All of the needed materials are easy for college students to access.need:
Materials:
- Sample Paint Squares (amount varies)
- A ruler
- A Pencil
- A pair of scissors
-Scotch tape
Step One:
Find an example of online pixel art you can base your project on. I literally typed in, “simple pixel art” and found a ton of results. Try to find an example with a grid so you can count exactly how many squares you’ll need. Click here to see the example I used.
Step Two:
Count exactly how many squares in each color you’re going to need. For Mario, I needed 43 red squares, 40 peach squares, 33 blue squares, 26 brown squares, seven black squares and two yellow squares.
Step Three:
Go to Lowe’s or Home Depot (I personally went to both) and head over to the paint department. The base of this project is going to be made from sample paint squares - they’re free and come in a variety of colors. I found that if you choose the larger, rectangular
With the variety of colors of paint swatches, one can create virtually any picture.squares, you can fit two 2in. x 2in. squares onto them. However, you can make the squares larger or smaller according to your preference. Factoring that in, figure out how many paint squares of each color you’ll need. I also recommend getting a few extras.
Note: For Mario, I got 25 red paint samples, 22 peach samples, 18 blue samples, 14 brown samples, five black samples and three yellow samples. I realize this is an awkward amount of paint samples to take which is why I went to two stores. Do whatever you’re comfortable with - the associates are used to people taking a ton of squares, so you should be fine.
Step Four:
Using your ruler, cut a 2in. x 2 in. guide out of one of your extra sample paint squares. Use this guide to trace additional squares onto the rest of the samples and cut them out. This is a tedious process since you have to create a lot of squares, so watch TV or listen to some music to help pass the time. Separate your squares into individual piles according to color.
Step Five:
Create your picture on the floor first to avoid any permanent problems.Now that you’ve finished cutting out all of your squares, you’re ready to lay out your project. I created mine on the ground first as a draft, just in case; it made the task of taping it to the wall a little easier. Reference the online pixel art example you used to count the squares to lay out your project.
Step Six:
Find a large section of your wall and make sure your art will fit. Factor in that each square is two inches in height and diameter. (For example, Mario is 28in. tall by 34 in. wide.) Begin taping the squares to your wall using a loop of tape on the back of each square. I started in the middle row, working with sections of three squares at a time, and made my way up. After I finished building Mario’s head, I worked down and built the body.
Step Seven:
Admire your creation! It took some time but it was free and looks much cooler than your neighbor’s One Direction posters. Enjoy!
Contact me at adersch@asu.edu or via Twitter @AlexDersch with questions, suggestions or comments.
