TzAR: Pixel Art Profiles #11 – cap’n, V5MT, Woc

8 Jul

Kyle Flemmer profiles three artists included in the forthcoming Tezos Art Review (TzAR): Pixel Art Anthology that use dither or noise in their work.

As I’ve pointed out in previous Pixel Art Profiles, pixel art as a medium has some specific and unique constraints, most notably the limited palette and canvas size. In order to achieve a higher level of detail than is technically possible, artists use techniques like noise and dithering to increase an image’s apparent complexity without increasing the color or pixel count. For example, a checkerboard of red and blue pixels will look purple from a slight distance. More or less of one of these colors will push the apparent color of the image further along the spectrum between them. Thus, a well-dithered image can represent a huge variety of colors from an extremely limited palette.

While dithering accomplishes this effect by introducing patterns of simple colors, noise achieves it through irregularity. Noise can increase the complexity of an image without increasing the pixel count. It can help smooth out or blend together colors or hard-edged shapes. This is a useful technique to get away from the familiar blocky, rectilinear aesthetic of pixel art, bringing it into the realm of the photographic or filmic. There are lots of pixel art purists who dismiss both dithering and noise as outside the purview of pixel art, but the TzAR: Pixel Art Review seeks to challenge this restrictive opinion. Dither and noise both operate at the level of the pixel and are thus critical to address in the context of this anthology.

“For Pixel Art Profiles #11, I’m highlighting three artists who prove the immense range and sophistication of dithered or noisy images as a form of pixel art. These artists may or may not view their own work as aligned with the pixel as the primary unit of composition, but I am eager to present their work this way, if only to press back against those assert what pixel art is not.”

cap'n

Artist statement: “Beyond his art, cap’n remains an enigma. Not entirely anonymous but never overly forthcoming, his work carries a quiet mystique. His art evokes a sense of nostalgia—each piece a portal to the unknown, exploring the depths of the human psyche.”

V5MT

Artist statement: “As part of my artistic exploration, I deconstruct pixels, drawn to the aesthetics of low-res 8-bit and monobit graphics—especially dithering. This fascination came from my early admiration of artists like Francoise Gamma and Nicolas Sassoon. For years, I've explored various mediums and techniques, both abandoned and recent, to expose the raw pixels.”

Woc

*9:19* *by Woc, minted November 28, 2023*

Artist statement: “On January 4, 2022, Woc minted his first digital artwork on the Objkt platform, marking the beginning of an experimental journey rooted in iconographic research. Since then, his practice has given rise to over 600 works, distributed across more than ten distinct collections. In this ongoing digital exploration, Woc meticulously selects and analyzes images, engaging with their serial nature and reinterpreting them through both conceptual and technical lenses. His swift digital editing process distills the original image into a concentrated essence of pixels, transforming it into a dynamic field open to limitless interpretation.”

TzAR: Pixel Art Anthology will be published by The Blasted Tree Publishing Co. in August 2025. Stay tuned for more Pixel Art Profiles in the coming weeks as we prepare the book for publication!

Kyle Flemmer