Hi everyone,

I started pixeling a few months ago and, after a few first attempts, am aiming to improve with some of your help.

I'm currently working on clouds during a red sunset with a rather dark sky. I got two versions and would like to know which style you prefer and how I could improve on it.

They're planned to be part of a small project for the Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, so the palette only consists of colors the hardware can display. They're also meant to be displayed in full size on a screen with a resolution of 320x224. I'd like to keep the palette rather simple, currently it consists of 6 colors and I might need a few more if I plan to add a sun or some other stuff (haven't decided on that yet).


1 — The cloud looks a little 'empty' compared to 2, and I don't know how I could improve on the shapes of the different layers.


2 — I added some more 'texture' to the cloud. I'm really undecided whether I should go for this style or rather the one in 1. It looks a bit more interesting, but there's also more noise. Again, how could I improve on the shapes, or is there perhaps something else I'm missing?


Both: the lighter-blue parts below the cloud should indicate that the background is a solid cloud layer with a few openings that reveal the blue sky behind it.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!