The title says it all. Basically, I've tried to learn pixel art through google searches and whatnot, but it just doens't seem to be working for me. I am a very technical person, and figuring out what pixel goes where is a struggle for me atleast. Alot of pixel art tutorials out there that I am finding are a bit advanced, so I wanted to know if anyone knew of good tuts for pixel art that helped you going in the right direction. I'm not looking for huge pixel art characters or backgrounds but just simple 32x32 or 64x64 sprites/spritesheets, but I can't seem to find something that helps me. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong spot? The thing is, I find pixel art a lot of fun, but all of my art ends going horribly wrong in the process and looks nothing like what it was intended to look like XD.

Any Suggestions?

I am a very technical person, and figuring out what pixel goes where is a struggle for me atleast.

It's an artistic process (like writing music etc.), so each choice that is made by the artist is highly subjective and complex to explain. The goals are usually to make it "look nice" and "function well."
Different artists may have different methods of creation, even if they use the same tools and software.

Feel free to post what you have made even if you don't think it's good (especially if you don't think it's good), so that people can give you feedback.

Planning is paramount. Have you sketched on paper first before going to the computer?

On the subject of resources:

- http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/creative/visual-arts/the-total-beginner%e2%80%99s-guide-to-better-2d-game-art-r2959
- http://www.widgetworx.com/book/ (a free e-book on pixel art theory)
- http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/creative/visual-arts/creating-good-game-art-when-you%e2%80%99re-not-an-artist-r3225

In what way are you visually challenged? Color-blind? Informing us might help us suggest ways to overcome it. Or was the thread title meant more tongue-in-cheek? I often jokingly say I'm musically-challenged, but I don't have any real hearing impairment other than a lack of experience and exposure to music (driven by a lack of real interest). Is that what you mean, or is there a physical problem you're having to work around?

As a technical person with no natural skill in art, I can relate. With my own work, it really is that the more I've done it, the better I've gotten. My original art was really terrible, but I accidentally put myself in a position where I was required to make alot of tile-art, and over the years the art has improved alot. This is one of those areas where you really do need to put in your 10,000 hours of practice.

Following tutorials helps somewhat, but no tutorial will make you a skilled artist unless you also put in alot of practice. Unless you have innate art skills (which alot of people seem to!), you can't just start doing and expect to make awesome art overnight, or even in so short a time as several months. You should notice your art getting better, from month to month, but you probably won't be able to just churn out really great art for a year or so. At least, I couldn't!

When you say you've tried to follow tutorials but "it just doesn't seem to be working for me", do you mean you've only been working at it for a few weeks, or do you mean you've already been trying hard for a few years? There is no shortcut to actually putting in the 10,000 hours of practice it (supposedly) takes to master a skill. Even if you're not wanting to 'master' it, and just become semi-competent in it, that still requires more than a few weeks of dabbling around.

So, in terms of what I was looking for, Kryzon, those are some good links! Thanks!

In terms of visually challenged, I'm not actually color blind or anything of that sort. Just as you are "musically challenged", I am "visually challenged". Sorry if that wasn't clear. What I was looking for was some kind of tutorial that walked through the lighting aspects of pixel art, because that's the part that troubles me the most. The shape and outline are easy(relatively of course, it still takes time, which is understandable), but picking what color to use and where always stumps me, which is what I meant by "it doesn't seem to be working for me". I've seem to have hit a wall in my progress of pixel art because I don't understand lighting and color choices, and I thought that maybe posting here would bring about some links that other people who are not particularly skilled at art used to put them in the right direction. I know that my art won't get better overnight, but I didn't want to blindly jump in, because i'm not particularly creative, and just need a push in the right direction if you know what I mean. Clearly, I'm not good at googling things, eh? . From where I was a couple weeks ago and where I am now, I am certainly getting better at making things look nice, and I think the links Kryzon gave were just what I was looking for. Thanks for the replies!

The only way I do pixel art is to do a larger normal drawing and then scale way down in gimp with aliasing turned off. There's no way I could do that.