Convert an image into pixel art
Upload an image, choose a canvas size and refine the result. Export a PNG when you are ready.
Open the editor ↗Populaire zoekopdrachten
- Hoogwaardig
- Draagbaar
- Zielvol
- Luidspreker
Toxic Book Faces Pixel Art: William Bache’s Silhouettes
A face can be recognizable from a single edge. Explore twelve pixel-art adaptations of William Bache’s historic silhouette portraits: dark profiles, pale paper and small changes of forehead, nose and chin.
Inspired by the Smithsonian Sidedoor episode The Toxic Book of Faces, this collection turns digitized museum objects into 128×128 studies you can use as a starting point for your own portrait ideas.
Twelve faces from one remarkable album
Each example comes from a different CC0 collection image in Bache’s silhouette ledger. The gallery contains eleven PNGs and one whole-image floating GIF; the original sitters have not been redrawn as fictional characters.
View all examplesShow fewer examples
For inspiration only. Rights remain with their owners; source licenses apply. Contact us for removal requests.
Make it your own.
Three ways to start. One pixel editor.
Create an animated GIF
Add or duplicate frames, adjust the timing and preview the loop. Export your animation as a GIF.
Open the editor ↗Draw a custom pixel icon
Start with a blank canvas. Use the drawing and fill tools, then export your icon with a transparent background.
Open the editor ↗Pixel art. In real life.
See how creators use the app and make their displays their own.
Keep creating with Divoom.
More ideas, more tools and a place to share.
Find inspiration in the Pixel Gallery
Browse community artwork and save the designs that catch your eye.
Keep refining your artwork
Draw, edit and animate in the Divoom app.
Join the conversation
See what other creators are making and share your own work.
Notes from the community.
Divoom app reviews from Google Play.
Jamall Mason
★★★★★
“the community is nothing short of Perfecto…”Read on Google Play ↗Excerpt from original review
JIMMY “DJ JAMMERZ” GREEN
★★★★★
“had my divoom ditoo for years now and its so cool seeing all the new pixel art…”Read on Google Play ↗Excerpt from original review
Victor White
★★★★★
“divoom is a wonderful app, the community is great, and there are so many styles of artwork to view…”Read on Google Play ↗Excerpt from original review
Cole Tippins
★★★★☆
“Very nice Pixel Editor and community, although the app is oddly buggy sometimes”Read on Google Play ↗
Ciaran
★★★★☆
“pretty easy to create and find some cool designs other people made too”Read on Google Play ↗
Heather Hibbs
★★★★★
“Fun community with lots of picture options, you can also create your own”Read on Google Play ↗
4,000+Stores
20M+Users worldwide
100+Countries
Toxic Book Faces pixel art questions
What does “toxic” refer to in this collection?
It refers to arsenic found in the physical Bache album, as described by the Smithsonian’s Sidedoor episode and the National Portrait Gallery. It does not refer to a style of face, a fictional creature or a green color effect.
Are these invented faces or actual historic portraits?
They are pixel-art adaptations of twelve separate William Bache silhouette images. Some sitters are named in the museum records; others remain unidentified. Each source record and object number is retained in the sources below.
Can I adapt the Smithsonian images for my own artwork?
The twelve media files selected for this page are explicitly designated CC0 in Smithsonian Open Access records. That designation applies to these selected collection images; it does not automatically cover podcast cover art or every image on si.edu. Follow the linked object records and Smithsonian usage terms for the material you choose.
How do I keep a silhouette recognizable at 128×128?
Preserve the biggest changes in the side profile first, especially the nose projection, chin angle and the gap below the lower lip. Use a 32×32 or 64×64 working grid and leave breathing room in front of the face. Fine paper texture matters less than a clear outline.
What moves in the GIF?
The final portrait shifts as one complete image in a short floating loop. Its mouth, eyes and head do not move independently; it is an animated presentation of an adaptation, not a reconstruction of the historical sitter.
Make a portrait from one clear outline
Try a side-profile photo of your own, simplify its outer edge and choose a small palette. Use the historic silhouettes above as a lesson in contour rather than copying their paper texture pixel for pixel.