Pixel Art Advent Calendar - A Chocolate Alternative

Lots of families want an alternative to a chocolate advent calendar, or just something more interesting to go with it. So here at Tech Age Kids we've come up with a Pixel Art Advent Calendar to inject some tech-inspired creativity into the holiday season.

Pixel Art Designs for Christmas

We've created 25 pixel art designs for Christmas which you can download and use.

• Click here to access all 25 pixel designs to make your own pixel art advent calendar.

There are lots of different ways to create the pixel art using either physical materials or digital tools or a combination of the two. Why not get creative and try a different method every day. We've tried to keep it simple, so you can actually make each design in one day. You can use arty and techie ways to make pixel art. We made our whole advent calendar using Simbrix.

Make it with Simbrix

Simbrix "cute kit" for fans of fuse/melty beads - no peg board or iron required
? @ Amazon

Create each piece of Pixel Art using Simbrix slot together bricks. Simbrix don't need ironing - they just stay together. There's a hole in each brick so you could thread a ribbon through and turn each creation into a Christmas tree decoration. After Christmas you can take the pixel art apart, play with it all year and then make it again next year.

(Note you will NOT be able to make all the designs with just one Simbrix Cute Crafter kit. We recommend you buy the Creator Kit (US | UK) or try use some other ideas below to make the pixel designs.)

• 6 Techie Ways to make Pixel Art
• 7 Ways to Get Arty with Pixel Art

Other Ideas to Make Pixel Art

1. Perler Beads with a square peg board will also work. The decorations you get will be smaller. Perler Beads (US) or Hama Beads (UK)
2. Qixels water-fusing beads is another option. Add a refill pack to get more colours. Qixels Design Creator US | UK
3. How about getting some Aida fabric and embroidery thread and creating the pixel art using cross stitch. Younger makers will find plastic cross stitch boards easier to use. 
4. You could make Christmas themed characters and items in Bloxels and make a seasonal game! The Bloxels board is only 13 x 13 pixels and the pixel colours are limited so you'll have to adapt the designs a little. 
5. You could use 2x2 LEGO blocks on a baseboard. You'd need quite a lot of LEGO to make all the pixel art designs but you could take photos and then take them apart to make new designs. 
6. We made our designs using Piskel, it's a fab online app for creating pixel art. You can easily set the size of the canvas and you can output images for printing or for display on a screen. Try make an animation of one pixel art design using the free tool. 
7. Squared paper and colouring pens or pencils is another good option. You could add a string and pegs and hang up a new piece of artwork each day. We'll email you a blank template you can use when you sign up to the advent calendar list.
8. Create the designs in Minecraft using different coloured blocks.
9. Use different shapes - how about making a pixel picture using spots?
10. Craft it! Paint using sponge squares or finger prints, cut up card into squares and build a paper pixel puzzle, make a grid using glass paint and acetates then display them on the window.

Share your creations

We'd love to see what you make, share the kids (or your) creations on your favourite social media platform and remember to add the hashtag #pixelxmas and mention @techagekids! 

For more inspiration check out our Pixel Art Christmas Pinterest Board.

Find our 25 designs on your Pixel Art Advent Calendar Pinterest Board.