PixelsIRL -- Bead Spriting Specialists

Started on Christmas Eve in December of 2012, Pixels IRL strives to bring 8-bit reiterations of some of the most popular gaming and anime icons to life! We design, assemble, and hand craft each and every bead sprite and no two are exactly the same.

Are you a fan of some iconic video game and anime characters? Turn them into magnets, key chains, bag charms, or just have them on display! Give them to your friends and family as gifts or buy them for your own personal collection!

All bead sprites are made exclusively from Perler beads and are expected to last for years with minimal maintenance.

Browse around our gallery or visit our shop on Etsy and thank you for stopping by Pixels IRL!

FAQ

Q: What is a bead sprite? A: A bead sprite is pixel art composed of "fusion" beads that mesh together when heated up with an iron or heat gun to create a unique character image. Q: What type of beads do you use? A: We exclusively use a brand called Perler Beads which gives off a nice flat finish when fused properly. Q: How long do these take to make? A: Designs based off of pre-existing sprites take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on the size, scale, and quality of the sprite. Original sprites take between 2 to 3 hours to design and another 1 to 3 hours to complete from start to finish. Q: What do you do with them? A: Many people turn them into key chains, magnets, drink coasters, bag and cellular phone charms. Some people even turn them into great-looking Christmas tree ornaments! However, many others also collect bead sprites for their artistic value and lots of them consider bead spriting to be its own unique type of art. Q: I really like one of them! How do I buy these? A: In each Deviation's description is a link to our store. You can also click the image banner above to go directly to our store on Etsy and purchase them from there! Your support would really mean a lot to us! Q: Can I commission you to make me a custom-designed bead sprite? A: Of course! All of the details will have to be worked out via regular correspondence between the client and Pixels IRL and prices will vary depending on the scale and quality of the product. Custom made bead sprites may take up to several weeks to complete from start to finish.