[C+C] Pixel art for a Monster Fighter needing some critique

[Tals]

I messed around with it a bit.
Removed one of the tentacles as I think it makes it clearer.
I also added some protruding facial features.

This is gorgeous, and you really showed me what I'm doing wrong with shading.

i did another edit showing how you might improve all your creatures relatively quickly with different colors.  though some monsters admittedly could use tweaking to the drawing, like the arms of the racoon.

in the pink monster you might better understand my thought process.  i kept the base pink color the same, but darkened the shadow color.  this instantly added more depth.  also introduced a blueish shadow color only to add some hue variation- when every color in a ramp is so linear in hue, it looses a bit of depth as well imo. 

I'm actually not as keen on what you did with the pink one (though I appreciate how well it looks like a retro pokemon sprite with that styling) as what you did with the grub, you really made him feel like a totally different creature with only colour changes.

unfortunately reworking all your sprites would take a big amount of time :<

I'm going to take a stab at it over the weekend, I wouldn't expect anyone else to, that's my job. There are twice as many as you see here too, all drawn over a half a year period, which is why some like the pink ghost look way better than others like the racoon (and a couple I didn't post need redraws from scratch). I've always known I'd have to go back and fix them, and no time like the present! I'll post a before and after when I get that done.

Here are the 4 I got through today, the three you highlighted and a 4th to show myself that I could take those techniques and apply them properly.

[Friend]

that immediately looks better   

i suggest you to consider hue shifting as well, and i feel the linear ramps of your monsters cause them to look less professional imo

here's software that you could play with to get some ideas on hue shifting.  try to find your base color, then experiment with amount of hue shift http://www.pixelfor.me/crc/F0000032

maybe try to go for moods that evoke your monster?  im not exactly sure, as i havent stumbled across any theoretical discussion on hue shifting in pixel art

[DARKMATTER]

Your sprites are looking a lot better, especially the second one you posted. I agree with what the person above me said, a more interesting color palate would do these sprites some justice! Look around on pixeljoint.com to get some ideas for your palates. The key is to shift the hue as you transition from dark color, to light color.
Here's a good example of an interesting color palate:
http://pixeljoint.com/pixelart/97961.htm
Take notice of the colors used on the shirt. In order from dark to light the hues are as follows: brown, green, brown, red blue, white. The masters have a way of selecting colors that create such interest, a single hue does not limit them.
Now you don't necessarily need to go to this extreme for your sprites, especially as a beginner, I think they would do just fine with simple shifts in the hue from dark color, to light. Experiment, see what you come up with 

[Tals]

Slight hue shifting looks nice, but pushing it further than that really ruins the readability of battles. I had a look at the pallets of most Pokemon sprites and the hue shifts are generally rather light there too. That Guybrush piece is gorgeous, but also nowhere near a style I'd want to maintain across a game. So I'll keep working on my hue shifting, because I'm sure it's not quite there yet.


I haven't had as much time to put in to sprites this last weekend as I wanted, but here's a complete redraw of one of the more troublesome sprites, hopefully using much better perspective, shading and colour choices. Working with black as a base colour is really hard, but I think it's come through a lot nicer. I had to edit the blacks twice after uploading and noticing it was too dark, it's hard to get it right.

[Friend]

That's wonderful!!!!!! 1000% improvement. The green color is adding nothing, however. Too similar to the black.  Color choices may still be reconsidered. There's no reason imo you need 4 blacks. And the green may as well be a 5th. You don't have to go crazy with hue shifts. Just enough to make sense while distinguishing colors within a limited palette and adding visual appeal. It is also generally recommended to avoid pure blacks or whites in PA  because it looks unnatural and I believe is said to flatten your image BUT I'm not sure that would apply in this case. But I do not think you need so many pure blacks. Try adding some blue in there. Not much to say it is dark blue, but enough to tell on inspection.

Idk. I still feel you can learn more about color in this project of yours

[Tals]

I definitely always can learn more. The joys of not really being the greatest artist myself, I much prefer the design and programming side of things. That's why I'm enjoying the feedback you are giving so much!

A dash of blue does make it look more natural, but it's meant to have that unnatural black glossiness, the creature is based on a power cable. I could always ham it up by pushing the lighter shade further. I have a lot of trouble with Photoshop showing a lot better range of blacks than you actually get in other applications, which is why the original sprite for this guy was so dark that he looked like flat black.

[Friend]

A dash of blue does make it look more natural, but it's meant to have that unnatural black glossiness, the creature is based on a power cable.

first off im not a good artist, i just have observed enough to be able to critique 

about the power cable, then my critique would be to push this design aspect further so it is obvious.

i hope this gives u ideas, but the execution is really bad on my edit   

[Decroded]

Tbh i didnt see the power cable at all.
Considering extending and turning the tail towards the camera so we can see the actual plug which would be necessary for it to be able to attack things in front of it anyway.