How to Draw Pixel Art Faces: Easy 10-Step Guide

Ready to create your own digital-style character? This tutorial is perfect for artists ages 6+ who want to master the grid-based logic of pixel art. All you need is a pencil, paper, and a steady hand to build this face block by block.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

Colorful, finished pixel art face character design.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Establishing the Eye Placement

Grid-based sketch showing the initial placement of two rectangular eye shapes and a central L-shaped nose bridge.

Draw two sets of rectangular blocks for the eyes. Connect them with a small L-shape in the center, and place a square on the outer edges. Teacher's Tip: Keep your lines light; if you make a mistake, it’s much easier to erase on grid paper.

Step 2: Defining the Nose and Mouth

Detailed pixel art drawing showing the nose structure being built with small rectangular blocks.

Fill in your eye shapes with black. Below the eyes, draw a vertical rectangle for the nose bridge, adding three short rectangles to form the tip. Teacher's Tip: Ensure your rectangles are perfectly aligned with your grid lines to maintain that authentic 'pixel' look.

Step 3: Building the Mouth Structure

Step-by-step progression of a pixel art mouth, showing the use of squares to create a symmetrical shape.

Add a short rectangle beneath the nose, then use squares to connect it to the upper jawline. Repeat this for the mouth area. Teacher's Tip: Count your grid squares carefully to ensure the mouth is perfectly centered under the nose.

Step 4: Adding Ears and Facial Contours

Drawing showing the addition of ear shapes and hairline blocks on the left side of the pixel face.

Place rectangles and squares to form the ears on the left side of the face. Add a horizontal rectangle near the top for the hairline. Teacher's Tip: Pixel art relies on symmetry; try to mirror your shapes on the opposite side in the next step.

Step 5: Balancing the Face

Symmetrical pixel art face showing completed ears and facial structure.

Repeat the ear and contour shapes on the right side. Add small squares inside the ears for depth. Teacher's Tip: Check that your ear placement is level with the eyes to keep the face looking natural.

Step 6: Sketching the Hairline

Pixel art tutorial showing the initial blocks for the character's hair.

Draw a long vertical rectangle on the left side of the head, connecting it to the face with smaller blocks. Teacher's Tip: Varying the length of your rectangles here will make the hair look more realistic and less like a solid block.

Step 7: Completing the Head Shape

Completed dome-shaped hair outline on a pixel art face.

Mirror the hair process on the right side, ensuring the top of the head forms a smooth dome shape. Teacher's Tip: Don't worry if it looks jagged—that's the charm of pixel art!

Step 8: Adding Texture Details

Pixel art face with added internal lines to mark areas for shading and color separation.

Add thin, jagged lines inside the hair and face areas to define shadow zones. Do not outline these in black yet. Teacher's Tip: These lines act as boundaries for your colors later, so keep them light.

Step 9: Finalizing the Outline

Bolded black outlines defining the final structure of the pixel art face.

Go over your main shapes with a black pen to define the eyes, ears, and mouth clearly. Teacher's Tip: Use a steady hand to keep your lines crisp and sharp.

Step 10: Bringing it to Life with Color

Fully colored pixel art face showing shading and highlights for a 3D effect.

Color the skin and hair, using darker shades for shadows and lighter shades for highlights on the nose. Teacher's Tip: Use the thin lines you drew in Step 8 to guide your color placement for a professional finish.