1-Bit Pixel Art Techniques (Tutorial + Timelapse)

Although 1-bit pixel art only uses two colours, don’t let its simplicity deceive you! The restriction leads to some unique approaches, and working in 1-bit is a very fun and unique challenge. In this video we explore a few ways to approach the 1-bit style, and then I share a timelapse of a brand new 1-bit pixel art piece!
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Check out my art here:

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I commissioned the music in this video from these fantastic artists:

Title sequence theme music by Failpositive:

All other background music by mcguy215:

[mason]

I’m so glad someone else loves 1 bit as much as I do.

[brunonadai]

I'm a developer with 10 years of experience.
Recently i started chasing this game-developer dream, and taking classes on the subject ...
I'm a algorithm kinda guy and, oh boy ... it is kinda hard to find such good material about art!
Dude, keep up with the good work, your videos are treasure to us!
Cheers from a Brazilian guy who just started to learn about game-dev!

[wdsmke]

Woah the smoke over the pipes really is super satisfying.

[Capillus]

There is a terrific game called "Return Of The Obra Dinn" which takes 1bit to another level

[fehzorz]

I'd like to see a movie in 1-bit. Not grayscale, 1 bit.

[sebastiansmith]

the more restrictions you give yourself, the more creative you can be, and with 1-bit limitations are a lot of it

[vinsplayer]

So he is a robot detective the Cryo Lab made and then at some point in time the Cryo Lab goes deserted for some reason and he investigates why. That's an amazing story!

[qwertt]

I would totally play Detective Boy-man Investigates Cryo Lab

[andrewsprojectsinnovations]

As a retro enthusiast, my favorite one-bit palettes would have to be green/black and amber/black. It just harkens back to the old monochrome pc monitors... I actually find this to be a bit less harsh on the eyes than pure black/white.

[nicolasbassano]

This a great find. Short, to the point and very well presented IMHO

[CKTDanny]

Dude I'm loving these videos, great work!!
The tutorial before the timelapse was definitely a great addition, I think that alone was convincing enough for me to try out 1-bit pixel art. I think you have a good format going here!

[tylertrego]

I very recently started getting into pixel art, and I haven't tried anything of much scale, mostly just sprites at 16x16, but your videos are so awesome and help me so much. Thank you!

[cptnbara]

You know I'm glad you get caught up talking about little details like the pipes. I feel like that kind of thing is often overlooked in art pieces, even though thought and work went into them, and they help to sell the overall piece. So it's nice to have them pointed out so we can appreciate them properly

[DAJANITORRS]

Ive been struggling to find the art style I wanted to go with during my pixel art journey and honestly with so many color options it kinda overwhelmed me. but after watching this you've really opened my eyes to this beautiful style that I didn't think of at all. Now im gonna constantly do research and practice in 1 bit cause that is the style I want to master

[bclikesyou]

Just seeing how much you iterate on each part is helpful. Moving pixels around, shifting selections, etc. It's a crucial reminder that I need to be ok doing the same and not nailing it on the first try.

[DominicGo]

I love it, i never knew that 1-bit art could look this detailed and beautiful ✨

[SiddharthBhatt]

I came here looking for a tutorial on how to make monochrome pixel art, and I found exactly that. I learnt so much from this one small video! Thanks Brandon! I am trying my hands on game development for the first time ever. This is fun so far!

[FenrirInFlowers]

This looks right up my alley. I work in monochrome in traditional art, so this looks insanely fun. I am loving these tutorials. Just the best explanations, so I subscribed.

[charetjc]

Honestly, the technique for combining the pipe behind the smoke was the first detail that impressed me. A demon in a chamber is easy when the boundaries are easily defined. Not so when trying to overlap the pipe and smoke. Color me impressed.

[IraKane]

Impresive! The format of the video works for me. The tutorial at the beguining helps to understand what you are going to do and its very interesting to listen to. Keep up the good work! Love your videos! :)