Sometimes you just want a grid and a pencil. The pixel art editor is a fast, distraction-free drawing grid for sprites, icons, emotes and avatars, with free colour, mirroring and pixel-perfect export.
How it works
- Start a grid. Choose a size, such as 32 × 32, or open an image or a .cpat project.
- Pick colours. Choose from 4,096 colours or use the colour well to match any colour.
- Draw. Pencil, eraser, fill, picker, lines and rectangles, with mirroring and unlimited undo.
- Export. Pixel PNG at 1×, 8× or 16×, a chart PNG with grid lines, SVG or .cpat.
Tips for drawing pixel art
Work small, then scale. Draw at the native size of your sprite and let the export enlarge it. Big canvases tempt you into detail that undermines the pixel look.
Mirror characters and items. Front-facing characters, potions, shields and many icons are symmetrical. Turn on left–right mirroring (H) and draw one half.
Use a limited palette. Choose four to eight colours and stick to them. Use the number keys 1 to 9 to switch between them quickly.
Outline, then shade. Draw a one-pixel outline in your darkest colour, fill the shape, then add one lighter and one darker shade for light and shadow. Keep the light source consistent.
Avoid jaggies. Diagonal lines look smoothest when the steps are even: 1-1, 2-2 or 3-3 pixels. The line tool makes clean steps; touch up uneven ones with the pencil.
Check at 1×. Zoom out until the art is shown at its real size. Pixel art is often viewed small, and what looks fine zoomed in can be unreadable at 1×.
Beyond the screen
The same grid can be made into fuse beads, cross stitch or a brick mosaic with one tap. Open your sprite in the fuse bead editor to see bead colours and pegboards.
What you get
| Sizes | 8–256 pixels wide from a photo; editor up to 2,000 × 2,000 |
|---|---|
| Colours | 2–64, matched by CIEDE2000 colour difference |
| Palettes | Free colour (RGB) |
| Downloads | PDF (cover, colour key, numbered chart pages, optional colour pages), PNG, SVG, shopping list CSV, .cpat project |
| Files accepted | JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP, AVIF, iPhone HEIC; .cpat and OXS patterns; PDFs made by CraftPatterns |
| Privacy | Runs in your browser. Images are never uploaded. |
| Price | Free — no sign-up, no watermark |
How it compares with other free tools
What you can expect here, every time — no tiers, no trial.
| Free printable PDF | Yes, with no watermark |
|---|---|
| Sign-up needed | No |
| Image uploaded to a server | No — processed on your device |
| Editor | Yes — pencil, fill, line, rectangle, mirror, undo |
| Progress tracker | Yes — free, works offline |
| Switch the same pattern to another craft | Yes — one tap |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an account?
No. The editor runs in your browser and autosaves there. Download a .cpat file to keep a backup or move your work to another device.
What canvas sizes can I use?
Any size up to 2,000 × 2,000 pixels. Classic sprite sizes are 16 × 16, 32 × 32 and 64 × 64.
Does it support transparency?
Yes. Erased pixels are transparent in the Pixel PNG export.
Which drawing tools are included?
Pencil, eraser, fill, colour picker, line, rectangle and filled rectangle, with left–right, top–bottom or four-way mirroring and unlimited undo and redo.
Does it do animation or layers?
No. It is a single-frame editor focused on clean pixel drawing and export. For animation, draw each frame and export it, then assemble the frames in an animation tool.
Can I turn my sprite into beads or stitches?
Yes. Switch craft with one tap to get fuse bead, cross stitch, brick mosaic or any other pattern of the same grid, with real colour codes and counts.
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