How to Make 8-Bit Art in Illustrator
Long before LCD monitors and retina display screens, most graphics were done in 8-bit pixel images, making the image appear box-like, as if they were made from Lego pieces. You can give your Illustrator designs a retro effect by making 8-bit art in Adobe Illustrator: Create a graph on the screen, then fill in its colors. To make your first design easier, use a photo or other image as a template for your 8-bit art project.
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Instructions
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Creating an 8-Bit Grid
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1
Launch Illustrator and create a new document by pressing “Ctrl-N” on the keyboard. Change the unit of measurement to “Inches” then type “10” in both the “Width” and “Height” fields. Click “OK.”
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2
Select the “Line Segment Tool” in the Toolbox. Move the tool to just above the left corner of the document square. Hold down the “Shift” key and drag it down just past the bottom edge so that it is aligned with the left border of the square. Draw a second line exactly the same on the right edge of the square.
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3
Double-click the “Blend Tool” in the Toolbox. Select “Specified Distance” in the “Spacing” menu and type “.25 in” in the text field. Click “OK.” Move the tool over the left line until you see an “x” in the cursor. Click and drag the tool to the right line until you see an “x” in the cursor again. Release the mouse button, then click it again without moving the mouse. Drag the tool back to the left line until the “x” reappears in the cursor. Release the mouse button. The square is filled with vertical lines.
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4
Press “F7” if you can’t see the Layers panel. Drag the “Layer 1” layer onto the “New Layer” button at the bottom of the panel to duplicate the layer.
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5
Click the “Object” menu, select “Transform,” then click “Rotate.” Type “90” in the text field and click “OK.” The second layer rotates creating a graph-paper effect. Press “Ctrl-A” to select all, then click “Expand” under the Object menu. Click “OK.”
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6
Select the Rectangle tool from the Toolbox. Double-click a blank place in the main window to open the Rectangle dialogue box. Type “10 in” in both the Width and Height fields and click “OK.”
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7
Click the first menu -- “Fill” -- in the Options bar and select a light gray. Click the “Stroke” menu in the Options bar and select the first swatch, which is white with a black diagonal line, representing “None.” The square becomes light gray with no border.
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8
Drag the highlighted layer in the Layers panel so it's under Layer 1. Right-click the gray square, select “Arrange,” then click “Send to Back.” Click the “Selection Tool” in the Toolbox and drag the gray square so it's inside the main image. Press “F7” to locate the Pathfinder panel. Press “Ctrl-A,” then click the “Divide” button in the Pathfinder panel to complete the grid.
Tracing a Template Image
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9
Click the “New Layer” button on the Layers Panel. Insert an image in this layer by selecting “Place” from the File menu. Resize the image as desired by dragging the corners. Click the Zoom menu at the bottom of the window to zoom in if needed.
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10
Select “Transparency” from the Window menu. Then change the transparency in the Transparency panel to 50 percent.
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11
Select the layer containing the grid in the Layers panel. Select the “Live Paint Bucket” from the Toolbox. Click the “Fill Color” swatch in the Toolbox and select a color from the Color Picker. Click “OK.”
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12
Drag the Live Paint Bucket across the squares you want to change to that color. Release the mouse button and the squares change color. Select another fill color and color in some more squares.
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