Your sprite reminds me of an old dos game called Electroman

I see what you mean! I had completely erased Electroman from my memory until you posted that link. I recall playing the shareware version of that game when it was released.

From that same era, I was really shooting for a cross between Halloween Harry and a friend of mine (which is where the name comes from):

The arm is too short is what is wrong with that arm.

Is this any better?

Okay, I've worked on the sprite using your advice. I've itemized it and have written how I tried to address each point:

1. Not enough contrast - too many midtones.
2. Face looks flat at 1x. Use bold shading to define face.
3. Less Gradient. More detail.
4. Use fewer colors. Can look just as detailed with fewer colors.
4. Add folds to pants.
5. Character is "vanilla".

I tried to work on each of these points with the small exception of 5 (since the character is actually based on someone I know and is supposed to resemble them ... although they are not quite that muscular).



This is definitely still a work in progress. Please let me know what you think! I will be gone this weekend but will work on any C+C as soon as I get back. Thanks!!!

Hey folks,

I've been working on a game sprite, Captain Plokey, and it's become clear that I need some assistance. I've been lurking in these forums and have tried to soak up as much knowledge as I can but I think I need more specific criticism and assistance now.

Background

The character is named Captain Plokey and the game is essentially a platform shooter. This isn't a game for sale - just for fun. Originally, my idea was to make something similar to Halloween Harry but I think it's taken off a bit from there.

Sprite

Here is my original sprite for the game at 1x and 2x:

1x   2x

Walking Animation

Here is my original walking animation at 1x:



Expected Changes

We're looking at having the sprite change weapons, etc. So, I know that I have to remove the arm and weapon from the main sprite. I think this will make the sprite look something like this (without the arm):



Problems I'm Having

Initially, I was pretty happy with the sprite. However, after reading these forums it sounds like I'm making a ton of mistakes.... of which, I'd like to ADDRESS and CORRECT them all. So, I am really looking for your help! One thing I know that I'm having trouble with is the boots. Since they are mostly black, they sort of dissapear when they are placed against a dark background. Here is an example with a flat background:

Light Background: Dark Background:

It also looks like I might be making a number of color mistakes... as in, I might have two many colors. I don't think I have any real technical restrictions on the colors but I DO like the way most of the pixel art on here looks. So, please let me know how this can all be improved.

Thanks in advance!