The only thing cooler than a pixelated figurine of Pharrell wearing his oversized Grammys hat is an app that allows you to create one of your own. LEBLOX, a new app created by Paris-based tech god Mathieu Lecoupeur and creative genius Soy Phompraseuth, lets users create pixelated renderings of any image—selfies, the Mona Lisa, and even photos of Miley Cyrus twerking, if that's what floats your boat.
Afterwards, users can have their pixel creations brought to life. For 20 euros, the creators of LEBLOX will create and ship you a 3D model of your pixel art from France, though a U.S. printing center is currently in the works.
You might consider LEBLOX a throwback to the perler beads and 8-bit video games of the '90s. Though pixel art has been around for decades, it seems to be re-emerging as a new pop culture phenomenon and artistic movement—with artists like Space Invaderdropping his 8-bit mosaics everywhere. "Pixel art is a kind of pop art already," Phompraseuth told Fast Company Create. "In France, it belongs to the collective unconscious though advertising and marketing."
Despite pixel art not being new at all, perhaps it's because of its retro vibe and simple aesthetics that it's so popular. "I think pixel art has something reassuring in it, because a simple colored square or a cube is still a square or cube. It's fundamental," Phompraseuth explained.
Whether it's a Pharrell figurine or Space Invader-recreation you want made, however, you'll have to wait a few more weeks. LEBLOX won't be available for download until March, so be on the lookout.
[via FastCoCreate]
RELATED: The New "I PIXEL U" App Brings 8-Bit Art into the Real World
