Hi, I'm Stefanie <3
…or better known as Moertel. I’m a 36-year-old pixel artist from Hamburg, Germany and you probably know me for my gloomy, retro nighttime animations. Neo-noir pixel art and 8bit-ish art is my jam. Thanks for stopping by!
About Me
No art education
I'm self-taught. Apart from an art class in school I stayed faaaar and clear of any formal art education.
Started at the age of 30
Why not start something new in your 30s? That's exactly what I did and it wasn't as intimidating as you might think.
Working full-time
Senior Platform Engineer (something with computers™) by day and pixel artist by night. Well, ok, on the weekends. 😉
My Art
Highways, street lights, and buzzing cities are the key elements of my art. My themes and motifs are deeply rooted in realistic settings, with a hint of nihilism, but quite different from the supernatural or sci-fi flair that often surrounds pixel art as a medium.
Each scene feels like it’s taken straight from a neo-noir movie and embraces the bivalence that comes with the genre: the blurring lines, the cozy loneliness, and the interplay of light and shadow. My artworks are a clash of life and busy cities, of the natural and the artificial.
Tutorials
I came for the pixels but I stayed for the community. If you feel inspired and motivated to make art yourself, I hope I can share some knowledge with you, be it about the software or about my workflows:
Pixel Art in Photoshop
If you're curious how to set up Photoshop for crisp and crystal clear pixels, this tutorial walks you through the settings step by step.
10 Things I Wish I Knew
Starting something new can be hard. If you're considering starting (pixel) art, I'm happy to share some tips and lessons learned.
Prints & Pins
Support My Art
Exclusive News
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Wallpapers
Brighten your phones and desktops with Patreon-exclusive wallpapers of my artworks.
Prints & Postcards
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