What are pixels?
Pixels, or picture elements, are the smallest points of visual components on a digital image. They may be dots, lines, or other kinds of shapes. On a digital screen, the colors of pixels are made by combining a mix of blue, green, and red. The more pixels used to represent an image, the closer the result can resemble the original.
- The Art of the PixelArticle from Gale in Context: Elementary
Pixel Art
The concept of "pixel art" can be understood in terms of how images are made using Perler beads and sticky note art. The drawing space is separated into small boxes, or grids. Each "box" in the drawing is represented by one color, or picture element. All together, the colored boxes give the appearance of an image.
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| "Perler Bead Helicopter" by Kid's Birthday Parties is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0 | "Sticky Note Mario" by Patrick Gensel is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 |
Create!
Create a pixel art drawing. Submit your project below!
Links
Digital Tools
Tutorials & Activities
- Information Transfer - PixelsVideo from Generation Genius
- Pixel Science: Weekly Science Project Idea and Home Science Activity SpotlightActivity from Science Buddies
- Passion for PixelsActivity from SciGirls/PBS Kids Go
- All About PixelsLesson plan from Stick Together
Perler Bead Patterns
Community Project
Work with others to complete a virtual stickerboard! Each person can color in 250 squares per day. What will the final image reveal? How is this activity like pixel art?
How to color the board:
- Go to letstick.to/session/1719b322
- Select a color from the key located to the right of the image. (Each color is labeled with a unique letter.)
- Find the corresponding letter on the drawing board and click on each box containing the letter. The boxes will fill in with the color you select.
Recommended Books
Make Your Own Pixel Art by Call Number: T385 .D424 2019ISBN: 9781593278861Publication Date: 2019-03-12Hand anyone a pencil and paper and they can start drawing, but it's just as easy to draw digitally using a keyboard and mouse. With Make Your Own Pixel Art, pixel artist Jennifer Dawe and game designer Matthew Humphries walk you step-by-step through the available tools, pixel art techniques, the importance of shapes, colours, shading, and how to turn your art into animation. By the end of the book, you'll be creating art far beyond what's possible on paper!
