LED Pixel Art Cubes

Why make Pixel Art cubes?

With this simple STEAM project, kids can create their very first LED circuit in no time and spend all their creativity making different designs for their LED cube!

I use pixel art for this project because it is a really fun process to express your imagination with just a few pixels. Also, pixel art is very easy to create and everyone can do it! No painting or drawing skills are required.

In Short:

Recommended age: 8 years and older

Skill level electronics: Very easy

Skill level paper crafting: Easy

Time needed: 90 minutes

Estimated costs per Cube: 2-5 euro/dollar (very cheap in large quantities)

Every download includes

• All the templates you need for this project

• My electronics shopping guide for this project

• Detailed instructions on my Stress-Free Workshop page

• My Easy Circuit template for experimentation

• And much more!

A faster, more joyful way to create pixel art

Check out this simple browser-based pixel art editor: https://www.pixilart.com

If kids first start the application they will be greeted by a short introduction to the features.

This editor is simple enough to show it to kids and make them create digital pixel art. I recommend starting with a small size like 15 by 15 pixels. This little constraint is really good for kids to keep designs simple. 

For a start, check out my gallery. You can even edit my designs: https://www.pixilart.com/vps-art/gallery

Another great starting point for kids is to look through the stamp gallery inside the pixel art editor and start by editing one of the findings from there. 

If kids have finished a design, the simplest method is to screenshot the design and place the design into my blank LED cube template (included in the download above) by using a free graphics application like gimp or krita. Join different designs onto one cube or duplicate the designs for each side of the cube. The last step is to print your newly created template. Set your printer to use lots of ink (strong coloring). That way, the designs will be most vibrant. 

Once it is printed, kids can follow the steps from above to create their pixel art cube. 

Super Simple Pixelart Variation

I used the Pixil Art editor to create a Minecraft-style pumpkin.

After printing the template, children can use a black marker to draw a spooky face on the pumpkin. Remember to use vegetable oil to make the paper more translucent.

Apart from the design, this variation is identical to the one above. It can be recreated by following the steps above! Here is a great inspiration for pixel art pumpkin designs.

The pumpkin template is included in the download available from my Teachers Pay Teachers store!