I've always wanted to learn how to draw pixel art. I grew up on the adventure games of the 1990s, but even beyond the nostalgic appeal I find the idea of creating art within limitations deeply compelling. It's the same reason I enjoy structured poetic forms, writing exercises, or even the 140-character limit of Twitter.
But I'm no artist, and I've never really been sure where to start. So it was with great interest that I read about the Kickstarter for Pixel Art Academy, an adventure game about attending a school to learn pixel art, which actually teaches you pixel art.
You play as a student at the Retropolis Academy of Art, a school that welcomes both experienced illustrators and amateurs. You'll be given tasks—watch a video, read an article, make a drawing—that teach you about basic tools and skills, or assigned to create certain types of art and then upload your creations.
Created by Matej "Retro" Jan, Pixel Art Academy will run in your browser, and also be a multiplayer game, which means that you'll be able to share your work with other students and see theirs as well. The Kickstarter campaign has already been funded 22 times over, and you can get your own copy—due out in January 2016—by backing it for $10.
The Offworld Collection, presenting the very best features and essays from Offworld, is finally available to buy directly from Campo Santo for $40. I had the pleasure of designing and illustrating this splendid 250-page hardcover volume, but it’s the excellent writing, edited by Leigh Alexander and Laura Hudson, that makes it an essential buy. You […]
This holiday season, give the delivery man a break. Who needs the extra cost and uncertainty of shipping anyway? Here are 10-holiday gifts that cut out the middleman and go straight to the nicest ones on your Christmas list. Winc Wine Delivery Okay, we might be cheating a little with this first one, but a […]
For some folks, writing notes by hand is just plain easier, but having to re-type them later can be a huge bore, not to mention time-sink. The guys from Rocketbook successfully merged the best parts of analog and digital note-taking with their Everlast notebook awhile back. And now, that tech just got a lot more […]
There are fast-paced card games, and some of them even require enough dexterity for a mini-workout (like Skip-Bo or Snap). But there’s nothing quite like the Mokuru® Card Game, which uses an already addictive fidget toy as the centerpiece for a cutthroat game of tabletop challenges. The game is named for the toy that gets […]
