AuthorTopic: Pixel Art Night Class?  (Read 8554 times)

Offline Corinthian Baby

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 223
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Meditating Pixel Placement
    • View Profile

Pixel Art Night Class?

on: November 14, 2013, 07:22:03 pm
Yo! Last night I went to art/entrepreneurial lecture from the dudes who made artaic, who make custom mosaics for you with machines, they're cool, check them out (http://www.artaic.com/) [Remember that dude who installed that octopus pixel piece in his shower?] They are partnering up with a local nonprofit that teaches/pays highschool kids for art.

Anyway I was networking there, and one of the main people in charge of the nonprofit was telling me how they want to start doing night classes for adults, suggesting that I could be a teacher at one of them. My initial thought was to do a pixel art class because I feel it's an under celebrated and niche artform. They are on board and want me to make a proposal outlining the deets, highlighting that the way to get people in the door is to market it as a fun thing to do and meet dates.

Here's where I'd like some input from the community. How/can pixel art be taught in such a casual environment? When I first entered the scene, I felt a bit of a wall due to perceived pretentiousness and elitism. This of course was dispelled the more I learned about technique and pixel decorum.

Can it be framed in a fun way for beginners, how would you go about teaching pixel art in class? Have you ever been formally taught pixel art by someone or through institution? Does the artform have a place in the classroom? Any ideas/suggestions welcomed! If this is a terrible idea, let me know.

Offline tcaud

  • 0001
  • *
  • Posts: 60
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #1 on: November 14, 2013, 08:17:17 pm
You'll only get gamers, just so you know. But pixel art takes so long I'm not sure how effective it will be. Pixel art is something you'd collab on over IRC IMO. Also consider that there are very few pixel artists, and they are scattered literally all over the globe. People are so lazy... and they will only do pixel art for the purpose of making a game, even if they never get around to making it. I've got lots of pixel art I've never put into a game... just no motivation to.

Offline Helm

  • Moderator
  • 0110
  • *
  • Posts: 5159
  • Karma: +0/-0
    • View Profile
    • Asides-Bsides

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #2 on: November 15, 2013, 09:14:00 pm
I'd make them look at 8-bit art blown up and I'd discuss cluster theory. I'd change a few pixels in iconic sprites to show the results. If they can understand banding and how to solve the problems it creates, they'll see the 'puzzle game' aspect of pixel artistry, that is style-neutral and of use to any pixel artist.

Offline Corinthian Baby

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 223
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Meditating Pixel Placement
    • View Profile

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #3 on: November 19, 2013, 12:01:01 am
@Tcaud:
I guess Ptoing banned you so I'm not sure if you can see this, but part of the reasoning of the pixel art class would not be to unite people who are already pixel artists, but to educate people who don't know what it is, to introduce them to a new fun/challenging and rewarding artform. If that demographic is mostly gamers, so be it, as long as they learn and get something out of the experience, that's what matters.

@Helm:
Yeah, that seems like a good place to start in terms of a layman's approach. Readability/clean clusters are prevailing aspects to pixel art, and Miyamoto's original design of the Mario sprite is certainly testament to that.

Regarding the idea in total I admit I am having doubts in terms of how accessible/attractive pixel art can be for a casual audience. I'll admit that I'm starting to think that maybe I should do digital painting instead, or perhaps some sort of discourse about 2D games and how they translate visually to 3D and some of the cross pollination of design that can come out of that. Still very much in the brainstorming stage and stalling on the proposal.

Offline PixelPiledriver

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 997
  • Karma: +6/-0
  • Yo!
    • View Profile
    • My Blog

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #4 on: November 19, 2013, 01:38:19 am
Write a rough syllabus and post it.
How much time do you have to prepare?
How many classes are in the course?
Will you get paid, meaning you can focus more time to this, or is it volunteer work?
And knowing that it is, we seek what it is... ~ Aristotle, Posterior Analytics, Chapter 1

Offline Corinthian Baby

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 223
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Meditating Pixel Placement
    • View Profile

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #5 on: November 22, 2013, 02:06:29 am
These are all the same questions that I'm thinking about. Still figuring it out, will post a draft of the syllabus when I make it. I think I would be paid, the money being from people opting into the classes. That's why I'm kind of caught up, I don't want to make people pay for the same info that's all across free pixel tuts on the net. Or is there no shame in exploiting that?

Offline PixelPiledriver

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 997
  • Karma: +6/-0
  • Yo!
    • View Profile
    • My Blog

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #6 on: November 22, 2013, 02:36:03 am
Quote
I don't want to make people pay for the same info that's all across free pixel tuts on the net. Or is there no shame in exploiting that?
I wouldn't call it exploiting.
Unless you are intentionally doing so.
Lots of education is free on the internet.
Libraries are free as well.
Yet going to a school can be a very positive experience.
It's your job in the position of an instructor to make it worth their time to hear info from you that they could potentially get elsewhere.
You must bring not only the education to the classroom, you must bring yourself.
And get paid for your time, as it has value.
And knowing that it is, we seek what it is... ~ Aristotle, Posterior Analytics, Chapter 1

Offline Cow

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 528
  • Karma: +1/-0
    • View Profile

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #7 on: November 23, 2013, 02:38:23 am
That's a cool idea. And it's not exploitative at all, universities and almost all education works that way, taking and grouping academic theories from researchers and adapting it to the audience.

I general I think pixel art is a bit of a hard sell because there's a lot of tedium involved. Obviously I think you'd need to focus on hooking them in the first couple classes. I think people are drawn to pixel art because they want to make games or make edits/pixels that fit in within a game world, and are gradually drawn in by seeing more potential with the medium, sharing their art, or wanting to improve their general art skills. These are just what I think I see, so take it with a grain of salt.

Adults probably will have a bit less patience in doing pixel art for its own sake unless they have high motivation coming in. Maybe I'm being nostalgic a bit, but I had WAY more time to do things that I found interesting for their own sake a few years ago. Actually this is just a generalization and may or may not actually be the case.

Offline Corinthian Baby

  • 0010
  • *
  • Posts: 223
  • Karma: +1/-0
  • Meditating Pixel Placement
    • View Profile

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #8 on: November 27, 2013, 10:10:01 pm
Thanks for the encouragement, guys.

I finally sent my email detailing a rough outline of the class:
Quote
Pixel art is one of the oldest computer based art forms, and it often goes unrecognized and under-celebrated in modern times due to obsolescence. However advanced technology gets, pixel art is kept alive by hobbyists and enthusiasts, but is seldom taught in any classroom. This idea seeks to change that.

I'm thinking the classes could be on Monday or Tuesday nights, sometime in the middle of the week to help people unwind after a long day at work. They could start maybe around 7 and run for 1-2 hours. It would take place in the computer lab primarily using Photoshop. For people unfamiliar with the program I would help guide them through each step.

It might be helpful if possible if there was one computer hooked up to a projector for people to follow along through demonstrations. My idea is that the classes would be weekly and run for four weeks minimum. Each class would go over a new subject or study of pixel art, followed by classmates completing in-class assignments, while I help them when needed. Topics included would be studying old video games, examining sprites, cluster theory and newer techniques, environmental tiles, and portraits.

I'm excited about this opportunity. Please let me know what the next step is moving forward.

Offline Cyangmou

  • 0011
  • **
  • Posts: 929
  • Karma: +3/-0
    • cyangmou
    • http://pixeljoint.com/p/32234.htm
    • cyangmou
    • View Profile
    • Pixwerk Homepage

Re: Pixel Art Night Class?

Reply #9 on: November 28, 2013, 12:12:10 am
I'd make them look at 8-bit art blown up and I'd discuss cluster theory. I'd change a few pixels in iconic sprites to show the results. If they can understand banding and how to solve the problems it creates, they'll see the 'puzzle game' aspect of pixel artistry, that is style-neutral and of use to any pixel artist.

That's quite a nice idea and would show one of the most basic and timeless concepts behind the artstyle.

However I can imagine if there is a class filled with people who are new to pixel art all of them have a very different approach to the artstyle, even if all of them are gamers. 
A lot of people however don't know in which forms pixel art can appear. Even if you just look at arcade automates there can be a huge difference

e.g.

(Donkey Kong Arcade, Metal Slug 3)

nonetheless in terms of the pixelation point of view both are pixel art.

modern pixel art games which work with a lot of gradients and cool lighting stuff are also considered as pixel art, although we from Pixelation usually take distance from those concepts.
Is it pixel art? I'd say it's enhanced with a few modern concepts, but yeah it's still pixel art even if there are gradients, resolution mitchmax etc.
This definitely also should be considered, since Swords&Sworcery is a very modern approach of "pixel-art" or at least it's pixel art how a lot of indie developers see it today.



So giving your people an actual understanding how vast the difference of the visual styles is might get more of them interested.
"Because the beauty of the human body is that it hasn't a single muscle which doesn't serve its purpose; that there's not a line wasted; that every detail of it fits one idea, the idea of a man and the life of a man."

Dev-Art
Twitter