ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the techniques and guidelines on how to approach pixel art and how to go about animating. The ‘rules’ of pixel art originated from the restrictions of the hardware which could only display 8-bit or 16-bit graphics in the past. If a game wished to display any graphics, pixel art was the only option. A beautiful scenic waterfall drawn by one of the pioneers of pixel art, Mark Ferrari, gives the illusion of an animated, moving waterfall. However, the twist was that he did not animate his pixels individually. It is in fact produced by colour cycling each pixel of the water, resulting in a wave of smooth transiting colours that resembles a life-like, realistic waterfall. Some skilled pixel artists even use unexpected colours in the shading within their sprites, using complementary colours to produce an enticing artwork. A beautiful scenic waterfall drawn by one of the pioneers of pixel art, Mark Ferrari, gives the illusion of an animated, moving waterfall.
