it looks ok, but youre right... it doesnt capture the steampunk theme as well as it could. have you done your research? look up steampunk in the dictionary, steampunk style, scenes, etc. look up vintage things from the 1800s to early 1900s and such. stop watching tv and stop exposing yourself to modern things. i mean it. do it. clear your mind of everything modern.. and really, and i mean REALLY, immerse yourself in vintage things. not 1950s, like 1800s vintage. read 19th century literature. watch old, OLD movies. like, early 1900s movies. expose yourself let it reprogram you. and really imagine what things would look like if they ran on steam and manpower. i mean REAAALLLY get lost in your thoughts here. what would your world be like if you suddenly woke up in a sort of fantasy, 1800s-like world where everything was made of bronze and metal and ran on steam?
in order to affect the outcome of your actions, you MUST change your thoughts. question your entire current reality. why doesnt everything run on steam? why did we switch? how would everything be changed if suddenly we went back to steam? i may seem a little out there, but trust me.. i do this with my music and it really affects it greatly. reprogramming yourself to attract what you want (in your case, a good looking set of steampunk influenced sprites) really does work wonders. (for anyone who is reading this, i recommend you apply this to any aspect of life, whether it be pixel art styles, writing, or any art form..)

and i mean it about the tv thing. you shouldnt pay much attention to the media in general... just do it. do it for a few days and see how it affects your whole mindset about your art here.

heres a few resources to get you going:
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&um=1&q=steampunk&sa=N&start=0&ndsp=20 - steampunk results in google images
http://www.coolest-gadgets.com/20080613/the-10-coolest-steampunk-gadgets-ever/ - 10 steampunk gadgets
http://www.myfreewallpapers.net/fantasy/pages/steampunk-landscape.shtml - a cool wallpaper
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2006/10/how_to_draw_steampunk_mac.html - steampunk art tutorial
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&safe=off&um=1&sa=1&q=1800s&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10&start=0 - 1800s results in google images

good luck and get emotional about it... let that shit flow.

what hump? i tried to make him look like he had a chin, if thats what you mean..

did what dr d said and tried working on my grey background... added some highlights and fixed a few shape related things. think its looking better... im gonna try working on a bit of a larger scale now.

(bottom right is new one)

EDIT:

again, followed dr d's advice and went a little larger. i really like how it came out! thanks bro. still WIP'in, though! any comments so far?

EDIT2:

went a little further into cleaning up the sketchiness of it and improving the shape. i think im gonna keep the eyes. with no eyes hes more towards the enemy side but seeing as i want him to seem more friendly, the eyes seem to work.. though im still having a little trouble capturing that menacing kid monster look. he looks more old and fat sorta. anyone got any ideas?

ORIGINAL:


CURRENT:

5 colors w/out transparency
EDIT4:

EDIT3:

EDIT2:

EDIT:

(bottom right is new one)

so... i did a thing where i created a little creature and i increased the color count over time. from left to right, the color amounts are three, four, five, six, eight (these are counting transparency). these were made in photoshop with the pencil and fill tool, with the pallete from the recent iso collab. i made it in a pink background, but i provided both the original and one with a grey background.
and yes i did kinda cheat on the first one... i filled it in and accidently had anti-alias on... but it came out good! so i figured why change it? :\
please comment and help me improve; im only a novice. thanks!

EDIT: description! sorry!
hes like a meatsack, a blob kinda but with a somewhat prominent chin and jawbone.. basically imagine like a little, spherical, pacman like creature with teeth.. not sharp, more like dull molars. hes got glowing eyes with no pupils and a winning smile. it almost has baby like characteristics in its face, and i tried to show its somewhat kid-monsterish, off-color sense of humor.. in the drawing it had a tongue, but i didnt draw it cause of tinyness and it wouldnt really look so good. the thing is supposed to be like a little creature that follows the main character in a game of sorts, like an old japanese game, or a weak enemy in a 2d sidescroller... though in the drawing it seemed more like the former. it hops around and eats anything i guess haha. anything else? lol

i didnt really have a set goal in mind.. i had drawn the damn thing and figured hey ill add one color at a time haha. but the goal as of now is to give it the feeling described up top.. basically a rambunctious little companion. as of now it really does look like a 2d enemy and doesnt really strike you as something to remember (but not too prominent.. hes only a sidekick). help?