How to Draw a Pixelated Heart

Familiar old games such as Legends of Zelda have pixelated hearts to show your health. If you are feeling tired and low on lives, consider making your own in half an hour.

Materials

Graph paper
Pencil
Pen
Sharpie
Patience
Scissors
Optionally printer paper

Step 1: Find a Heart

Almost everyone already has one buried deep in their chest, and if you would like to do an atomically correct heart then be my guest. However, before you start ripping the heart out of your enemy, just pull up Google and search for a pixelated heart.

Step 2: Draw in Quadruple Blocks

Note each pixel and how many per row. Quadruple this, so you are filing four squares of your paper for every one block on the pixelated heart. Draw the lines using pencil, carefully counting to make sure both sides are even.

Step 3: Draw the Sparkle in the Pixelated Heart

For the sparkle, I drew the equivalent of 3 squares in the left corner, one row of single squares from the top of the heart and two single rows from the side. Make this line as clean and straight as possible.

Step 4: Darkening the Outline

Color in the spaces in the double outline with pencil. Lay the pencil on its side and fill in the lines, do not press down hard or you will leave a dent.

Step 5: Sharpie Everything

Go over the pencil and the lines around the sparkle with a black sharpie. Remember Sharpies are permanent and will not erase but will come off of skin if rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer is applied to the ink while fresh. Life hack.

Step 6: Color in the Pixelated Heart

I found this neon orange sharpie and oh my goodness it is the best thing ever created, besides air conditioning. It goes on a bit dark but lightens as it dries. Go in one direction and be careful to avoid touching the black sharpie outline as much as possible.

Step 7:Optional: Trace with Printer paper

Place a piece of printer paper over the graph paper with the heart and go over the black parts with a black sharpie carefully, making sure not to damage the colored parts of the heart.

Step 8: Optional: Fill in with Sharpie

Color the heart in whatever color you like, I prefer the orange I recommended up above for its vivid colors, going in one direction.

Step 10: Finish, Not Optional

Seal in the drawing with some acrylic spray if you intend to hang it up, or leave it unsprayed. And you are finished, Happy crafting!