In this easy pixel tutorial you will learn how to make a pixel art unicorn! We will go over the different steps it takes to make your very own unicorn made out of pixels!

How to Make a Pixel Art Unicorn for Beginners

Are you excited to make your own pixel art unicorn? Learning how to draw a cute pixel art unicorn is more popular than ever! No matter if you’re looking to create a simple pixel art unicorn like a character for your 2D video game or perhaps you just want to share a cute pixel art unicorn for a forest scene to your social media account this pixel art tutorial will help you make a pixel unicorn quick and easy.

How to Make a Pixel Art Unicorn

These are the basic steps for how to make a pixel art unicorn:

  1. Select a Pixel Art Software such as Adobe Photoshop, Mega Voxels or Aseprite
  2. Create a 32×32 pixel grid
  3. Sketch out an Outline for the shape of the unicorn
  4. Fill in the color of the pixel art unicorn
  5. Draw a Shade on the unicorn to create depth
  6. Fill in the Background with Color

Now that you are familiar with the basic steps on how to create a pixel art unicorn, we will cover each step visually so that you can follow along on how to create it.

If you are completely new to pixel art we recommend reading our post How to Create Pixel Art: Beginner’s Tutorial

Select a Pixel Art Software

In this beginner tutorial we will be showing you the steps to create your own pixel art unicorn regardless of what pixel editor software you prefer to use. Before we begin you will need to know how to create a grid and use the pencil tool in the software of your choice. Once you create your pixel art unicorn, you can use the pixel art in other games such as Minecraft or software such as Unity Game Engine. We offer tutorials on the following pixel art editor’s so feel free to pick the one that you feel most comfortable with:

Want to see what pixel art software is best for you? Read our post Top Free Pixel Art Software

Create a Grid

For starters we will be using a standard 52×52 pixel grid to draw a small pixel art unicorn. This size is the size we will be using to make our pixel art, which should be good for projects like video games. Be sure that your canvas is set to the color White (#FFFFFF). This will be our canvas that we use to draw our pixel art unicorn. Your unicorn pixel art grid should have a canvas, also known as a spreadsheet, that looks something similar to this:

A blank canvas for drawing the pixel art unicorn

Sketch an Outline for the Unicorn

Next we will start by making the outline for the flower so we can get the basic shape. To do this choose the color Black (#000000) and activate the pencil tool in your editor. Since this determines the overall shape, feel free to adjust the outline to what match your game or art project. As a guide, you can use the outline we made below or like we mentioned before feel free to make your own.

An outline of the pixel art unicorn grid similar to a spreadsheet

Fill in the Color

Now that you have an outline for your unicorn, we will add some color to make it stand out. Fill in the flower section with a yellow (#EED31B). After that color the middle of the flower a dark brown (#413002). Lastly, let’s color the stem and leaves a green color (#1F9D40). Try matching the picture of our 8 bit pixel art unicorn below.

Simple pixel art unicorn with solid colors

Draw the Shading

Now whenever you make pixel art there are essentially two parts to shading: the highlights and the shadows. We will start with the shadows. We will be applying a shadow to our pixel art unicorn using a single color. To create a shadow color we will start with a darker yellow based on the yellow we used on the flower (#C4AD0F). To create a shadow effect, we will draw an outline along the bottom section of the flower to give it a more three dimensional feel. We will also outline the center of the flower with a darker brown (#312401). And of course we will also add a darker version of green to the bottom of the leaves (#178835).

32x32 Pixel art unicorn with shadows to give depth to the unicorn

So now that you got the basic idea we will continue adding some depth to our flower to give it a 3D feel. Let’s create a highlight using the same yellow from the flower, but instead of going darker this time we will go lighter (#FFEB60). Remember, this doesn’t have to be the exact color in fact this is an opportunity to make the flower look like your own. In our version we highlighted the top section of the flower. We also did this to the top of the leaves as well (#32B855).

Adding highlights to the 8 bit pixel unicorn

Great! When you are happy with your shadows and highlights on your unicorn, be sure to view your final product. To see your pixel art unicorn go ahead and turn off the grid lines to make sure you like the way the unicorn came out.

Kawaii pixel art unicorn on a transparent background

Fill the Background Color

Finally, let’s change the background color of our unicorn sprite to really make our unicorn stand out nicely. Select the Bucket fill tool in your editor. For the color enter a very Light Blue (#BCEAFE). Then simply click on the white area outside of the unicorn sprite.

Cute Pixel Art unicorn on Blue Background

Where to Go From Here

Congratulations! You now know how to create your very own pixel art unicorn. Try making different unicorn pixel art by using different colors on the mane of the unicorn to create more varieties.

Bonus: Make a 3D Pixel Art Unicorn

3D Pixel Art Unicorn

Now that you have drawn your own pixel art unicorn, you can turn it 3D with Mega Voxels. Mega Voxels contains a 3D Pixel Art Maker that allows you to convert traditional 2D pixels into 3D pixels. Simply download the free Mega Voxels app for iOS or Android.

Then import the pixel art you just made using the Add File button inside of the My Gallery page. And that’s it! Mega Voxels automatically transforms you pixel art unicorn into a 3D pixel art unicorn. You can now create 3D turntable videos of your 3D pixel art unicorn and even view your unicorn in Augmented Reality!