Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Pixel Paintings

I get a lot of recognition for my pixel paintings. I paint all of these on hard masonite board, it makes the surface a little easier to work with since it's hard and perfectly flat. I use M Graham acrylics for all my paintings, they are very viscous and full of pigment, making strong marks on the board.

They take a lot of effort, I have to rule out squares across the masonite, then start marking out squares from a printed reference sprite image. I need to mix colors to get an proximate match to the original sprite. Then the pixels are painted with fine brushes to keep crisp squares. I take a lot of time and effort into these projects, and that's why I think they stand out from the others who have attempted pixel painting. I've seen people who use poor quality paint, I've seen people not paint with precision, I've seen people who rush the painting. Pixel paintings above all are not jobs that can be rushed, they are too intricate.

So far, I've done five pixel paintings, and I have one in the works. Out of the five complete, I've sold two. The largest painting was the Ryu Street Fighter painting, measuring at 4' x 3'. The smallest have been Boo and the One-Up Mushroom, measuring at 9" x 12". Raccoon Mario is 16"x20" and I enjoy that size best, it makes for just enough size for a decent sized sprite. I usually work with smaller sprites, as you can see from Street Fighter, those characters in that game take up a good 50% of the screen, hence why the masonite had to be so huge.

Boo, Raccoon Mario, and Thwomp are still available for sale on my Etsy shop, and I'm willing to do commissions of all kinds, from pixel paintings, to my standard style.


For Sale - 16"x20" - $75


Sold - 9"x12"


For Sale - 16"x20" - $75


For Sale - 9"x12" - $35


Sold - 4'x3'

I dare you to check Etsy, and see if you can find someone with comparable pixel painting work. I doubt anyone takes the time in their paintings like I do, I doubt they are as meticulous, and I'm sure the paint isn't as vibrant.