Well, I tried to rework it while thinking about tetris pieces, but I'm not sure it's really an improvement  :

But, in all seriousness, thanks for the edit (and no worries about changing the shape; I'm not exactly an expert on skull anatomy). I think I understand a little better, at least. Here's my latest attempt:

The most obvious difference I see between yours and mine is that mine still has some single-pixel irregularities breaking up the lines (e.g. along the shadows forming the brow, and on the upper lip). When I remove those, it looks too smooth and, for lack of a better word, plasticky compared to the effect I'm going for. Is there a better way to suggest irregularities while still making the shape clear? Or am I just overthinking this whole thing?

(just for fun, I recolored the tetris-ified one:

I'm not really sure why. I spent way too long on this stupid joke, anyway...)

Hi all! I've been noodling around with a game for a little while, and decided to make some sprites for it. I've come up with a vampire and a skeleton (legs, hands, and scimitar still incomplete) so far:




I'm trying to go for a more 'painterly' look with the color palettes and shading. Unfortunately, I'm a programmer with no real drawing experience, so I don't really know what I'm doing. This skull I drew as practice probably gives a better idea of the sort of look I'm going for:


Any advice and criticism, especially of the shading but also of any other issues, would be greatly appreciated— thanks!