Hi I am trying to make some static backgrounds for a sidescrolling game...

Like the ones in sonic which stay still while having a scrolling foreground on top of them...

The sort of thing i was after was a city in the background with a few clouds and the moon in the sky

1) Does any one know of any references to something similar to what i want or to other backgrounds I can learn from

2) Does anyone know of any tutorials i could look into

3) Does anyone have any of their own methods to do something like this because  to be honest I dont  know where to start...

Thanks...

Hey, I am a complete noob at pixel art and I was hoping that if I posted my work on here you guys would be able to tell me how to make it better...

Basically I am making an RPG and my graphics artist pulled out because he didnt have enough spare time so I disgarded his work because I knew that I wouldnt be able to do graphics up to his standard and I wanted them all to be in the same style, and this is my first attempt at pixel art...

For your information the tiles used are all 16x16 and the characters are the same, so bear that in mind when you are making suggestions...

First Town



Riverside Scene...



A male NPC



Female NPC



Evil Dude



Random Wizard



The Main Character


Thanks in advance!