Printable pixel art grids

Blank squared grids to design on, from 10 by 10 up to 60 by 60, with heavy counting lines every ten squares and numbered edges so a long row never gets lost.

12 free patterns · Drawn and checked by Marlow Skein

What size pixel art grid should I use?

For a first sprite, 16 by 16 is the usual starting point: big enough for a recognisable character, small enough to finish. Icons and tiles sit at 8 to 16, detailed sprites at 32, and full scenes at 48 or 64. Larger grids need smaller squares on paper, so print at 100 per cent.

Printable blank 10 by 10 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

10 x 10 Pixel Art Grid A 10 by 10 grid, the size icon designers use for a first sprite: 100 squares, and the heavy counting lines fall on the border itself because the grid is exactly one counting block wide. 10 x 10 grid 1.8 x 1.8 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 12 by 12 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

12 x 12 Pixel Art Grid A 12 by 12 grid that gives a face or a small symbol two extra squares of breathing room compared with a 10 square canvas. 12 x 12 grid 2.2 x 2.2 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 16 by 16 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

16 x 16 Pixel Art Grid The 16 by 16 grid most pixel artists learn on: 256 squares, enough for a character with a readable silhouette and a face. 16 x 16 grid 2.9 x 2.9 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 20 by 20 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

20 x 20 Pixel Art Grid A 20 by 20 grid, sized so a design printed on it lands at roughly 3.6 cm square if you later work it in cross stitch on 14 count aida. 20 x 20 grid 3.6 x 3.6 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 24 by 24 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

24 x 24 Pixel Art Grid A 24 by 24 grid for sprites that need a held item or a hat, with counting lines at 10 and 20 and 576 squares to fill. 24 x 24 grid 4.4 x 4.4 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 25 by 25 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

25 x 25 Pixel Art Grid A 25 by 25 grid with a true centre square, which is what you want for a symmetrical badge, snowflake or mandala design. 25 x 25 grid 4.5 x 4.5 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 30 by 30 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

30 x 30 Pixel Art Grid A 30 by 30 grid, three counting blocks square, and the largest size that still fits comfortably on a standard bead pegboard once you trim it. 30 x 30 grid 5.4 x 5.4 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 32 by 32 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

32 x 32 Pixel Art Grid The 32 by 32 grid, four times the area of a 16 square canvas and the usual step up when a sprite needs shading rather than flat colour. 32 x 32 grid 5.8 x 5.8 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 40 by 40 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

40 x 40 Pixel Art Grid A 40 by 40 grid with 1,600 squares, room for a small scene with a background rather than a single object. 40 x 40 grid 7.3 x 7.3 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 48 by 48 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

48 x 48 Pixel Art Grid A 48 by 48 grid, the largest square canvas that still prints with squares wide enough to write a colour code inside. 48 x 48 grid 8.7 x 8.7 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 50 by 50 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

50 x 50 Pixel Art Grid A 50 by 50 grid, five counting blocks in each direction, which makes it the easiest large canvas to plan a composition on. 50 x 50 grid 9.1 x 9.1 cm Chart PDF View chart

Printable blank 60 by 60 pixel art grid with counting lines every ten squares

60 x 60 Pixel Art Grid A 60 by 60 grid with 3,600 squares, for a full scene or a long banner design worked in sections. 60 x 60 grid 10.9 x 10.9 cm Chart PDF View chart

Grids that are actually countable

A printable grid is only useful if you can find your place on it. Every grid on this page is drawn with a heavy line every ten squares and numbers along the top and left edges, so you count in tens instead of squinting at a wall of identical boxes. Centre marks on the outside edges show the middle of the sheet, which is where a symmetrical design starts.

Sizes run from 10 by 10 for icons up to 60 by 60 for a full scene, including the classic 16, 24, 32 and 48 square canvases. Each one prints as an A4 PDF at the largest square size that fits the page, so the small grids come out generous and the large ones stay countable.

Paper first, screen later

Sketching a sprite on paper before opening an editor is faster for the same reason a thumbnail sketch is faster than a painting: you can see the whole shape at once and rub it out cheaply. A finished paper grid transfers straight into a pixel editor, or straight into thread and beads, because all three are the same square grid.

Grids with something already on them

If you would rather colour in a design than start from nothing, the pixel art templates page has ready drawn sprites on the same grid. When a sketch is finished and you want to stitch it, the cross stitch patterns page shows what the same grid looks like as a counted chart, and the Pattern Maker will convert a picture into one for you. Everything is free to print under this site's license, classroom use included.

How to use these pixel grids

Print the grid or the template at 100 per cent. The guide lines every ten squares keep long rows countable.
Fill the squares with pencil, pen or paint, or copy the grid straight into a pixel editor at the same size.
A finished grid works as a cross stitch chart or a bead pattern without changing a square, so a sketch here becomes a project.

Make a chart from your own picture

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