Free Pixel Art Maker — right in your browser

Pick a canvas size, draw pixel by pixel, and export crisp PNGs, GIFs, or sprite sheets. No download, no sign-up, no watermark.

Make Pixel Art Now

How to make pixel art in 5 steps

Choose a small canvas. 16x16 or 32x32 is the classic size for characters, items, and icons. Small canvases force you to decide what matters, which is what makes pixel art readable.
Block in the silhouette. Use the pencil at 1px and a single dark color to draw the outline. Squint at it — if the shape reads at a glance, you're on track.
Fill base colors. The fill bucket drops flat color into each area. Keep your palette small: 4–8 colors is plenty for a first piece.
Add light and shadow. Pick one light direction and add a darker shade on the opposite side and a lighter one facing the light. Use the eye dropper to reuse colors you already have.
Clean up and export. Remove stray pixels, smooth jagged lines, then export as PNG at 4x or 8x so every pixel stays a crisp square.

Tips that make pixel art look better

Use a limited palette. Start from the built-in NES palette, or save your own palette to keep colors consistent across a whole set of sprites.
Turn on mirror drawing for faces, characters, and items that are symmetrical — draw one side and the other appears automatically.
Use layers to keep the outline, colors, and shading separate so you can fix one without redrawing the rest.
Turn on the grid when you're placing single pixels, and zoom out often to see the piece at its real size.

What you can make

Game sprites and tiles

Characters, enemies, items, and tiles at 8x8, 16x16, 32x32, or 64x64. Export PNGs or sprite sheets ready for Unity, Godot, or GameMaker.

Icons, avatars, and emotes

Draw a profile picture or emote on a tiny canvas, then export it scaled up so it stays sharp anywhere you post it.

Animated pixel art

When you're ready, add frames and turn your drawing into an animation. See the pixel animation maker guide.

Pixel art maker FAQ

Is this pixel art maker free?

Yes. SpritePaint is completely free, with no watermarks on exports and no account required.

What size should my pixel art be?

Start small. 16x16 and 32x32 are the most common sizes for game characters and icons. Any size from 2x2 up to 500x500 is supported, and you can resize later.

How do I save pixel art without it looking blurry?

Export at a whole-number scale such as 4x or 8x. SpritePaint scales every pixel into a crisp square, so the result stays sharp when you post or print it.

Will my drawing be saved?

Your work auto-saves in your browser. You can also download a .spritepaint project file to back it up or move it to another computer.

Make your first pixel art

Opens instantly in your browser. Nothing to install.

Start Drawing