I personally liked the base skintone you had in the first one better. If you want to keep this color, then the shadows should be darker and the highlights lighter. Also, the shading of the hair is kind of gradiated, and the shading on the shirt is a little confusing I have to admit.

The shading is much better overall, but I recommend studying human facial anatomy and lighting to make it look more natural.  There should be some links in the General section of the forum.
 
The style you chose takes me back to the days of RPG Maker--did you use their face pics as references? The proportions, perspective, and even the shading reminds me of them. 

As far as style, composition and colors goes, it's near perfect. Good work!

I do think the crane looks a little out of place; it's the only thing on screen that completely lacks an outline. Also, I think the rocks could use a little texture, while still retaining its style.

You're doing pretty well for... anyone really. I've been doing it on and off for three years, lol.

No, just somewhat overweight in a shirt that's too small. Something a little difficult to get across in a sprite. 

This is worthless critique (from a mod? NO WAI) But I just want to express that her expression reads badly for me, I simply can't decipher what the heck she's supposed to be thinking. That smile right there is downright ferocious. Over all the feeling of the piece/sprite makes me wonder.

What do you want this character to convey? Who and what is she?

Summarizing her character is hard to do, but here's a shot:

... plucky, somewhat arrogant, and pretentious; she fancies herself a bright-eyed ingénue, a refined intellectual, and a social butterfly with a rapier wit all at once. She's poor (hence the ill-fitting shirt, and the skirt is supposed to be a table cloth), but belongs to a great family, and feels she needs to live up to the name by doing something that will change the world.

I was thinking the big smile would reflect the "bright-eyed ingénue" part. She's supposed to be really excited, like, "OMG defeating this enemy will put me in the history books!" and the animation I have in mind has her hands clasped together and her franticly swaying back and forth.

So the smile is meant to be a bit unnerving... but not so much ferocious!  



Here's my progress so far. Haven't done too much except draw the form of the skirt and started working on the feet.