It is much easier to start with an orthographic view, a side walk cycle.

Is the cycle I'm working on not orthographic because you can also see the front of the character? If so, are there any problems with using a non-orthographic walk cycle like mine for precisely horizontal character movement? It seems to look OK in the engine, even though he's not directly facing the direction he's walking in. I'm opting for the slightly odd angle just so you can see more identifying details on characters even when you're not looking at them head-on.

That's not bad, but it's still not what I'm looking for. The reflections on the diagonal bits still don't resemble the above grass at all. Thanks though.

Here's something that's baffling me:


The lower half is supposed to be still water. The reflection for the middle tile was easy, but I'm at a complete loss as to how to reflect the left and right tiles, because they're both at an angle. Nothing I do looks quite right. Even if I copy the above pattern, with each column of pixels shifted up one, it doesn't look like the same dirt / grass. Can anybody help me solve this?

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I'm a programmer but I'm determined to develop some basic skill in pixel art. Here's what I've come up with for a full-screen 320x240 game:


The tiles are far from perfect but I'm content with them for the moment. My priority is to make a basic human character and I'm having no end of trouble finding the right proportions. I'm wondering if there is a way to draw a character of a similar size (slightly smaller or larger doesn't matter) which will:

a) Not have clearly defined facial features but seem like they have a face nevertheless.
b) Not have a big anime haircut that obscures most of the face.
c) Not have overly cartoonish proportions.

The closest example I can find is this:


Obviously he has a massive haircut and huge armour but he satisfies all of the other requirements. I can't work out how I would depict such a character from the front, however.

Can anybody provide an example of a pixel art character that might satisfy these requirements, or suggest how I could create one? Maybe there's even a tutorial somewhere?

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Here's attempt #2:


I'm much happier with it, just because I've managed to remove that goofy little face of his. The right leg on the side view is possibly a bit off though, I think. Also, is his arm too fat in the side view, or is it OK as is?