Game Dev | Pixel Artist
Pixel Art
family couch time
Just a couple of months before the pandemic hit, I convinced my work to change my schedule so I could finally have just one day off with my wife. Little did I know one day would turn into every day for nearly a year. Getting to spend so much time with her and our dog has been my silver lining through all the turmoil, even though a lot of it’s been spent on the couch watching whatever.
cordyceps infection scanner
140 frames, each animated by hand to try to get the blood-flow physics to look realistic. When I beat “The Last of Us Part II,” I couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks. Such a moving experience that did a surprisingly good job at synergizing gameplay and narrative. Considering how much my thoughts had been infected by the game, it felt appropriate to make some Clicker art.
holographic abduction sticker
Ever since those scratchboard projects in elementary school art class, I’ve always found drawing by erasing fun. I tried to apply the same reductive techniques here, as well as some animation, and in the end I got a piece that was a good bit more complicated for me to make than it looks. At least in the program I use, animation requires a lot of pre-planning; if you decide to add, remove, or tweak something, you need to account for that change in each frame. This has 112 frames.
scarlett bespectacled begonias
An older, unfinished piece that's very dear to me regardless. Doesn't really fit into my current style anymore, but if I were to go back to it, I'd animate her winking and change the background gradient to something more fitting. Regardless, Scarlett is stunning as usual.
argent abomination
Adapted a good friend's fantastic piece into pixel art (check out @argentsignal on Instagram for more of his work). The design looked like something that would fit well in an old Metroid game, so it was a no-brainer to make this. I was originally going to add color and such, but it looked too good as a 1-bit piece to continue tampering with. Instead, I made a 1-bit skyline and geometric sky background to contrast the organic shapes of the creature, which are things I've wanted to try my hand at for a while.
robotrash
This was inspired by the trash area at a local food card pod, as well as my excitement about snowy weather in Portland. Something about seeing a familiar environment completely transformed by snow always fills me with awe and a rare, childlike excitement. That’s probably helped by the fact that I spent most of my life in Florida, never having experienced anything like it.
sunshine pop
This piece was heavily inspired by Hiroshi Nagai, a Japanese artist who came to prominence in the ‘80s and helped define the aesthetic of the “city pop” genre. His work mainly consisted of 1950s-style American west coast beach and pool pop art scenes.
willamette riverside
My first attempt at plein air (painting landscapes while outdoors in the open air) pixel art at a somewhat hidden little riverbank in the city. It’s such a relaxing way to make art, and a great excuse to get out of the house. I highly recommend giving it a shot, if you haven’t already.
spicy boys
My first earnest attempt at pixel animation, done for a fantastic Portland hot sauce maker, Newks. (Try their chipotle sauce and tell them pixeldang sent ya!)
Growing up, I had a sizable hot sauce collection, with the stipulation that the bottles only be obtained from the country they came from. My dad would always bring me back a bottle from his business trips. After my parents moved while I was away at college, I’m not sure where that collection is or if it even still exists. Looking back, I wish I’d just tried them all instead of collecting them.
yer fond of me lobster, ain't ye?
The movie “The Lighthouse” was shot on a black & white film that needed tons of exposure for anything to actually show up on film. Flickering 500-800 watt halogen bulbs were placed only a few feet from the actors’ faces and around the scene, resulting in a blindingly bright set where the actors could barely see each other and crew members often wore sunglasses.
delila
Made this piece after my wife’s family’s boxer passed a couple of years ago. She was my dog’s best friend as well, since they were puppies. Hug your dogs, y’all. Take them on a nice hike. Let them sit on the couch with you, or sit on the floor with them for a bit. They deserve it.
in the weeds
This bit of abstraction was the result of doodling around in Aseprite on my desktop PC. I really should start using that program more, but the appeal of making pixel art on the go with a tablet and Pixel Studio has made that my go to for most of my pieces, even if it isn’t quite as robust.
and he smoked with cigarettes
According to my wife, each cigarette you smoke takes one year off your life.
fervent phial
I’m a sucker for potions and chemicals as an aesthetic. There’s something mesmerizing about colorful liquids in weird glass containers. What do you think the effects would be if you were to drink this potion?
bioluminescent strawberry
Originally, this was just a normal strawberry I made to practice making pixel art on an iPad for the first time, but a few happy accidents turned it into something much cooler.
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Strawberries are grown in every state in the U.S. and every province in Canada. Maybe Madeline didn’t need to go so far out of her way up Mt. Celeste to impress her friends.
latourell falls loop trail
I always snap a pic of trailhead maps before starting a hike — partly for navigation, but mostly because I find maps fascinating.
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Latourell Falls is the first major waterfall on the Columbia River Gorge outside of Portland, and boy is it a great first impression of what the gorge has to offer.
roller disco wallpaper
Although roller skating was in invented in the 18th century and has experienced several spikes en vogue since (including the largely pandemic-born surge in popularity we’re currently experiencing), it’s hard to deny that the sport is most strongly associated with the ‘70s. The music, aesthetic, and fashion of the era really fit roller skating like a shoe.
