Here you have a brief description of the term pillow shading: http://www.wayofthepixel.net/pixelation/pixipedia/index.php?title=Pillow_Shading

So, pillow shading is when you shade following the outline towards the center. When you do this you get a strange effect that make your pixel art looks "fluffy". This happens because the shades doesn't have a well deffined light source.

Thanks For that... exactly what I thought it was... nice term

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I like it a lot! Nice design and dynamic pose. I did a very quick edit here to see if I can point out some things that I personally would change.
I added the end of the gun as it looked a bit tilted out in the sprite. Also brought the colors down to 12 for the aesthetic improvement, I feel that fewer colors are almost always easier to work with and pack more of a punch.
Shined up a few choice metal bits, and pushed his chest and tail back to reduce confusion about the forms.
Put a bit of a highlight on the glove so it stook out more, same goes for the boots.
Reducing the colors also helped eliminate the pillow-shaded appearance of the helmet.

Whilst I agree with you in principle with respect to the color reduction I fail to see this is in your edit... sorry to disagree with you I just feel that by reducing the pallette you are losing tonal variety (that one can manipulate to create a more interesting final result) as well as losing certain (what i'd consider to be) key detail (the tiger striped camo for instance). I've made another edit (see below) in an attempt to demonstrate this. Having said that... I would definately agree with you if this was 1 frame in 1000's that would need to be created for a full blown game, but as it is it's 'just' a one off (well for now at least) 

At first I didn't go with the gun angle up - but I've reconsidered this and made the necessary change. It's funny how these things can be interpreted in different ways... (like the mettalic helmet for instance [which was matt white in the original concepts]) I've also attempted to add vents to the end of the weapon, as well as a 'suggestion' of the hole. (I felt you'd pulled the hole up too far - making the gun look bent) 

Thanks for the feedback though, it's good to take it onboard and as it happens has made me reconsider certain choices... I appreciate it. 

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<<<With 'tonal variance' across the 'grey scale' - updated gun end, added additional hilight to boots and gloves.

Cheers

Lol sorry for my lack of grammar, I was tired hehe.

To clarify this:
 "-the orange pants might make nearby black one tone brighter..."

Basically, in a small space (such as the pants) if you have two really contrasting tones (in the pants it would be the orange and the black stripe pattern) they will influence each other...they will blend with each other more. I was saying you might lighten some of the black in the pants by using the next lightest 'black' tone in your palette.

Hey there Dhaos...  I understand exactly what you're talking about, I mentioned it to Neverest in his ISO robot post the other day - it's an effect I know very well and one I use advantagiously occasionally... what I call 'tonal edging'

Incidentally... it's not his pants, the design of the character has a kind of bulletvest on made of a kind of quilted sack type material - closely resembling the underside of a turtle... it protrudes down past their groin area and tapers down - I imagined it to be a little bit like the front section of one the mutant turtles carapace. (hence the turtle reference)

Found some more of those pilot portraits...


First guys a Russian - I've a sneaky suspicion I was influenced by the character off the carmaggedon box for this one. The 2nd's another US pilot, he's a bit like the Cockroach from the Cerebus comics... dunno if that's agood or a bad thing...  The third's a German... I've a feeling this one's WIP as he hasn't had the 2ndarylight applied, and some of the coat and helmet is in need of work - he was based on boris karloff I do believe...

But don't you find reaching for the undo button when painting? It's a bizarre sensation... particularly when you realised how dumb you are for doing it...

THE MIGHTY BOOOOSH!!!!

awesome show...

like your style tinygiant... that kinda flat cutout angular approach... tis sweet...