welcome to pixelation :]
i think you really want to check your proportions on this. it's obviously stylized, but even so, you want to base stylization off of reality. i'm not sure if this is meant to be a sprite in profile, so i won't comment much on the pose. it's very stiff though. you have a lot of completely straight lines that you could really benefit from by breaking them up and adding curves, especially in the spine. even in the head, add some curves for features instead of using a perfect oval. you should really, in every aspect of character creation, try and get some life drawings done. you will gain a better understanding of proportions and a balance in your designs.
the staff is too straight, i understand it's possible to hold a staff that way, but you really want to try and add weight to either side by giving it a slight tilt. make the hand more readable as well. it's a good thing when starting out to get some references, even posing your hand in front of you. there are exceptions, but when working with organics like skin and cloth and wood (etc), i really try to avoid straight lines. and again, i realize this is stylized, but you should have a good understanding of reality before going that route, in my opinion.
it's a boring process trying to get better at something, cause i would always look at someone better than me and think i'd never become that good, but you'll surprise yourself. so keep it up! hope this helps
also, one more thing: when i was starting out,
this tutorial helped me out a ton. coloring is a big problem of mine, but this is simple enough that anyone can learn from it.