RMN PIXEL ART CONTEST #2

author=Blitzen link=topic=4018.msg81571#msg81571 date=1245445802

Just because something was made in MS Paint and is made up of hard pixels does NOT mean that it is a pixel art piece.

I disagree, pixel-by-pixel drawing and a limited palette are basically the only rules to pixel art... right?

Yes, and a giant picture in MS Paint doesn't necessarily qualify for that. Using the pencil tool and just drawing isn't pixel art neither is using the spray can tool (which appears to have been used in Clest's winning entry). Zooming in and placing each pixel individually and purposely is pixel art.

Obviously it's not something that's so easy to define, and things can probably be classified as pixel art yet still be "less" pixel-arty than others, if that makes sense. It's about the methods much more than it is about the product itself. In most cases, ultimately the end result is what matters, and the methods it takes to get there doesn't matter. But when it's a competition specifically for pixel art skill, it's that kind of thing precisely that does matter.

Also, I don't see why someone can't do a 800x800 mockup piece if they want. It would show they have the panache to take on a canvas of that size.

You're absolutely right. I meant that by stating 800x800 as a maximum would make people want to shoot for that as a goal, which is absolutely ridiculous. A single 800x800 image is nearly unfathomable to a lot of people who are dedicated pixel artists, let alone the beginner. I wasn't saying that people shouldn't have the option to make something that large, but that the mere mention of those numbers would mess with the scale that people have in their minds. I personally think that there should be no maximum dimensions at all, and I'm glad that the contest rules have been updated to agree with this point of view.

I just want to help make the contest more fair and more in like with what the major pixeling websites think of the art form, while keeping in mind the game-design applications of sprites as well.

PS. Note that the Wikipedia pages for Pixel Art (and much more so for the Spriting Page) are pretty much run by the ripping communities and they are pretty skewed in their focus. The fact that the Spriting page has such a focus on ripping graphics should be enough proof of that. For the most part actual spriters have given up on the pages because the sheer numbers of the rippers make it impossible to fix.