Pixel artists work with tiny dots, pixels. Created with the use of raster graphics software, images are edited on the pixel level. Pixel art is a style of digital art,

A pixel is one tiny dot of colour in an image. Pixel art then, is an image created with tiny dots. It is also known as low resolution art and 8-bit art.

An image created in the pixel art style is not usually smooth, like a photographed image. If you look, you can see the dots, especially around the edges. Comic books were created with pixel images so you could see the dots if you looked closely at those too.

Once an image is evolved past the pixel art level it gets that polished, finished look and (to me) it isn't really pixel art any more. It becomes computer generated or digital art. The main difference between pixel art and any other computer or digitally created art is that the artist works with the pixels, the actual dots which make up the image.

The word pixelated, in reference to an image, means the image is blurry - the pixels have too much space between them and have likely been stretched out due to the image being enlarged past the point it was meant to be shown.

Pixel art is coming back into use because it isn't a bandwidth hog the way a photograph or an image with higher resolution would be. So, for mobile technology, pixel art allows more images to be used because they take up less space in the memory and can be sent much faster too.

Pixel Art is Used for...

• favicons
• avatars
• video games
• low res images
• dollz (pixel dolls)
• and various other new, retro and developing places

Techniques for Making Pixel Art Pixelating, making pixel art, starts with a simple line drawing, sketch or outline. Colours are added to give the image shape, shading and definition.

Start with the basic lines of the image you want to create, this is called the line art. Line art can be original or created from a scan of another drawing. The artist creates their own version of the original drawing, with their own vision and concept.

Dithering and hand-made anti-aliasing are used to bring different shades and colours into the art. Dithering basically uses two colours and by varying the density you can get different tones of colour. Anti-aliasing will smooth curves and changes between colours.

Saving the finished art

Pixel art is saved to either a PNG file or a GIF. JPG images files will make the pixel art appear mussed or messy.

Pixel Art is also Useful for Creating FavIcons You have likely noticed a favicon before, maybe you didn't know it had an official name. A favicon is the short form of, favourite icon. Favicons are used as tiny images which your web browser picks up and shows on the address bar next to the URL for the site you are visiting.

You may even have created your own favicon at one time. I have. The trick is creating something which will still look like something recognizable within the limits of the size the image has to be.

Pixel Dolls. net

I've been having a lot of trouble seeing clearly when trying to read websites. The style seems to be small, pale grey fonts which are very hard to read. No problem for a computer, or other machines. I wonder if these sites which are hard to read just expect machines and not human being to read the information? Are they just looking for web traffic for marketing. Content doesn't seem to be very kingly when you can't read it. Anyway, that's a bit off topic but the issue really frustrates me, personally.

I found a way to change settings in Firefox to make websites easier to read. It seems to be working, so far.

Go into your settings, click those three stacked lines in the right top bar of the web browser. Then Settings. From there you should be able to find the Languages section. See images below. Just click the "zoom text only" to turn that feature on. Then go into Advanced and set a minimum font size which your web browser should stick to when it opens web pages. The minimum font size may not work 100%. Some web developers choose to force font settings rather than letting readers choose what works for them. Again, likely valuing cosmetic looks instead of a readable site.

The zoom text only is great and has worked every time for me. Instead of enlarging the entire site, images and all, only the text is made bigger. So sites are not warping as much when I want to read them. Of course, this means zoom will not work for images now if you have been using it that way. But, I find it works well to open images in a new tab. Most of the time the image file is actually larger than the one used on the web page.

Zoom is a feature which allows you to increase or decrease either the size of a web page or the size of the text. This article explains how it works.

Source: Font size and zoom - increase the size of web pages | Firefox Help

The Christmas tree for your computer - or yourself if you spend most of your time sitting in front of the computer. This bright little tree can plug into one of the USB ports on your computer and it will light up and change colours. When I think about Christmas it is the Christmas tree, all lit up, which comes into my mind first. I love the bright colours, the sparkling ornaments, the smell of everything around the tree as people tended to gather there. We had our tree set up in the front room. Usually, this was the forbidden room. In a house with four children the front room was the fancy room, no kids allowed. But, when it came to family holidays we gathered there, with the fireplace in winter.

We would make so many goodies: pumpkin pie, apple pie, gingerbread, sugar cookies and have them all out there with the tree and the fireplace. My Grandparents (and some of their siblings too) would bring boxes of chocolates and candy canes too. We turned down the electric lights so most of the light came from the colourful lights on the Christmas tree. In the room people chatted, played cards and other games. I can remember the smell of gingerbread, the sound of people and the glow of the tree.

We had an artificial tree because my brother was allergic to the real trees. I never missed the real tree. No pine smell but no dry tree, shedding pine needles either. Plus, we had the same tree each year. Bringing it out was like having a friend come back again each year.

Now, so many years later, most of the family is gone or living far apart in one way or another. I don't mind being alone at Christmas. I have had the kind of family Christmases which people make movies about, so there are a lot of great memories I can look back to. Mainly, I love getting out there and seeing lights and decorations and displays at other houses, other places and being put up and taken down again by other people. I can have my own little Christmas and make it as big or little as I want. I had all my Christmas training. I can now bake the pies, cook the dinner, put up the decorations and enjoy the holiday season in the glow of my own Christmas tree.

Having a little tree just for the computer is a great touch. I can bring Christmas to my desk and have the big tree in the other room too. Every room can have a tree all lit up!

The Wireless, Optical, Laser Mouse

It's not especially attractive looking but it does fit into my hand nicely as I work. I like not having a cord to deal with on top of my work space. I even like that it was an HP company product because the rest of my computer is the same, even though I didn't buy it all at one time, or place.

However, the wireless mouse does have a couple of issues.

1. It runs on batteries. This means it will run out of battery power without much notice.

2. It does not like mousepads with any kind of design on them. In fact, mousepads seem to drive it completely crazy!

Sure it gets gunky looking after awhile but that's common for all computer mice so I'm not counting that against this mouse in particular. I just use some hand sanitizer on it and that degunks it and cleans up nice.

As for the real issues... I have found solutions!

Your Wireless Mouse Will Eat Batteries

The wireless mouse will go through standard batteries in about 3 months, from my experience. True, I did not always remember to turn the switch off at the bottom of the mouse. If you do, that will help your battery live longer. However, we aren't so perfect.

My solution is rechargeable batteries.

Look for the Right Size and Type of Batteries

Make sure you check the batteries which your computer mouse has come with. Most likely they will be double A (AA) batteries and type of battery will be NIMH (nickel-metal hydride). You don't want to get the wrong type of battery. I've never tested this but it seems one of those things I can leave untested and just trust the advice of others.

If you already have the recharger you can just buy the batteries. I bought the whole set because the set I used to have I had given away when I thought I no longer needed rechargeable batteries with my camera. (It has a different rechargeable battery).

Have you Ever Seen your Mouse Go Wild?

Or, Why I Use my Mousepad Upside Down

One of the very first things I learned about having a wireless, optical, laser based mouse was how wild it tends to get. There I am working, focused... suddenly the cursor shoots across the screen and seems to be having a mad dance all on it's own. It is untameable, feral and wild. Of course, this was not what I wanted in a meek and mild computer mouse.

This was the first wireless mouse I had bought. I was not at all prepared for the difference between the mouse with a cord (like a leash) and the mouse allowed to be wild and fancy-free. No one told me I'd been to buy a new mousepad when I bought the new mouse.

Of course, this was not my first choice in how to deal with the problem. I had just replaced the smiley face mousepad I've been using for over ten years. I took my time, shopped and picked my way through an endless variety of mousepads, before I choose the deluxe Irish coffee in a jade cup and saucer with a shamrock in latte art on top. I picked it for my Grandmother, who was Irish. I picked it because the jade cup and saucer are favourites of my Mother. I also picked it because I enjoy latte art and coffee. So, this was the chosen mousepad. Replace it? For a mere computer mouse? The very idea was ludicrous.

So I skim the edges of my mousepad where the design doesn't reach. It's a compromise. Now and then the laser must hit a bit of latte steam at the top of the design. The cursor will still have a moment of crazy outbursts now and then, but most of the time it works out. I use my mousepad upside down and the computer mouse tries to control it's fixation on pattern and design.

The Computer Mouse Cozy - found in an Etsy shop.

Take that Mouse and Mod It!

If you really want to do more with your computer mouse consider... PC modification and customization. Take your computer mouse apart, add ears and a tail made with a string of LED lights. Then pull off the old computer tower (the case covering your computer) chop it up and add gizmos and gadgets to it. Don't leave out the keyboard and the monitor...

This is far beyond what most people want to do. But, the results are amazing, breath-taking!

It's also a good way to repurpose old computer hardware.

Waterproof, Washable and Antimicrobial Mice? I really don’t know why a computer mouse cover or protector is so hard to find. I don’t want to protect my mouse from harm – I want to protect myself from harm FROM the mouse. I don’t understand people who claim to be so germ conscious/ obsessed and yet they ignore simple and basic things like washing hands and cleaning up the things we handle often, like the computer mouse.

If you could see the gunk which gets under the parts of your mouse you would be far more horrified than any movie could make you. Your computer mouse can (and possible already has) make you sick.

It isn’t hard to find a keyboard cover. People think those are the bigger issue because when you eat food over them, type with messy hands and all of that, you can see the junk that falls between the keys, gets stuck to the keys and all the day to day dust.

We seem to ignore all the dirt, germs and grime which we bring to the mouse, but it gets handled as much (if not more) than the keyboard.

Be honest – do you really wash your hands before you begin using the computer mouse, every time? Of course not. I wouldn’t even believe anyone who claims otherwise.

When did you last give your computer mouse a really good cleaning?

• I'm not sure. I don't really think about it.
• Fairly recently. I clean it when I think about it.
• Fairly recently. I clean it when I notice it looks a bit dirty.
• This week sometime. I have a routine for cleaning my computer hardware.
• Today. I give it a good clean up every day or close to it.

When did you last clean your mouse? I don’t mean a quick wipe. A spray of something isn’t enough either. It needs to be cleaned, as if it were a medical instrument, because it picks up and keeps, a lot of grime, bacteria and germs of all sorts. Everything you have touched during your day you bring back on your hands and transfer to that computer mouse.

If you can’t find mouse covers (I found them difficult to locate online and did not find any in my local area stores) then regularly sanitize your mouse and keyboard. You can use a round of kitchen type cleaner and then a second round with hand sanitizer to give it a better chance at decontamination.

I've decided to go a step farther and will see if I can find something to use as a sanitary mouse cover. Possibly a surgical mask which would fit over the roundness of the mouse and leave the underside still open.

I would have liked to buy a washable mouse but they are not so available and the one I did finally find will cost as much as my current mouse but lack the features, such as being wireless and able to work well on any surface (great for when you are not at your desk).