My pixel entry for pixeljoint ds game mockup : Need your critics

[Arylic]

Hello everyone this is my entry for the Ds music game mock up and i am actually entering 2 pixel arts which is one of this and the other one is a game called lets dance with chucky. This game mockup is called Music Amigos which is a fighting game where you choose between 5 players with each magical music intrument and use them to fight your way through the darksiders a evil anti-musicians gang which have taken over the world of Fregon ( A musical world) and defeat thier boss to break the evil curse and free the queen of music to bring music and peace once more.
So ill post my wips and your ideas are welcomed and suggestions on how i can improve it. Thanks in adavnace. 



wip 2

[Lazycow]

Hi, I think your composition actually looks more like a drawing than game art. This is obviously a matter of personal taste, but I would suggest that you reconsider your color palette. What about adapting your drawing to Arne's palette? I also have problems with color composition, and I have found that this palette's very useful to give pictures a better polish. After that, you could add additional colors in a 2nd step. (There have been several mockups in this forum that use this palette too)

from http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/index.php?topic=4306.0

[Arylic]

Thanks for your critcs but i prefer this as more of a drawing though....and i use my own pallete...

[Souly]

Uh, anything you draw will look like a drawing?

This is very very messy.
Just looks like lazy MSPaint art. No offense.

I'm suprised you didn't do an update after Shougi made a nice edit for you yesterday.

[Arylic]

Ya...drawing...

I did it using ms paint 

Where did he made the update ? at pixel joint ?

And ill try and make the drawing a bit better if you point me the flaws...

[Souly]

Thanks for your critcs but i prefer this as more of a drawing though

Yes the edit was on PJ.

I'll repaste my crits from PJ. :/

Angel on the rights arm is just messed up.
is that a tumor on  his elbow?

I also don't get where the light source is.
If it's the moon alone, then why highlight on the angels shoulder?
And like the back of the other guys right calf.

Your colour ramps are boring, it's all so messy I don't really have anything else to say about it. :/

[NaCl]

You are using way too many colors. GGale counted 130. As Lazycow suggested, use a more optimized palette. When you do this, then you will have to improve the shading because you have less to work with. Try and go with 20-30 colors max. Right now there are weird color gradients that make it look blobous and undefined.

I think the concept is pretty cool though.

[Arylic]

Thanks for your critics guys but i am too behind schedule to re pixel it again with a new pallet so please just let me know some tricks and methods so i can make it awesome and also little adjustment to enhance the quality. Thanks though

[Souly]

:/ Well then I guess this is a lost cause if you wont do anything we're critiquing.

[Arylic]

Ohhh no no no.....what i mean is that i have less time to start over the whole pixel again with a new pallet. What i need is just some suggestion on tweaking it to make it at least perfect,