Alright!! So I combined all the info you guys have given me, and I came up with this. I know it's still not that great, but it's much better than before. I made him less pixels and tried to make him stand with his arms crossed, leaning back a little. Let me know what you think!

I feel like the way you're doing it right now is less minimalist and more MS Paint-y. Consider different ways to give your characters form. It's definitely possible to change around the outline shape or color blocks of a sprite to give it some extra oomph. His five-o-clock shadow made me think you might be going for a slightly "slouchy" look, so here are some thoughts:



Do you have a specific use for these images in mind?

That looks really cool! I will definitely play around with the postures. I'm thinking of using the sprites for a game where you would fight without going into a fight scene (can't remember what it's called, Hyper Light Drifter style).

I made a few changes and added a second character, Gabby (Louis' brother).

Hello everyone!! 
I made this dude (his name's Louis), and I wanted to see if anyone had thoughts or suggestions. I'd like to keep the style pretty simple, the reason he's made with so many pixels was to give his face detail. I'm very open to criticism (how would we learn if we aren't corrected?).

Thanks!

I don't even know why I made this. I was bored 

I guess it's an alien