How to Create Pixel Art in Illustrator: Quickly and Easily Way

Last Updated: 2025-12-16 10:44:52

Pixel art is a style of digital illustration where images are built one tiny square at a time, with each pixel placed and colored deliberately. This art evokes the classic 8-bit and 16-bit video game aesthetic, offering an iconic retro look. Most people use Adobe Illustrator to create these retro-based logos, icons, illustrations, and interfaces. If you are exploring how to create pixel art in Illustrator, then you are in the right place. This article also covers a beginner-friendly alternative to creating illustrations efficiently and effectively.

Part 1. What is Pixel Art?

Pixel art is a form of digital art in which images are created by placing and editing each pixel separately. This art form uses low color resolutions and a limited color palette to give a blocky appearance for gaming interfaces. Furthermore, pixeled artists typically work on smaller canvas sizes, making it easier to craft expressive, detailed visuals through careful pixel placement.

Part 2. How to Make Pixel Art in Illustrator - Using Shapes and Grids

Within Adobe Illustrator, users align the grids for pixel art to easily maintain accuracy throughout the artwork. Once you choose the pixel size, you can duplicate it to speed up your pixel art workflow. As the artwork is created with vector shapes on a grid, you can even edit all the pixels by selecting them together. If you are exploring how to make pixel art in Illustrator, then go through the following detailed guide:

Step 1.After entering Adobe Illustrator, open a blank canvas for creating pixel art. Click the "View" menu and choose the "Show Grid" option in the drop-down menu.
Step 2.Following this, choose the "Illustrator" option and select the "Settings" option. Now, click the "Guides & Grid" option from the drop-down menu.
Step 3.Now, go to the "View" menu again and select the "Snap to Grid" option in the pop-up menu.
Step 4.Here, choose the "Rectangle Tool" from the left toolbar to start creating pixel art.
Step 5.Now, zoom the canvas to the desired ratio and start creating rectangle boxes for your artwork.
Step 6.Finally, start adding colors to the rectangular boxes and duplicate them to begin creating pixel art.

Part 3. How to draw Pixel Art in Illustrator - 8-Bit Art

Besides basic pixel art by creating rectangles, you can also create 8-bit art by uploading your desired sketches. With this method, you simply trace the boxes on the art to get an instant retro-gaming effect. The plus point is that you can easily draw precise facial features, such as eyes, mouths, and more. So, let's explore the following detailed guide to know how to draw pixel art in Illustrator:

Step 1.Upon launching Adobe Illustrator, click on the "File" menu, choose "Document Color Mode" and select "RGB" color.
Step 2.Here, drag and drop your desired artwork or sketch from your device to this editing software.
Step 3.After selecting the image, click the "3 Lines" in the right bar and choose the "Show Embedded" option.
Step 4.Here, click on the "Object" menu and select the "Create Object Mosaic" option.
Step 5.After this, set the "Width" and the "Height," then click the "OK" button to save the changes.
Step 6.Now, your art will start looking like 8-bit pixel art. Choose "Selection" tool from the left toolbar and go for the "Group Selection option" to choose the complete diagram.
Step 7.Here, click the "Select" menu, choose the "Same" option, and then select the "Fill Color" option. Afterwards, tap on the "Share" button to export the pixel art to the device folder.

Part 4. Limitations Faced: Create Pixel Art in Illustrator

While knowing how to make pixel-perfect in Illustrator, know that it also has limitations you should look into before making it:

1. Steep Learning Curve:Being an advanced tool, it has many panels, modes, and settings that require extreme technical knowledge.
2. Time-Consuming Process:In Adobe Illustrator, users manually place and duplicate small squares, carefully aligning them, which is a time-consuming process.
3. Lacks Built-In Pixel Tools:Illustrator is designed for scalable vector graphics, so it does not offer native per-pixel editing
4. Limited Control:It does not provide advanced features like indexed color palettes or palette swapping, which limits this tool.
5. File Complexity:While handling pixel boxes in larger files, this system can slow down or make the file heavy.

Part 5. Transform Your Illustrator Projects: Create Pixel Art Effortlessly with HitPaw FotorPea

Suppose you are a freelancer who is working on a retro-themed mobile game. You have sketched icons and vectors, but when you are unable to pixelate them manually, it will take hours. In this situation, we recommend using HitPaw FotorPea (formerly HitPaw Photo Enhancer), which provides an advanced AI generator. You simply add your artwork and insert a prompt to create retro-style artwork in no time.

Key Features

1.Let you choose between Image2Image and Text2Image modes for easy pixel art creation.
2.Provides various models, including the latest Nano Banana Pro model for professional pixel art generation.
3.Allows you to select the desired image aspect ratio based on your target platforms.
4.Provides a BG remover to remove unwanted elements from the pixel art image.
5.Offers to stabilize the blurred images using its Stabilize mobile shots feature.

Guide to Create Pixel and 8-Bit Art Easily with HitPaw FotorPea

To know how to make pixel art in Adobe Illustrator, let's explore a detailed stepwise guide to use the AI Generator of HitPaw FotorPea:

Step 1. Choose the Efficient AI Generator of FotorPea

Upon entering the tool, click on the "Nano Banana Pro" option available on its main interface.

Step 2. Select Text2Image mode and Insert Desired Prompt

Here, choose "Text2Image" mode and add the desired prompt for retro-image generation. Following this, select the desired model and hit the "Generate" button.

Step 3. Save The Generated Outcome to the Device Folder

Finally, the retro-style 8-bit image is generated, which can be exported using the "Download" button.

FAQs on How to Create Pixel Art in Illustrator

1. What is the best canvas size for pixel art in Illustrator?

There is no specific canvas size, but many pixel artists start with a small one, like 16×16 or 32×32 pixels. Furthermore, if you are creating scenes with backgrounds, opt for 320×180 or 640×360 for HD-quality results.

2. Can I animate pixel art created in Illustrator?

Illustrator itself isn't built for frame‑by‑frame animation, but you can animate them by exporting them frame-by-frame. For this workflow, you need to export frames as separate images and animate them with tools like After Effects.

3. Are there free alternatives to Illustrator for pixel art?

Yes, there are numerous alternatives you can choose to create instant pixel art. Users can opt for HitPaw FotorPea, which lets you generate instant pixel art by just specifying a prompt.

Conclusion

Summing up, this article has covered all the necessary information to answer how to create pixel art in Illustrator. After exploring the Illustrator workflow, if you find it difficult, we recommend using HitPaw FotorPea. This tool provides an efficient AI generator that produces instant retro-style 8-bit artwork in seconds.