Plus UI Design · Practical guides

Create a small pixel-art palette study

Practice shape and contrast with a deliberately small canvas and a limited set of colors.

Set a small constraint

Choose one object and a compact canvas. Start with a silhouette that reads without shading. Limiting the palette makes it easier to see whether the shape communicates the subject before adding decorative details.

Add a light and shadow role

Choose colors for the base, highlight and shadow rather than picking many unrelated shades. Compare the artwork at its normal display size and at a larger nearest-neighbor preview. Each pixel should support the shape or material.

Explain the source

Save the editable JSON and record the canvas dimensions and palette choices. If you share it on PixelArt Cloud, describe the exercise so another creator can learn from the decisions instead of seeing only a finished preview.

Example to adapt

Palette role    Example
Background      Deep blue
Object base     Muted teal
Shadow          Dark teal
Highlight       Pale mint