according to this site http://gizmodo.com/5546518/a-brief-and-glorious-history-of-pixel-art the indie boom was sparked in 2007-  "in fact, Sony that launched out of the indie stalls first in 2007. Fl0w from thatgamecompany was first, followed by Everyday Shooter from Queasy Games, and the first couple of titles in Q-Games' PixelJunk series. All three companies were destined to define the way we view indies on consoles."

notice all three of those games had somewhat unique art at the time.  i think this led to the the trope of "experimental" or "oppositional" graphical styles from the norm, and became the way indies were recognized. in addition, unique graphics were a visual result of the inherent desire for indies to pose new ideas into gaming.

 i have no idea if this is correct, but i imagine pixel art became the new face of indies that relates back to this need for unique visuals.  while pixel art at this time 2007ish had been replaced, rebranding pixel art unto the indie genre not only gives a clear artistic basis for new indie games without needing to completely reinvent the wheel, but also a means to connect to older gamers through nostalgia.  again this is entirely my hypothesis.

need more research so sorry i cant say anything concrete    i think pixel art's rebranding into the indie scene was just a snowball effect

I never wanted these ideas to be condensed into any sort of ruleset. It's just that the gravity of history and the continuity of a place like Pixelation makes it seem like they are.

this is how i interpreted your insight.  i dont get why people assumed you were being dogmatic because your language wasn't ditsy and unsure of itself.  i think this is just a sour case of a few misinterpretations ruining the whole discussion. 

i also disagree on we's edit as it takes away the dynamic pose and i dont see any significant anatomy fixes.

im posting this here just in case it may be worth something

awesome stuff y'all.  Atnas is that the pocket brush pen xD

Thanks for the comments. Here's an update:



I removed the black outlines but I'm not sure what to do. Should I add more shading /dark colours to the buildings? They look a bit vapid /bland.

i think it looks better cuz the palette is more alien, which fits your theme.  i think the orange ground may be a little too strong though, either that or the yellow ground doesnt mix with it too well?

on the pixel level, it is kinda sloppy.  lots of pixel noise and banding but not too bad.

i agree the colors on your building lack contrast not only in values but in how youve shaded.  id pay more attention to how objects cast shadows over others. for example, the mushroom roof would cast a dark shadow under the building, and the arch above the door sticks out of the light so should be brighter than the shadowed section of the house.



(playing more with color)