Thanks for the tips! I first tried to move the central tuft up so the positioning of the light would imply it was larger and "over" on the z axis, fusing it with some of little ones above (there were too many and too close to each other I think). As I went to fill the dark gap under it, I thought it would be fine as a darker empty space and opened other holes to imply the trunk/branches under the foliage. Then I did what you said and removed the brighter green of the lower smaller tufts, as if the larger one over was blocking some light. Then I made the darker green shade a little brighter but I am not sure it helped much.

I only a beginner, but I like it very much, and I can only fear the day I will set myself to make a good tree, by looking one can feel the hard work it takes. I specially like the counterlight. My I ask if the palette was a general porpose one or made specifically for the tree?

Hello again, this is me trying again not to go immediately symbolic, and paint more naturally rather draw pixel by pixel leading to a caricature. Still, I can't help but to very soon try to make things more regular, outlined, rounder, perfectly arched, etc, which is probably not the very best way to go about it. Anyway, I like how this turning up, but as it is a begginer's work, I would very much like any pointers on light, and any errors I am making. I suppose the techniques I am using are a bit inconsistent :/

Updating the dwarf, after finishing the garment I worked on some colors of beards, trying to give them as much natural texture as possible without breaking the symmetry for now. I am sure there must be many errors and ways to improve.


And here are the layers, very disorganized, shame.


I am impressed how the grey had to be made very bluish to keep balanced with the other colors, do you guys feel the palette as too much unconnected?

Thanks for the input guys, the symmetry thing happens when first sketching, it surely would need to be "naturalized" when finishing. I'll be back to sprites by the end of the week, but here is some more from where that came from, and that is what I mean about tending to symbolic (much worse in tiny sprites). Making big sprites feels liberating to the mind and the hand. The themes I am meddling into recently are sweetspots between sci-fi and fantasy like when you cant easily distinguish both, so that's where the monsters come from