn’t been heard from since November 10, 2023. Our family now struggles with extreme difficulties, including the loss of education and jobs. Our lives and dreams have been shattered. We urgently need help to leave Gaza to continue our studies and ensure our safety. Ke321_kr1,000,000,00
Weam fan My name is Weam. I was in my final year of high school, aiming for a high score to attend university and pursue my dreams. But the war shattered those plans, disrupting my education. We lived in northern Gaza and were displaced multiple times for safety. My family has suffered greatly; my father's shop and our home were destroyed, leaving us without income. My mother has severe back pain from living in tents and urgently needs treatment abroad, as Gaza's healthcare can't provide it. I appeal for your support to help us rebuild our lives. Every contribution matters.£90_£30,000
Mohammed Adel My name is Abdallah, a 23-year-old from Gaza, struggling to survive with my 12-year-old brother, Omar, amid constant attacks. We face daily dangers trying to find food, clean water, and medical supplies. Our resources are scarce, and we've already lost a loved one due to the lack of medical care. We desperately need help to secure basic necessities and survive. Any support you can provide will make a difference in our lives. Thank you for your kindness. €100_€15,000
Jamil Sharaf My name is Jamil Sharaf, and I’m 37 years old. My family and I have been displaced five times since the war in Gaza began on October 7. We now live in a tent on the seashore, struggling with severe shortages of food, water, and medicine. My youngest daughter, Laren, is without milk, and my other children are suffering from health issues due to the lack of clean water and proper shelter. Our home and business were destroyed, leaving us with nothing. Your support and donations can help us rebuild our lives and provide for our children’s basic needs. Thank you for your generosity. $225_€50,000
Hazem Mohammed I am Hazem Mohammed Albardawill. I am 29 years old. I used to live with my small family. My wife is pregnant and my children are Imad and Jad. We are very happy in our lives. On the evening of the black day, October 11, at eight o’clock in the evening, our house was bombed. I did not feel anything. I was taken to the hospital where my injury occurred and I stayed in intensive care for several days. Then after... It was during my coma that I first began to ask about my children and my wife, and when I learned of their martyrdom, and after that I did not feel alive, for my soul had left me. I mean, then, without shelter, without treatment, without work, or family, I felt that I had nothing. Everything was gone with the bombing, even my dreams. Yesterday, my family and neighbors needed to work in order to provide myself with a shelter to help me from the heat and cold of winter, and I need the required treatment in order to return to how I was before the damned war Which left a fire in my heart that will never be extinguished. I do not want the impossible. All I want is for you to provide me with money so that I can provide myself with shelter and treatment. To live a decent life.£375_£20,000
Thank 🥰 you ❤ so much 🇵🇸to every single 🖐one of ❣❣❣you 🥰 ❤🇵🇸 who has helped and contributed to the success of my gfm campaign either through generous donatins🌷🌷🌷 or through ongoing shares❤and reposting❤. it is hghely appreciated that such human and brave stances still exist. 🥰🥰🥰
Due to the tight closure of all exists out of Gaza, prices have blown up and this has of course affected òur financial stability and budget changing all our plans and preparations of evacuation to safety. 😓😓😓
Previously we were trying to gather donations for evacuation purposes but the blockade of Rafah crossing point disabled us to move anywhere, leaving us stuck in the war zone encountering all forms of tortures, pain and suffering.
Hence, we unfortunately got stuck in Gaza due to this sudden incident and now we are swamped ìnto debts forcing us to use the gofundme donations for the daily expenses including food, water, hygiene essentials, and for other purposes. A matter that has forced me to raise our gfm's goal from 35000 to 50000. One can't predict what will happen later! It's a fierce war and lots of innocent victims are paying expensive prices as a tax of the war. ✌🍉🇵🇸
Please , consider our instable circstances and gong - to - the roof living conditions.
# From the river to the sea palestine will be free.
I'm Abdullah from Gaza, new to Tumblr I am collecting donations for my family stuck in Gaza and for my father, a heart patient who needs an urgent operation in Egypt. A lot of people ask me if I've been verified in projects here on Tumblr, so I'll leave you with the projects I've been verified in. My identity has been verified in the Olive Branch Project, so I'm on line 81 in the main menu And I've been verified in the Butterfly Effect Project, so I'm on line 625 I've contacted a few people here on Tumblr to check up on their projects but they haven't checked my messages yet So I hope you can help me and we will reach the goal by September 10th, Thank you
Opeartion Olive Branch 🌱 Line 81 master list
ButterFlyEffect 🦋
Donation camping link 🙏🏻
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me, I will leave all my accounts here:
TIKTOK 👈🏻
INSTAGRAM 185k 👈🏻
my name is Abedalrahman Salem Alhabil, 21 years. I live in Gaza. I ha… Abdullah Salem needs your support for Help my family to evacuate fro
I really wanna bring attention to another fundraiser I trust.
This fundraiser belongs to a man named Hossam Bardawil who has lost so much due to this war. Not only has he lost his material belongings, his job, his home, but more importantly, he's lost his family. His parents and siblings tragically lost their lives, and now Hossam is trying to survive, living out of a tent in horrific conditions.
Now, Hossam is tasked with looking after the remaining family, including his nieces and nephews, as well as their mothers, as they navigate this terrifying world they are in. He's raising funds now to evacuate to safety.
They need $20,000 to evacuate the remaining members of their family, and currently have received less than $100 in donations.
They urgently need your help. Please share and please donate. Even a small amount brings them closer to safety and a life away from the constant fear of death.
Dear Compassionate Hearts,
My name is Walid. Today, I reach out on… Walid AS needs your support for Urgent Relief Needed: Rebuild Hope f
Hello, I hope you and your family are well. Can you please help me recycle the post on my account? 🌺 And help rescue my family from the war in Gaza? 🙏🙏
Hello everyone, I am Karam Al Nabih from Gaza. All my dreams have been shattered now in Gaza. I am a software engineer in my last semester, but now my home, my dreams, and my university have been destroyed.
All my dreams have been destroyed 😞 I hope you share , support and donate
Repoooost & donate please after read my story, that's urgent! 🇵🇸🍉
Please don't skip helping me and my sick mother to rebuild our lives. Any donation, even a small one, will make a difference 🙏🙏
Donate even if it is 10 euros or 15 euros or more، The smallest donation makes a difference in my life
I sincerely appreciate your help and look forward to your continued support🥺❤️
I am stuck in Gaza with my family of 7. My father suffers from heart disease and needs expensive treatment. He also wants to perform an urgent operation in Egypt. His health condition is very critical. I hope you will help me reach the campaign goal within a month. I left the rest of the details in the donation link:
Donation link here 👈🏻
Donate and share, you can save us
I appreciate your effort
Note: that I was verified on line 81 in the main menu of the Olive Branch project and also in the Butterfly Effect project, line 625. Project links in the pinned post 🍉
