Introduction to GIMP Pixel Art
As you can understand by name pixel, Pixel art is an art that creates on per pixel oF any document area, and it is generally used for designing of character and object of video games. We have a very limited color range from color pallet to use them for creating pixel art characters and objects. In GIMP, pixel art can also create by just using some tools of the tool panel as well as we have to do some settings for getting 1 x 1 pixel on the document area. So let us have a good discussion about it.
How to create Pixel Art in GIMP?
Let us have a document for making a pixel art character because we will understand pixel art by design a character. So go to the File menu of the Menu bar and click on it, then click on the ‘New’ option of scroll down list.
Once you click, you will have this dialog box. Settings of this dialog box play a major role in pixel art, so keep your mind on it.
For pixel art, we generally take 60 x 60 or 64 x 64 document size. You can take less size also. We do that for having pixel on our document, and once we have a pixel, we can easily draw an art work pixel by pixel. I will take 60 x 60 as my document size.
And make sure you select pixels in the unit of document size values.
Now go to the advance settings of this box and set the resolution as 72.
These were very important settings. So do that very carefully. Now we will get this type of document, which is very small.
We will create our character of pixel art on a transparent layer so that we can use it on any background. So click on Create New button of the layer panel for having a new layer above this white filled layer.
Now choose the transparency option in this dialog box and hit Ok.
We are using a white background layer just for having suitability during the drawing of pixel art. Now let us zoom in on a document for seeing it properly.
Pixel art has the symmetrical design of any object so let us have a grid line to divide this document in two half horizontally and vertically. So for that, go to the Image menu and go to the Guides option, then click on New Guide (by Percent) option.
Then take the position value of horizontal guide at 50 % of document size and hit Ok.
You will have this type of guide now.
Again go with the same option, and this time, choose vertical in this box and with 50 % value, hit Ok.
Now our symmetrical guide is ready.
Now go to the View menu and click on the Show Grid option of scroll down list for having a grid on our document.
And you will get your grid lines. This is not grid size, which we need for pixel art. Our requirement is 1×1 pixel size for pixel art, so if you get this type of large guide.
Then go to the Preferences option of the Edit menu.
Click on the Default Grid option of this dialog box and set values of horizontal and vertical as 1, then hit Ok.
If you do not get your set value of the grid, then close GIMP and restart it; then, you will have this type of grid which is 1 x 1-pixel size.
We use a pencil tool to draw pixel art pixel art because if you use a brush tool, it gives you a feather in stroke, which will not create a pixel. So take a pencil tool.
Take the size of the pencil tip as 1 so that I cover only 1 pixel in one click. If you increase the size of the pencil tip, it will cover more than one pixel according to size at a time. So this is a very important point during working on pixel art.
Now click on the square block of this grid. These blocks are indicating pixels. One block indicates one pixel, and once you make click with the pencil tool, it will draw like this.
If you want to delete any drawn pixel, then take the Eraser tool.
And make click on undesired pixels, but you will notice it will not erase pixel in one click. It just fades it, and when you make it again and again, click on that one pixel, then it will remove from that area.
For erasing in once click with erase tool just make some settings in a parameter of the eraser tool. Make Fade length value of its parameter as 0.
And enable the ‘Hard edge’ option also.
Now again, click on your desired pixel, which you want to remove, and this time pixel will remove in one click of the eraser tool.
Now let us draw a character by using the pixel art method. Take Ellipse select tool.
And enable the Antialiasing option of this tool because we don’t need smoothness in our pixel art work.
Now make this circle and adjust it at the center of the grid crossing.
Now go to the Path tab and click on the Selection to Path button of the path’s tab for having a path on this circle selection.
And enable the eye button in the path’s tab for seeing the path around this circle.
Now take the Path tool.
And click on the circle path with this tool, then click on the Stroke Path option of parameters of this tool.
Choose Pencil in Paint tool option.
You can choose your desired color before the hit on Ok.
Now you will have this stroke in a pixel-like this.
You can notice we have an equal number of pixels on both sides of the grid except one; this is due to the curve of the circle. You can delete it because pixel art needs symmetry.
Now just move your pencil tool on a pixel to fill color on them by maintaining symmetry.
Sometimes there is no option for making symmetric pixels on both sides, then don’t worry; leave one pixel color there.
I made this by using the pixel art method.
Conclusion
You must find great enjoyment in learning pixel art, and now you are excited to do that in your own GIMP software, so go and try this for having good command on this feature of GIMP because by this article you have good knowledge about its parameters.
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