[C+C] Getting back into pixel art

[Gekko]

Hello! I'm trying to get back into pixel art and looking for some critique on how to improve since what little i knew about pixel art is long gone and forgotten 

made this little house inspired by artist Mateusz Urbanowicz watercolor series "Tokyo Storefronts"



i was looking to be a little minimalist but im thinking maybe thats just too boring but I'm not sure how to improve it without making it look too busy

[MysteryMeat]

Yeah, minimalism is a hard method to work with. I'd say you're doing well though, try to work with stylized cell shading rather than extra details to mitigate that.
See below for an example of what I mean!



They manage to keep the smooth minimalist style intact, but the details in the fabric folds and the shadow of the hat remain intact even as the details are reduced. Try removing the shading on the windows and wood paneling, working purely with the darks instead!

I'd also reccomend removing all lines from the door and that paneling, it clashes a bit with the rest of the pic's linelessness.

[Gekko]

thanks MysteryMeat! yea minimalism turned out tougher than i thought heh


anyway i made some changes to it based on your suggestions, think the wood paneling works a lot better now, not sure about the windows, maybe theyre a bit empty now? the bottom one was supposed to show a little bit of whats inside but that didnt really work out

[MysteryMeat]

Try vague shadows or window decals to fill that space! Also, I'm noticing the layout of the grey top bit is a bit unclear. Is that a balcony? Is it sunk in? Why is it so flush on the front-right corner?

Minimalism especially demands visual clarity, small perspective gaffes like that  can really mess with the overall look!

[Gekko]

tried to add window decals but frankly they looked stupid, i dunno how to do them

the top part was supposed to be smaller than the actual building with a narrow balcony and a small room that was plopped on top of the house at some point, i tried making its size a bit more readable and changed a couple things like the colour of the back wall and some decorative paneling for the balcony front

[MysteryMeat]

Great work, but remember to keep the decorative panel simplified!
As for window decals, I'll try an edit when I get home.

[MysteryMeat]

Here! Changed a BUNCH of stuff here, biggest one was the shading and some of the colors. I reduced the definition on the windows further, added some silhouettes for the interior, and reworked the paneling shading to be more binary.

That's the big thing, is that binary shading. Highlights usually add too much detail.
The shading could be improved perhaps, but try to think in chunks of color most of all here.

Also, naturally the window decal mentioned previously.

[Samaramon]

I really, really prefer the original.

If you wanna be minimalistic, sure, some things need adjusting, but... it was a really cute piece to begin with.

[Gekko]

thanks a lot for the edit MysteryMeat!

after some contemplating and a little more work and fiddling i think i will keep the highlights, even tho its not exactly all that minimalist anymore i do like it more with than without.



thanks so much for all the tips and critique, i really appreciate it!

[MysteryMeat]

No worries boss, always glad to help!