In this easy pixel tutorial you will learn how to create a pixel art dolphin! We will go over the different steps it takes to make your very own dolphin made out of pixels!

How to Make a Pixel Art Dolphin for Beginners

Are you ready to design your own pixel art dolphin? Learning how to draw a cute pixel art dolphin is more popular than ever! Whether you’re looking to create a simple pixel art dolphin sprite for your video game or maybe you just want to share a fresh new pixel art dolphin graphic as part of your ocean art collection on social media, this pixel art tutorial will help you make a pixel dolphin fast and easy.

How to Make a Pixel Art Dolphin

These are the basic steps for how to make a pixel art dolphin:

  1. Select a Pixel Art Software such as Adobe Photoshop, Mega Voxels or Aseprite
  2. Create a 32×32 pixel grid
  3. Sketch out an Outline for the shape of the dolphin
  4. Fill in the color of the pixel art dolphin
  5. Draw a Shade on the dolphin to create depth
  6. Fill in the Background with Color

Now that you are familiar with the basic steps on how to create a pixel art dolphin, we will cover each step visually so that you can follow along on how to create it.

If you are completely new to pixel art we recommend reading our post How to Create Pixel Art: Beginner’s Tutorial

Select a Pixel Art Software

In this beginner tutorial we will be showing you the steps to design your own pixel art dolphin using a pixel editor software. Before we begin you will need to know how to create a grid and use the pencil tool in Mega Voxels. Once you create your pixel art dolphin, you can use the pixel art in other games such as Minecraft or software such as the Unity Game Engine. In this tutorial we will be using the Mega Voxels Pixel Editor. We offer tutorials on how to use the Mega Voxels Pixel Art editor below:

Want to see what pixel art software is best for you? Read our post Top Free Pixel Art Software

Create a Grid

To begin we will be using a simple 32×32 pixel grid to draw a small pixel art dolphin. Making 32×32 pixel art is a common size when making pixel art, especially for projects like video games. Be sure that your canvas is set to the color White (#FFFFFF). This will be our canvas that we use to draw our pixel art dolphin on. Your dolphin pixel art grid should have a canvas, also known as a spreadsheet, that looks something similar to this::

A blank canvas for drawing the pixel art dolphin

Sketch an Outline for the Dolphin

Next we will start by making the outline for the dolphin so we can get the overall shape for our pixel dolphin. To do this choose the color Black (#000000) and activate the pencil tool in your editor. Since this determines the overall shape, feel free to adjust the outline to what match your game or art project. As a guide, you can use the outline we made below for your dolphin or like we mentioned before feel free to design your own.

An outline of the pixel art dolphin grid similar to a spreadsheet

Fill in the Color

Now that you made an outline for your pixel art dolphin, we will add some color to make it stand out. Fill in the main section of the dolphin a blue color (#C32778). Try matching our picture of our 8 bit pixel art dolphin below.

Simple pixel art dolphin with solid colors

Draw the Shading

So whenever you create pixel art there are essentially two parts to shading: the highlights and the shadows. We will start with the shadows. We will be applying a shadow to our 32×32 pixel art dolphin using a single color. This color will be applied to the bottom of the dolphin top and and the bottom of the dolphin base. Remember, to create a shadow color for the dolphin we will use a darker blue based on the color we used before (#AB2269). Try to match where we put the shadows in the image below.

32x32 Pixel art dolphin with shadows to give depth to the dolphin

So now that you got the basic idea we will continue adding some depth to our dolphin to give it a 3D feel. Let’s create a highlight using the same red pink from the top, but instead of going darker this time we will go lighter (#E13A90). Remember, this doesn’t have to be the exact color in fact this is an opportunity to make the dolphin look like your own. In our version we highlighted the top section of the dolphin and added another lighter color for the belly. Use our image as a guide for your dolphin.

Adding highlights to the 8 bit pixel dolphin

Great! When you are happy with your shadows and highlights on your dolphin, be sure to view your final image. To see your pixel art dolphin go ahead and turn off the grid lines to make sure you like the way the dolphin came out.

Kawaii pixel art dolphin on a transparent background

Fill the Background Color

Finally, let’s change the background color of our dolphin sprite to really make our dolphin stand out nicely. Select the Bucket fill tool in your editor. For the color enter a very Light Blue (#BCEAFE). Then simply click on the white area outside of the pixel dolphin.

Cute Pixel Art dolphin on Blue Background

Where to Go From Here

Congratulations! You now know how to create your very own pixel art dolphin. Try making different colors of dolphins to make your own fairy tale scene.

Bonus: Make a 3D Pixel Art Dolphin

3D Pixel Art Dolphin

Now that you have drawn your own pixel art dolphin, you can turn it 3D with Mega Voxels. Mega Voxels contains a 3D Pixel Art Maker that allows you to convert traditional 2D pixels into 3D pixels. Simply download the free Mega Voxels app for iOS or Android.

Then import the pixel art you just made using the Add File button inside of the My Gallery page. And that’s it! Mega Voxels automatically transforms you pixel art dolphin into a 3D pixel art dolphin. You can now create 3D turntable videos of your 3D pixel art dolphin and even view your dolphin in Augmented Reality!