In this exciting pixel art tutorial you will learn how to create a pixel art pickaxe! We will go over the different steps it takes to make your very own pickaxe pixel art!

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

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How to Make a Pixel Art Pickaxe

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

1. Select a Pixel Art Software such as Adobe Photoshop or Mega Voxels
2. Create a 32×32 pixel grid for your pickaxe
3. Sketch out an Outline for the shape of the pickaxe
4. Fill in the color of the pixel art pickaxe
5. Draw a Shade on the pickaxe 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 pickaxe, 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 cat 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 cat, 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:

• Photoshop Tutorials
• Aseprite Tutorials
• Mega Voxels Pixel Art Tutorials
• Illustrator Tutorials

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 pickaxe. 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 pickaxe on. Your pickaxe pixel art grid should have a canvas, also known as a spreadsheet, that looks something similar to this:

Sketch an Outline for the Pickaxe

Next we will start by making the outline for the pickaxe so we can get the overall shape for our pixel pickaxe. 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 pickaxe or like we mentioned before feel free to design your own.

Fill in the Color

Now that you made an outline for your pixel art pickaxe, we will add some color to make it stand out. Fill in the main section of the pickaxe the color (#8B4C4B). You can color the top with a gray color (#BCBCBC). You can use the eyedropper tool to get the remaining colors. Try matching the picture of our 8 bit pixel art pickaxe below.

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 pickaxe using a single color. This color will be generally be applied to the bottom of the pickaxe. Remember, to create a shadow color for the pickaxe we will use a darker version of the color we used before (#804442). On the gray you can use a darker gray (#A5A5A5). To create more shades you can simply color pick the main color and darken it. Try to match where we put the shadows in the image below.

So now that you got the basic idea we will continue adding some depth to our pickaxe to give it a 3D feel. Let’s create a highlight using the same color from the main pickaxe section, but instead of going darker this time we will go lighter (#995955). You can go lighter on the gray as well (#E7E7E7). Remember, this doesn’t have to be the exact color in fact this is an opportunity to make the pickaxe look like your own. Use our image as a guide for your pickaxe.

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

Fill the Background Color

Finally, let’s change the background color of our pickaxe sprite to really make our pickaxe 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 pickaxe.

Where to Go From Here

Congratulations! You now know how to create your very own pixel art pickaxe. You can create different versions of your pixel pickaxe by changing the colors or modifying the size.

Bonus: Make a 3D Pixel Art Pickaxe

Now that you have drawn your own pixel art pickaxe, 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 pickaxe into a 3D pixel art pickaxe. You can now create 3D turntable videos of your 3D pixel art pickaxe and even view your pickaxe in Augmented Reality!