4th Grade 8-Bit Portraits

I grew up in the 80's. Everything was neon, there was a lot of hairspray, and it was the golden age of video games. I could usually be found playing outside, but I also enjoyed sitting down with the NES playing video games on cold or rainy days. Since the 80's are apparently cool again (why???), I've noticed quite of design that is inspired by 80's 8-bit video game design. That was the basis for this project. 

I was totally psyched to start this project. I put together a Keynote that not only contained sweet 8-bit game characters, but the theme music from the games as well. Teaching art with the Zelda theme in the background simply makes everything a little more epic. My students discussed the qualities and restrictions of 8-bit style and then used some simple grid paper to create a couple of practice versions of themselves as an 8-bit character. Students could do a more realistic version or they had the option of putting themselves in a video game of their own creation. 

The final version was done on a grid that I photocopied onto card stock. The work was drawn out with pencil, then colored with colored pencils. I just wrote this lesson this year, and I think it turned out really cool. I may think about using a slightly larger grid next year, but I was very happy with the results overall. 

Click here to download my lesson plan!