Open up paint.NET with a canvas sized 32x32. Find a pixel image you would like to use. I'm using the following image I found on photobucket.

Paste your image onto your canvas and start adding effects to it. Be random and creative. If you want the pixel to stay the way it is, then don't add any effects to it. Next you have to make the pixel transparent, so use the magic wand from the tools window and select the white background around the pixel, then click the "delete" key on your keyboard.

Now you'll need to make the arrow of the cursor. Zoom into your pixel at about 1600% and draw the arrow using the line/curve from the tools window at the top left.

Zoom out back to 100% and save your image in either .cur or .ani format. Next open up IconArt and choose a color, like lime. Paste that color on the entire canvas and use it as your "mask" color.

Now open up your saved pixel on IconArt and make sure that all the spots you want transparent are in the color you chose for the mask color. Next you have to choose the hotspot of the cursor, click the arrow next to where it says HotSpot and set the HotSpot to "(0,0)" which is where the point of the arrow is.

Save your new cursor by clicking the .cur or .ani buttons at the top. To use your cursor you'll have to upload it to a host that allows cursor images. I use CursorHost. Use the code below to put your cursor on a page.
<style type="text/css"> body, a {cursor: url(URLHERE); } </style>

Want to see how my cursor came out? Hover over the sentence below.
You now know how to create cursors!

If you do not understand something or have questions about this tutorial, feel free to email me at: adminbecca[at]twistedrose.net, remove the "[at]" and replace it with an "@".