Hello, everyone! I haven't been able to make much pixel art this past year, but I'm super excited to share what I've been working on the past couple of months!

I've been organizing FREE PLAY! Richmond, VA's first queer video games exhibit hosted at The Iridian Gallery, the only LGBTQ-focused exhibit in the southern U.S.

For the past couple of months, we built custom displays for all nine of our games!! and paid for transporting, printing, everything, so that our devs could focus on their games :)

Galleries often take 50% (or more) of artists' commissions! Not only that, but making, transporting, and installing artwork can get pretty expensive! The high price point makes it really hard for artists and game devs to share noncommercial artworks. It's our mission to help mitigate these costs and make it more accessible for game devs to share their art!

We're running a kickstarter campaign to help cover the costs of the exhibit. We're also hoping to secure artist honorarium anD get gameboy cartridges, zines and other merch created!

If you all could share and support the kickstarter, it would mean so so much to me!

We're also having a HUGE PARTY on opening night, January 12 @ 7pm et! You're all invited :) Please stop by and play some games! Thank you so much for all of your support!

It's been 5 years since my last news post! but Pixel Day is a special day, so I wanted to write something :) I love this website so much, so this year I tried to make something meaningful. I'm so honored to work on this year’s site skin and banner for Pixel Day on Newgrounds! If you’re familiar with my previous Pixel Day illustrations, I’ve always depicted Newgrounds as a brightly-lit, illuminated cityscape. I love pixelling the signs and using them as an opportunity to pay homage to other artists.

While I still see Newgrounds as a space for generative creative expression, I also want to acknowledge the precarious state of the web. The internet has changed drastically since I first played games on Newgrounds. Over the past decades, the gentrification of the internet by certain companies (M*stercard, G**gle, App*e) has severely limited artists' ability to create and share their respective works.

One of the most notable examples of this is the trajectory of Adobe Flash. Steve Jobs strategically sabotaged Flash's reputation so Apple could have more control over app development and distribution.

In more recent years, the passing of FOSTA-SESTA in 2018 has led to increased policing and censorship of content on the web. This policy has resulted in aggressive automated moderation and the de-platforming of various individuals (remember Tumblr?). The various forms of algorithmic automation is not meant to prioritize users but to prioritize profit.

This year, the Pixel Day’s virtual internet city is a little fucked up structurally. The buildings are crumbling and falling apart. However, the signs are brightly lit and vegetation is growing. Despite the ruins, life and creativity still persist.

In the language of the organic and the digital, this year’s banner is heavily inspired by my favorite artist, Nam June Paik. Paik, Nam June is known as the grandfather of television art! He was active during the Fluxus movement, an international multi-media art movement that challenged the conventions of classical music, art, and education! Whenever I think about Newgrounds and the impact of Flash on the web, I can't help but think about Nam Jun Paik's optimism regarding technology: its potential to bridge knowledge and cultural experiences.

The future will always be uncertain, but I am grateful and hopeful. Newgrounds has always prioritized its artists and I’m very honored to be part of this community. Happy Pixel Day, everyone!

Recommended reading for people who wanna learn more art history:

* Nam June Park’s “Expanded Education for the Paperless Society”- an experimental essay written in 1970 where he imagines a future of free education and cultural transformation through tv networks. It's not too dissimilar to the internet today <:)

* Nathalie Lawhead’s “A short history of Flash & the forgotten Flash Website movement”- A transcript of Nathalie’s talk on the history of Flash and its impact on the web

General Information

    I got into pixel art because it was one of the most accessible mediums for me! I can have a hard time parsing visual information on digital screens, which can make digital art difficult. I fell in love with the specific techniques of the medium, and got into game development much later! I've dabbled with MS Paint since I was little, but have been seriously approaching pixel art for around 4 years now, and game development for almost 2 years.

• Programs
      I use FireAlpaca for most of my pixel art illustrations (you can download it here) and Photoshop CS5 to animate. FireAlpaca is a painting program similar to PaintTool SAI. I use it because out of habit and out of admiration for its simple interface. I don't really recommend it specifically for pixel art as the colour picker can be finicky. You can use any drawing program to make pixel art! Just turn off anti-aliasing. If you want programs specifically for pixel art, I recommend Aesprite, Pyxel Edit, or GraphicsGale.

Resources

    I have a compilation of random pixel art tutorials here!

Reposting/Using Artwork

• ​Personal Use/ Educational Purposes
      I'm 100% in support of anyone using my artwork or colour palettes in order to learn more about pixel art! Studying other artists is a great way to improve. If you end up copying anything, I just ask that you credit me.
      I'm also okay with people using my artwork for profile pictures/avatars/banners/etc, but again, credit is required.
• Reposting
      I am okay with reposting content outside of places like Newgrounds. I do need to be credited somewhere in the actual post, replies don't get as much visibility. However, it is always preferred that the original or link to the original artwork is shared! Especially if it's a recent post.
      I reserve the right to require that the poster take down a repost under any circumstance.
• Reproduction
      ​Reproducing my work through another medium (perler art, embroidery, painting, whatever) is totally fine, again, I just ask that credit be provided   
• Profit
      Reproducing my work or distributing it in a way to gain profit will not be tolerated. If you see someone else doing so, I ask that you report it to me through Newgrounds or my twitter.
   

hahaha shitfukyeah

I’ll be hosting a series of pixel art streams, where I’ll be going in-depth with my processes. Each stream will have an itinerary, which will list the topics and techniques I’ll be covering, which I’ve uploaded onto Google Drive here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B6A6yFW69uvQUkZHeThlbDUwLXc Along with each stream’s itinerary,  I’ll also be sharing some tutorials and resources. Every pixel art file I work on during the stream will also be available for anyone to download and use as they’d like (as long as credit is given).

For the first stream (which is tomorrow!), I’ll be covering some line art basics: selective outlining, anti-aliasing, line segments, etc, while utilizing a four-colour palette! The end of each stream will be reserved for editing and discussing other people’s pixel art! We’ll be looking at the work uploaded here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B6A6yFW69uvQN2ZSc09oblh4ams?usp=sharing

If you’d like any help with pixel art, feel free to upload your work! I’d really like to use this as an opportunity to boost and promote other artists!

I’m definitely not claiming to be an expert on pixel art, but I hope that by sharing my process, I’ll be able to improve! I also hope that it’ll be helpful for other people who want to learn more about pixel art. I’d really like for all of us to learn and move forward together!

The stream will start around 9:00 PM (EST) tomorrow! I’ll be recording the session as well, so that’ll be available for anyone who isn’t able to drop by.

For future streams, I'll be co-hosting with other pixel artists, as well as animators and game devs, who will be sharing their own work. I'm really excited to see how everything works out.

Thanks for all of your support! I hope to see you there!

My Twitch Channel: https://www.twitch.tv/moawling

My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/moawling

Just submitted one of my largest pieces evER for Pixel Day! I've been working on it off and on since December. Looking at it now, there are a couple of things that I could have done better, but I'm proud of myself for following through with it. Check it out here: http://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/moawling/dinos-vs-ufos

If you haven't noticed by now, I've been approaching pixel art a bit (ha) differently this year! I've been sticking with the same palette and have been uploading less frequently in order to make more substantial work. Last year was my first year approaching pixel art seriously: I did a lot of experimentation and short term pieces (you can see them here: http://www.newgrounds.com/art/view/moawling/pixel-comp-2016). There were tons of crazy palettes and different styles. I learned so much from running wild with it, but this year I'm trying to approach this year with more rigidity and discipline. I want to make a cohesive style and hone my craft. I'm working towards a lot of things this year, so just wanted to dump some thoughts here so you know where I am with things.

• Try to stick with one palette and build onto it over the course of one or two months
• Make more pieces with backgrounds! Compose characters in a way that's not just standing there in a dark, blank space :')
• Draw more fanart of other's OC's instead of just junk from Big Fandoms. Hopefully develop a better sense of community this way and connect with other artists
• Collaborate with other creators! Make games, movies, art, whatever however that I can
• MAKE A GAME actually try to get enough resources to finish the visual novel that I started way back in August
• Sell more stuff: make merch and tilesets/sprite sheets (still working on making free assets for people don't worry, just wanna dip my beak a bit)
  • Also try to participate in my first game jam! (if anyone's interested btw hmu)
• Learn to animate, like, actually animate things :')

Dunno how much of this that I'll be able to accomplish or commit to, but going to keep this in mind over the next couple of months!

I've been getting more involved with games the past couple of months. I can't share too much of the work that I've been doing, but I'll be sure to post about it when I can! One thing I'm excited to announce is that I'm making some pixel art for @phantomarcade3000 's upcoming Resident Evil cartoon! It's nothing too major, buT definitely check it out when it comes out! 

Thanks as always for all of your support! <3

My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/moawling
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/moawko

2016 was a pretty turbulent year for me: my physical/mental health hit an all-time low and several of my relationships came completely undone. Without a doubt, it was a pretty Awful time, but I’m incredibly thankful for a lot of things that happened over the past couple of months. 

I’ve been able to meet so many incredible people through my work. This was my first year approaching pixel art seriously and it’s already opened so many doors for me. I just want to take the time to thank everyone for their incredible support throughout the year.

Special shoutouts to:

• @ArcadeHero-  for scouting me in the first place and being a great reference for pixel art.
• @bit & @totty,- for being my first patrons and for always going out of their way to encourage me.
• @ozoneorange - for always popping by my streams and drawing really great art and shaming me for my terrible quotes.
• @VicariousE- for being one of the first people to stop by my news posts and show me around Newgrounds.
• @Template88- for being a solid Art Friend and being part of my first big collab ever.
• @PhantomArcade3000 - for being the first NG-er I met in real life whoooo also an all around cool guy or whatever.
• @fushark- for just being a great person and an incredible source of inspiration. Just always available as support whenever I need him.
• @tomfulp - for making all of this possible in the first place.

It's a little silly, I know that the calendar is an abstract concept or whatever, but I'm really excited for the new year. I've got a lot of things in store for Pixel Day coming up (it's gonna be my day guys) and I've been working on some projects recently (including helping Phantom with his latest cartoon oooooooh). I might not be updating as often, but I plan on bringing more polished and ambitious works to the table.

Thanks to everyone who has stuck by me the past couple of months. Your support means the world to me. 

My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/moawling
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/moawko

For those who want to support me, I now have a Patreon!

I struggled with this decision for a long time. The idea of upselling my work makes me a little uncomfortable (not judging others who do, it's just not for me). I really want my work to be free and accessible for everyone! That being said, everything on my Patreon will be available on my twitter, tumblr, and Newgrounds accounts. I might give away stickers and prints to some patrons, but I don't really want that to be incentive for support. Ideally, my Patreon will just be more like a tip-jar than anything else.

There's nothing new on there for now, but if you don't follow me on twitter, there are some works on my Patreon that I haven't uploaded to Newgrounds! It's also a good chance to look at some of my older works if you're feeling up to it.

Thank you so much to everyone that's supported me the past couple of months! Shoutout to @bit and @totty for helping me make this decision and encouraging me to go through with it!

I've been able to meet and collaborate with so many talented people through Newgrounds! I'm extremely thankful for all of the opportunities that I've been able to come by because of it.

For those who want to support me through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/moawling
For anyone that wants to make a one-time donation: http://ko-fi.com/A217C0V

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this!

Hey! I hope this finds everyone well! Just letting everyone know that I'm available for commissions!

Rules/Guidelines

• No NSFW (sexually explicit) requests,
• Remember that pixels can only get so detailed! Complicated requests may get rejected.
• Please note that I reserve the right to reject any request.

Commission Process

• Contact me through Newgrounds with a description (possibly some references) of what you’re interested in commissioning (along with any colors, size preferences, etc.)
• I'll respond as soon as possible, if your request is approved, just sit tight and wait for your piece! Feel free to ask for any WIP shots during the waiting period!
• Once i’m done with your request, I’ll send a screenshot for approval. At this point, you can suggest any changes/final touches.
• When the final product is approved, send me the payment through my PayPal! 
• Unless requested otherwise, the final product will be shared on my social media accounts (twitter, tumblr, etc.), and the files will be sent to you through email!

If you have any questions, feel free to comment or send me a PM!

Thanks so much for your support!

I hope this finds everyone well! I just wanted to throw together a compilation of updates/goals so you know where I'm at with my work.

• Visual novel is currently on hold. The artwork is pretty much 100% finished, I just need to rework the plot and writing a bit, which has taken a bit of a backseat to some other projects that I'm currently working on. I'll be sure to provide updates as soon as I can!
• I'm working on releasing one tile set or sprite sheet per month. Bippo, which I uploaded in August, is the first part of a series of free resources that I want to make accessible to the public! Giving back to the community is really important to me and I’d like to be able to provide support for others' work.
  • I'd love to team up with other artists/writers/creators and collaborate on themed sets and stuff like that maybe? Who knows?
• Currently working on spritework/artwork for a couple of games. They're still in the early stages of planning, but I'll post any news about them here!
• There will be no request chat this month. Sorry about that. Easing into school has been a bit hectic, so sorry for the inconvenience. However, this gives me a chance to make sure the next chat is more organized! Feel free to let me know what days work for you here! http://whenisgood.net/ptydfjm Or, if you'd like to be an artist that takes requests during chat, please feel free to PM me! 
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