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If you’re just getting into pixel art, you’ll need to learn from great pixel artists who are also good teachers. The following pixel art youtubers demonstrate different styles, and they can help you see the breadth of the medium. They also show their processes in a digestible way for beginners. If you’re here from my article Make Pixel Art Assets for Your Indie Game: The Best Resources. I also talk about what these pixel artists are up to nowadays. Lastly, I name who I believe is the King of Pixel Art among youtubers. You’ll want to subscribe to these pixel artists to level up your pixel art!
Brandon James Greer: Accessible & Stylish Pixel Art
The first pixel artist I will talk about is Brandon James Greer. His style (and his video thumbnails) are quite recognizable. His style is particularly accessible to a beginner pixel artist. He works small and demonstrates how to use a small canvas efficiently. His use of color and design also prioritize the readability of his pixel art, which is something all pixel artists need to consider.
A good highlight video is “Reimagining a ‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ scene as pixel art.” He does a lot of re-imagines or game mockups (like the video above) of popular nostalgic games or new shows. His youtube channel is my go-to resource for retro pixel art.
At the moment, Brandon James Greer is working with Nano Park Studios on an indie game. The game is a slice of life delivery game with narrative elements, and it is called “Petal Runner.”
MortMort: One of the First Pixel Art Youtubers
MortMort is a pixel artist that has stopped making pixel art content, but his videos are a gold-mine for the new pixel artist.
His tutorials on pixel art are very engaging and beginner friendly. His videos were the very first videos I could follow along when I was new to pixel art. While his style is fantastic, his teaching abilities are what makes his channel worth a subscribe. MortMort puts his teaching capabilities on full display in his video “Aseprite Guide for Beginners (Pixelart Tutorial).” It is one of the most-watched Aseprite software tutorial on youtube.
His very cool full-time job is the reason he has stopped posting pixel art youtube videos consistently. He is now working at Mojang Studios (aka the studio behind Minecraft). He still works on personal projects consistently and streams his process on MortMort’s twitch. The one for the time being is an unamed go-kart game.
Pixel Pete: Knowledgeable RPG Pixel Artist
Pixel Pete is my go-to pixel art youtuber when I’m trying to draw something very specific. He has 68 videos in his Pixel Art 101 playlist. In it are tutorials on everything, from alpacas to basics like rocks and trees. His channel is especially helpful for people getting into pixel art to make pixel art game assets. I hadn’t seen a simple tutorial on making pixel art furniture until Pixel Pete’s “Pixelart 101 Furniture.” And, pixel art interiors are important for any RPG you might be developing. If you’re interested in pixel art for the purpose of game development, check out my article Make Pixel Art Assets for Your Indie Game: The Best Resources.
Now, Pixel Pete is still uploading pixel art videos and is working on the Last Phoenix, which is a goblin RPG adventure game.
Pixel Overload: Pixel Art Animation Teacher
Pixel Overload is a pixel artist with a mastered style and palette. While he doesn’t have as many videos as some of the other pixel artists on his list, his consistency to his style makes the channel worth subscribing to. He still posts, and watching his videos can help a pixel artist contemplate their own style.
His most watched video is a masterpiece that happens to be the best pixel art animation tutorial on youtube. I would give the video The secrets to good Pixel Art animation! (Animation tutorial).
Saultoons: Entertaining Pixel Artist
Saultoons is a pixel art youtuber that makes really entertaining pixel art content. He engages his community of subscribers and discord members to challenges. His videos are often a mix of a challenges, tutorials, and informational experiences. He is a pixel artist turned game dev, like many on this list. What is most consistent in his videos is his understanding of character design. His video Pixel Art Character Design Tutorial – Step By Step! can help pixel artists looking to create characters in their art or sprites for game assets. He is currently developing a plant platformer, which you can check out on steam: Faceplant.
Penusbmic: Aseprite Animation Wizard
Penusbmic is a pixel artist known for his pixel art sprite designs and his ability to world-build. If you have played any tiny indie games, game jam games, or small self-published games on itch.io, you’ve likely seen his work. His youtube channel has a good number of Aseprite specific tutorials, and I personally find value in his timelapse videos. He also gives handy tips for Aseprite users to give their workflow a turbo boost like in his video Three ASEPRITE extensions you MUST have!
He sells sprite packs and tilesets that are of matching themes on his itch.io. And, in spring of 2024, he released Bullet Bunny, a twin stick shoot-em up with pixel art style.
Adam C Younis: King of All Things Pixel Art
AdamCYounis might be the most prolific of the pixel art youtubers. And, he has such a breadth of knowledge when it comes to pixel art. He has videos on softwares, workflows, pixel art styles, pixel art animation, game development, pixel art theory, game devlogs, etc. He might have the deepest understanding of pixel art among the youtubers I’ve suggested. His content is detail oriented and best for beginner pixel artists looking to make the leap into intermediate pixel artists. A good video that captures his teaching style is Pixel Art Class – Art Styles for Indie Games.
He has a really active community on his twitch where he streams the development of current projects in a series called Indie Tales. He has launched one game from his studio Uppon Hill called Arrowbound on GooglePlay. Launching on mobile is quite a feat to for indie developers. And he is currently working on Insignia, a pixel art action adventure.
Keep your notifications on for these pixel art YouTubers’ channels to learn pixel art quickly and go from beginner to intermediate in no time! And once you get the hang of pixel art, you might fall into the pixel artist to game developer pipeline! Check out my article GB Studio: The Best No Code Game Engine For Beginners once you’re ready to start developing games!
