The best part of primary school was heading on down to the computer lab to “learn” or whatever. The best part of being in said computer lab was, of course, Kid Pix.
Now TikToker/artist @tristen046 (who also goes by Ten) has harnessed Kid Pix to create the kinds of artworks my 8-year-old self could only dream of making. It’s like if Bob Ross was drenched in mid-2000s nostalgia.
Ten uses a more recent version of the software, but seeing that old-school CRT monitor is enough to jettison you straight back to The Good Old Days™.
@tristen046Reply to @courtneycox805 how many fish stamps is too many? ##kidpix ##digitalarttiktok ##retrogames ##2000babies ##arttiktok♬ Steven Universe – L.Dre
The best part is that Ten harnesses the full potential of all the kookiest Kid Pix effects.
“Using a lot of different brushes will give us good variation in the texture of our plant life,” he explained in one video.
Did you know you can use the mixer tool to create light rays? Well now you do!
And hey, with a bit of foresight and a whole lotta passion, you can even add in some shadows beneath your alien moon trees.
@tristen046welcome back! check out these space lovers ##kidpix ##artist ##fyp ##digitalart ##2000sthrowbacks♬ KidPix Art EP 02 – ten
Everything Ten says is just so soothing and angelic. Watching him is like meditating (in the 2005 computer lab of your primary school).
Fans of his videos will recognise two recurring tips: “It’s always good to have your art tell a story” and “our eyes need a place to rest”.
Both of these relate to having a bit of action in the artwork as a focal point. If only 8-year-old me had known this.
Sometimes the end result isn’t as beautiful as one might hope, but hey, at least Ten had fun and so did we.
@tristen046Reply to @_cottage_wh0re_ i went a little overboard with the stamps ##kidpix ##2000skids ##artok ##digitalart♬ Lofi – Domknowz
Ten also always knows just what to add to Kid Pix artworks that look finished but aren’t. For example, mushrooms.
He’s been uploading every few days for the last couple of weeks, so we can hopefully expect more nostalgic art classes in the near future.
With every upload, he’s letting us relive that fabled software staple of any mid-2000s primary school computer lab.
Also: he’s an ANGEL.
@tristen046let’s all go to the computer lab! ##kidpix ##artist ##fyp ##digitalart ##90saesthetic♬ KidPix Art EP 01 – ten
Unfortunately we have not yet seen him demonstrate the best part of Kid Pix, which is of course getting rid of your work with the dynamite eraser tool.
Now try doing that with Tux Paint.
