Compliments continue to be awkward for you eh. I don't see why, but then again I can remember having a former reluctance at accepting compliments, myself. I think after a while I just learned to just smile and say thanks, though.
Here's what I've come to think: The truth is that the average person usually can't even describe why they like a particular piece of art, it just "looks cool" so they dig it. It's safe to say most compliment-givers don't comprehend the full breadth of an artwork's meaning and purpose but they may still think it's good, so they compliment you. When I was younger (I'm 28 now) I made it a point to regularly share my work with others/friends, etc, showing things off for fun/feedback. But invariably, my viewers didn't understand anything enough to be able to have real appreciation, and my explanation often just bored them. My zeal was almost always unreciprocated. This led to my attitude towards showing "laymen" my work changing. Now, I'm rather reluctant to share and rarely explain anything. 'What's the point', I figure. So, too, with compliments, I take them with a grain of salt - they're almost always issued from an uninformed mind, or one not interested enough in what I do for their opinion to truly matter/mean something to me. Not that they're stupid and/or my work is some brilliant genius crap (it's not), they just don't "get it", so their compliments are just words, basic appreciation for the face value of what they see. I smile and say thanks, that's about it. I do appreciate compliments, but they usually don't hold much weight.
Furthermore, when I tell someone they did a good job on something and they try to duck the compliment by saying something like, "Oh whatever, that sucked!, or "Eh yeah, it could've been much better", etc, it's kind of annoying! I want them to just take the stinkin' compliment and move on,,,, geeze. Helm, you're not quite that way, I'm just relating my feelings on those that are that way.
And phenomenological . . . looked it up, that's a great word to use in analyzing art, thanks for the new word.
People like your work. They express appreciation for what they like. They may or may not fully understand it. Hopefully, us around here understand work posted to this site better than laymen. Surely we do, we at least partially understand what it takes to create a pixel artwork.
Chris, yep I was sure you already realized that/nothing new to you, just givin' feedback. Your latest attempt is a little better, but comes off to me as an overuse of the vert line dither fill. No pinky extension!? WHATCOMEON65678^