Pixel Art Maker
Draw pixel art in your browser, one pixel at a time. Free, no sign-up, and your drawing is saved on your device as you go.
Untitled drawing
32 × 32 pixels · 0 colors
Pencil. Click or drag to draw. Right-click erases. Shift-click draws a straight line from the last point.
How to make pixel art
Four steps, with nothing to install and no account to create.
- 1
Pick a canvas size
Start with 16×16 or 32×32 for icons and game characters, or set any size up to 256 × 256. You can resize later, and your drawing stays centered.
- 2
Choose your colors
Pick from retro palettes like PICO-8 and Endesga 32, one of your own palettes, or any color with the color picker or a hex code.
- 3
Draw, fill and refine
Block in big shapes with the rectangle, ellipse and fill tools, then fix details pixel by pixel with the pencil. Undo anything with Ctrl+Z.
- 4
Download your art
Save a sharp PNG at up to 64× size, with or without grid lines, copy it to the clipboard, or get a printable pattern with color codes.
Rather start from a photo? Turn an image into pixel art and click “Edit pixels” to finish it here.
A simple pixel art editor with everything you need
All the tools you need
Pencil, eraser, fill, color picker, line, rectangle and ellipse, with brush sizes from 1 to 4 pixels and outlined or filled shapes.
Mirror drawing
Turn on left-right or top-bottom mirroring and everything you draw is copied to the other side. Perfect for faces, characters and icons.
Retro and custom palettes
Draw with classic palettes like Game Boy, PICO-8 and Commodore 64, or create your own and import any palette from Lospec.
Undo up to 100 steps
Experiment freely. Undo and redo every stroke, fill, resize and flip.
Saved as you draw
Your drawing is saved in your browser automatically, so a closed tab or a reload doesn't lose your work. Nothing is uploaded.
Start from a picture
Open pixel art to edit it pixel for pixel, or convert a photo first and click “Edit pixels” to touch it up by hand.
Sharp downloads and patterns
Download a crisp PNG at up to 64× size with a transparent background, or a printable pattern for beads, cross-stitch and crochet.
Works on phones and tablets
Draw with a finger or a stylus. Pinch with two fingers to zoom and move around, just like a photo.
Tools and keyboard shortcuts
Press a letter to switch tools without leaving the canvas.
| Tool | Key | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Pencil | B | Click or drag to draw. Right-click erases. Shift-click draws a straight line from the last point. |
| Eraser | E | Click or drag to make pixels transparent. |
| Fill | G | Click to fill an area of one color. Right-click fills with transparency. |
| Color picker | I | Click a pixel to draw with its color. Tip: hold Alt with any tool to pick. |
| Line | L | Drag to draw a straight line. Hold Shift for flat, upright or 45° lines. |
| Rectangle | R | Drag to draw a rectangle. Hold Shift for a square. |
| Ellipse | O | Drag to draw an ellipse. Hold Shift for a circle. |
| Move view | H | Drag to move around. You can also hold Space, or drag with two fingers. |
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Z | Undo (⌘Z on a Mac) |
| Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y | Redo |
| [ and ] | Smaller or bigger brush |
| + and −, or scroll | Zoom in and out |
| 0 | Fit the drawing to the screen |
| Hold Space and drag | Move around the canvas |
| Hold Alt and click | Pick a color with any tool |
| Right-click | Erase with the pencil, fill or shape tools |
| Shift-click | Pencil: draw a straight line from the last point |
Pixel art tips for beginners
A few habits that make the biggest difference to hand-drawn pixel art.
- 01
Start small
A 16×16 or 32×32 canvas forces you to keep only what matters, and you'll finish something in minutes. Go bigger once you're comfortable.
- 02
Get the silhouette right first
Fill in the overall shape in one flat color before adding any detail. If the shape is recognizable as a solid blob, the finished sprite will read well too.
- 03
Use a small palette
Most great pixel art uses a handful of colors. Pick a palette like PICO-8 (16 colors) or Game Boy (4 colors) and the limits will make your art look more consistent.
- 04
Keep lines smooth
A line looks smooth when its steps change length evenly, such as 3-3-3 or 3-2-1, and jagged when they jump around, such as 1-3-1-2. The line tool spaces its steps as evenly as possible.
- 05
Shade with a light source
Pick one direction the light comes from and keep lighter colors on that side and darker colors opposite. Avoid “pillow shading”, where everything gets darker toward the edges.
- 06
Shift the hue, not just the brightness
Shadows look richer when they lean slightly toward blue or purple, and highlights when they lean toward yellow, instead of just mixing in black and white.
What canvas size should you use?
Smaller canvases are quicker and look more retro. Bigger ones leave room for detail.
| Canvas (pixels) | Best for |
|---|---|
| 8×8 | Tiny icons, cursor shapes and very small tiles. A good challenge for beginners. |
| 16×16 | Classic game items, tiles, favicons and small characters, in the style of 8-bit games. |
| 32×32 | Game characters and sprites, avatars, emotes and app icons. The most popular size. |
| 64×64 | Detailed characters, portraits and profile pictures with room for shading. |
| 128×128 and up | Scenes, backgrounds and illustrations. Plan for more time, as every pixel is placed by hand. |
Frequently asked questions
Is this pixel art maker free?
Yes. It's completely free with no sign-up, no watermark and no limits on how many drawings you make or download. You can use your pixel art in personal and commercial projects.
Is my drawing saved?
Yes. Your current drawing is saved automatically in your browser's local storage, so it's still there if you reload or come back later on the same device and browser. It's never uploaded. Clearing your browser data or using a private window removes it, so download a PNG to keep a permanent copy.
Can I turn a photo into pixel art and then edit it?
Yes. Use the image to pixel art converter to choose the size and colors, then click “Edit pixels” above the preview to open the result here and touch it up by hand. You can also click “Open” to load any picture: images up to 256 × 256 pixels open pixel for pixel, and bigger ones are shrunk to 64 pixels on their longest side.
How do I make a transparent background?
The canvas starts out transparent (the gray checkerboard), and anything you erase becomes transparent again. Downloaded PNGs keep the transparency, so your art can sit on any background in a game, website or video.
What size should I use for game sprites?
16×16 and 32×32 are the most common sizes for characters, items and tiles, and many games use a single size for everything so the art matches. Download at 1× to import the sprite into a game engine, and set the engine's texture filter to nearest neighbor (sometimes called “point” or “no filter”) so it stays sharp.
How do I download my pixel art bigger without blurring it?
Choose a size from the Size menu next to the Download button, from 1× up to 64×. Each pixel becomes a sharp square of that many screen pixels, so the art stays crisp at any size. Turn on “Grid lines” to outline every pixel.
Can I make a pattern for perler beads, cross-stitch or crochet?
Yes. Click “Create a pattern” below the canvas to download a printable PDF or PNG with numbered rows and columns, a code in every square and a color key that counts how many squares use each color.
Does it work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. Draw with one finger or a stylus, and pinch with two fingers to zoom and move around. If a second finger lands while you're drawing, that stroke is undone so you don't get stray pixels.