# Ditherface Tom Johnson · 2026-09-23 [Visit site](https://www.ditherface.com/) ![Ditherface pixel portraits](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/cover.png) I draw Ditherfaces by hand in Figma. Every pixel is a rectangle I put there myself, and every portrait is unique. ## It started with the team I originally made these for the Basedash team because I needed portraits for the about page on our website. I posted them, people saw them, and then people started reaching out asking for their own Ditherface. So I made a few and started charging for them. Then, while we were in the middle of the Basedash pivot, we needed feedback on the product. I started offering a Ditherface to people who would spend half an hour to an hour on a call with me. I’d demo the product, get their feedback, and give them their portrait at the end of the call. This turned out to be the most successful way I’ve ever found to compensate people for user interviews. Better than gift cards, cash, or account credits. I got to connect with some incredible designers, and we got feedback that helped us figure out what Basedash should become. I couldn’t have predicted that when I was drawing our team for the website. I wrote more about that in my [Basedash retrospective](https://www.tomjohn.design/content/basedash). ## Every rectangle by hand They look like pixels, but they’re all vectors. I draw rectangles in Figma, one by one, until I have a portrait. There’s no AI involved. These outline views show the actual shapes that make up the images. ![Vector outlines of a Ditherface with glasses and curly hair](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/outlines-1.png) ![Vector outlines of a smiling Ditherface with glasses and a beard](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/outlines-2.png) ![Vector outlines of a forward-facing Ditherface](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/outlines-3.png) ![Vector outlines of a Ditherface in profile](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/outlines-4.png) These were actually one of my early tests for whether AI could do this kind of work. I think the latest models might get close to the level of precision I have with them, but I still make every one by hand. Each takes me about an hour. Here are some timelapses of me making them. I originally posted them on X in November and December 2024: [a portrait from November 19](https://x.com/tomjohndesign/status/1858925948109733918), [Jonathan Simcoe’s](https://x.com/tomjohndesign/status/1859338879737921982), [Jonathan Minori’s](https://x.com/tomjohndesign/status/1861132613877899750), [Cole Deroshay’s](https://x.com/tomjohndesign/status/1863717692563177971), [Tommy Geoco’s](https://x.com/tomjohndesign/status/1863657276881465785) and [Thomas Chen’s](https://x.com/tomjohndesign/status/1864764437241983193). ![Drawing a Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/timelapse.mp4 "Timelapse of a dither portrait created in Figma") ![Drawing Jonathan Simcoe’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/jonathan-simcoe.mp4 "Another day, another dither portrait made in Figma. This time I got a chance to meet and chat with Jonathan Simcoe, designer at Mercury.") ![Drawing Jonathan Minori’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/jonathan-minori.mp4 "Timelapse of another dither portrait made in Figma. This time I talked to Jonathan Minori, designer and founder of Ableworks. Thanks again for taking the time to chat! Super helpful.") ![Drawing Cole Deroshay’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/cole-deroshay.mp4 "Had a great chat with Cole Deroshay last week, he gave some more feedback about the app we’re making. I gave the dithered portrait made in Figma. This one was actually super tricky because of the lighting and angle. When dealing with a black or white texture, just a single pixel in a different spot can totally change the facial expression.") ![Drawing Tommy Geoco’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/tommy-geoco.mp4) ![Drawing Thomas Chen’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/thomas-chen.mp4) ## The Ditherfaces ![Ditherface of Nathan Baschez](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/nathan-baschez.webp) ![Ditherface of Stephen Haney](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/stephen-haney.webp) ![Ditherface of Micah Headdings](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/micah-headdings.webp) ![Ditherface of Alan Kay](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/alan-kay.webp) ![Ditherface of Krysti Pryde](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/krysti-pryde.webp) ![Ditherface of Marc Card](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/marc-card.webp) ![Ditherface of Stuart Bowness](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/stuart-bowness.webp) ![Ditherface of Damien Tanner](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/damien-tanner.webp) ![Ditherface of Aidan Hornsby](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/aidan-hornsby.webp) ![Ditherface of Joy Lynn](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/joy-lynn.webp) ![Ditherface of Gino](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/gino.webp) ![Ditherface of Griko Nibras](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/griko-nibras.webp) ![Ditherface of Tommy Geoco](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/tommy-geoco.webp) ![Ditherface of Reijo Palmiste](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/reijo-palmiste.webp) ![Ditherface of Cody Keisler](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/cody-keisler.webp) ![Ditherface of Tommy Geoco](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/tommy-geoco-2.webp) ![Ditherface of Hüseyin](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/huseyin.webp) ![Ditherface of Will King](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/will-king.webp) ![Ditherface of Thomas Chen](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/thomas-chen.webp) ![Ditherface of Danny JP. Williams](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/danny-jp-williams.webp) ![Ditherface of Cole Deroshay](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/cole-deroshay.webp) ![Ditherface of Ridd](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/ridd.webp) ![Ditherface of Tommy Geoco](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/tommy-geoco-3.webp) ![Ditherface of Jonathan Minori](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/jonathan-minori.webp) ![Ditherface of Jonathan Simcoe](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/jonathan-simcoe.webp) ![Ditherface of Sam Linville](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/sam-linville.webp) ![Ditherface of Wesley Hill](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/wesley-hill.webp) ![Ditherface of Conner Luzier](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/conner-luzier.webp) ![Ditherface of Derek Kolstad](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/derek-kolstad.webp) ![Ditherface of Ivan Garcia](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/ivan-garcia.webp) ![Ditherface of Joz](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/joz.webp) ![Ditherface of Alex](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/alex.webp) ![Ditherface of MX](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/mx.webp) ![Ditherface of Julian Moncada](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/julian-moncada.webp) ![Ditherface of John Phamous](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/john-phamous.webp) ![Ditherface of Kris Lachance](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/kris-lachance.png) ![Ditherface of Robert Cooper](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/robert-cooper.webp) ![Ditherface of Max Musing](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/max-musing.webp) ![Ditherface of Bryan Hunter](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/bryan-hunter.webp) ![Ditherface of Derek Reynolds](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/derek-reynolds.webp) ![Ditherface of Tom Johnson](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/tom-johnson.webp) I still make these for people. They’re $150 each, and I limit myself to two a week because of the time each one takes. ## Work and media - [Ditherface pixel portraits](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/cover.png) - [Vector outlines of a Ditherface with glasses and curly hair](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/outlines-1.png) - [Vector outlines of a smiling Ditherface with glasses and a beard](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/outlines-2.png) - [Vector outlines of a forward-facing Ditherface](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/outlines-3.png) - [Vector outlines of a Ditherface in profile](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/outlines-4.png) - [Drawing a Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/timelapse.mp4): Timelapse of a dither portrait created in Figma - [Drawing Jonathan Simcoe’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/jonathan-simcoe.mp4): Another day, another dither portrait made in Figma. This time I got a chance to meet and chat with Jonathan Simcoe, designer at Mercury. - [Drawing Jonathan Minori’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/jonathan-minori.mp4): Timelapse of another dither portrait made in Figma. This time I talked to Jonathan Minori, designer and founder of Ableworks. Thanks again for taking the time to chat! Super helpful. - [Drawing Cole Deroshay’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/cole-deroshay.mp4): Had a great chat with Cole Deroshay last week, he gave some more feedback about the app we’re making. I gave the dithered portrait made in Figma. This one was actually super tricky because of the lighting and angle. When dealing with a black or white texture, just a single pixel in a different spot can totally change the facial expression. - [Drawing Tommy Geoco’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/tommy-geoco.mp4) - [Drawing Thomas Chen’s Ditherface in Figma](https://www.tomjohn.design/videos/ditherface/thomas-chen.mp4) - [Ditherface of Nathan Baschez](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/nathan-baschez.webp) - [Ditherface of Stephen Haney](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/stephen-haney.webp) - [Ditherface of Micah Headdings](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/micah-headdings.webp) - [Ditherface of Alan Kay](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/alan-kay.webp) - [Ditherface of Krysti Pryde](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/krysti-pryde.webp) - [Ditherface of Marc Card](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/marc-card.webp) - [Ditherface of Stuart Bowness](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/stuart-bowness.webp) - [Ditherface of Damien Tanner](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/damien-tanner.webp) - [Ditherface of Aidan Hornsby](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/aidan-hornsby.webp) - [Ditherface of Joy Lynn](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/joy-lynn.webp) - [Ditherface of Gino](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/gino.webp) - [Ditherface of Griko Nibras](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/griko-nibras.webp) - [Ditherface of Tommy Geoco](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/tommy-geoco.webp) - [Ditherface of Reijo Palmiste](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/reijo-palmiste.webp) - [Ditherface of Cody Keisler](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/cody-keisler.webp) - [Ditherface of Tommy Geoco](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/tommy-geoco-2.webp) - [Ditherface of Hüseyin](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/huseyin.webp) - [Ditherface of Will King](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/will-king.webp) - [Ditherface of Thomas Chen](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/thomas-chen.webp) - [Ditherface of Danny JP. Williams](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/danny-jp-williams.webp) - [Ditherface of Cole Deroshay](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/cole-deroshay.webp) - [Ditherface of Ridd](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/ridd.webp) - [Ditherface of Tommy Geoco](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/tommy-geoco-3.webp) - [Ditherface of Jonathan Minori](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/jonathan-minori.webp) - [Ditherface of Jonathan Simcoe](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/jonathan-simcoe.webp) - [Ditherface of Sam Linville](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/sam-linville.webp) - [Ditherface of Wesley Hill](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/wesley-hill.webp) - [Ditherface of Conner Luzier](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/conner-luzier.webp) - [Ditherface of Derek Kolstad](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/derek-kolstad.webp) - [Ditherface of Ivan Garcia](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/ivan-garcia.webp) - [Ditherface of Joz](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/joz.webp) - [Ditherface of Alex](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/alex.webp) - [Ditherface of MX](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/mx.webp) - [Ditherface of Julian Moncada](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/julian-moncada.webp) - [Ditherface of John Phamous](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/john-phamous.webp) - [Ditherface of Kris Lachance](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/kris-lachance.png) - [Ditherface of Robert Cooper](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/robert-cooper.webp) - [Ditherface of Max Musing](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/max-musing.webp) - [Ditherface of Bryan Hunter](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/bryan-hunter.webp) - [Ditherface of Derek Reynolds](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/derek-reynolds.webp) - [Ditherface of Tom Johnson](https://www.tomjohn.design/images/content/ditherface/portraits/tom-johnson.webp)