A tiny pixel art editor for Palm OS
I love pixel art, so I thought: why not make a pixel art app for Palm OS as a small side project?
Because of the inherently pixelated nature of 160×160 displays on most Palm OS devices, building this kind of drawing app felt like a natural and fun idea.
The name comes from metric prefixes: micro → nano → pico.
Since the default canvas size is 16×16 pixels, PicoCanvas felt like a fitting name.
It also reminds me of the old WBMP images that used to come preinstalled on early mobile phones and were shared via SMS. On classic Sony Ericsson phones, many of those images were exactly 16×16 pixels. I have very fond memories of those small details from old tech, and PicoCanvas is also a way for me to revive a bit of that nostalgia.
This is still in heavy development and has plenty of rough edges — this was literally coded over just a couple of days. That said, the core idea is already working and evolving fast.
- ✏️ 16×16 and 32×32 canvas sizes
- 🎨 Color picker
- 🔁 Quick access to last picked color
- 🔊 Subtle UI sounds
- 🖼️ Custom, nice-looking app icon
- ✏️ A proper, attractive, and intuitive UI
- 💾 Save artwork in a database
- 🧰 Different drawing tools besides the pencil
- 🖥️ Gallery mode: review artwork in full-screen
- 📁 Project picker with small previews (this one is hard!)
- 📡 Share artwork via Infrared (IR)
- 💽 Export artwork as files (original or upscaled) to an SD card
- 🌐 And… my own twist: using the internet to share images 👀
(Stay tuned!)
- Target OS: Palm OS 3.0 and newer
- Devices: Designed with classic 160×160 Palm devices in mind but totally usable on 320x320 devices
- Language / Tools: OrbForms / OrbC
PicoCanvas is not meant to compete with modern drawing tools.
It’s about:
- Embracing hardware limitations
- Reviving the charm of classic Palm devices through pixel art
- Making something fun, tiny, and expressive
Any suggestions, ideas, or feedback are very welcome!
This project is being built openly and experimentally.
(To be defined)