With Krea
How to make pixel art for your game hero
This course teaches your kid how to make pixel art for a game hero, one square at a time on grid paper. Krea hosts four short films: one square, one color; outline then fill; light and shadow; and a walk with an I won pose. Plan about 4 minutes of films and 45–60 minutes of drawing.
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What your kid makes
Your kid ends with a 16 by 16 pixel-art hero with an outline, four colors, light and shadow, two walking frames, and an I won pose. The hero is ready to star in a game.
- Ages
- 6 to 13
- Time
- 4 films, about 4 minutes, then 45–60 minutes of drawing
- You need
- Grid paper, or plain paper and a ruler, a dark pencil, four colored pencils or markers
- Host
- Krea
The 4 lessons
Lesson 1. One square, one color
Every square gets one color, and little steps make a curve.
- Get grid paper, or rule a grid
- Draw a heart, one square at a time
- Fill every square
Where: Paper
Lesson 2. Outline, then fill
A dark outline first, then four colors, makes a hero that reads at a glance.
- Count a box of 16 by 16 squares
- Outline the hero in dark pencil
- Fill it with four colors
Where: Paper
Lesson 3. Light and shadow
Light squares face the sun, and dark squares sit on the other side.
- Draw a sun in the corner
- Add light squares on the sunny side
- Add dark squares on the shady side
Where: Paper
Lesson 4. Make it move
Two walking pictures where only the legs change make the hero walk.
- Draw two walking pictures
- Draw an I won pose
- Show your hero walking to someone
Where: Paper
Take the quiz
Krea asks 3 questions about the films. Get 2 right and you finish the course.
Lesson 1 transcript: One square, one color
Hi, I'm Krea! Lots of heroes in old video games are made of tiny squares. Today, you make one!
Those squares are called pixels. Pixel art is drawing with squares, one at a time.
You need grid paper. No grid paper? Draw lines with a ruler. Across, and then down.
Here's the one rule. One square, one color. Fill the whole square. No half squares!
Want a curve? Make little steps. From far away, the steps look round.
Let's warm up with a heart. Fill it in, row by row. Ta-da!
Your turn. Get grid paper. Draw a heart, one square at a time. Fill every square. Then press Next.
Free guides to practise with
Questions parents ask
Do we need special grid paper?
No. Grid paper is easiest, and a ruler and plain paper work too. The first film shows how to draw the lines.
Is pixel art on paper or on a screen?
On paper. Every lesson is drawn by hand, square by square. The hero can go into a game later, after the drawing is done.
How long does it take?
The four films take about 4 minutes. A full hero with a walk takes about 45–60 minutes of drawing.