PyDPainter is a program that attempts to create pixel art paintings in Python using PyGame. Originally inspired by the Commodore Amiga version of Deluxe Paint released in 1985 by Electronic Arts. At that time, Deluxe Paint helped define a user interface for a paint program with toolbars, menus, and a novel paint program that used the left and right mouse buttons to paint and erase. After pixel art gave way to photorealism and high-resolution 24-bit color, Deluxe Paint was largely forgotten as a work of art, left behind in the ever-advancing technological process.

Lately, with the resurgence of all things “retro”, low-res pixel art has become popular again. Many tools for dealing with this medium are either too complex or too crude. This project tries to bring back an old but reliable tool and enhance it with some features to help it better coexist in the modern world.