Snake [C&C]

[Vermolius]

Hello, I'm back after a fairly lengthy hiatus from pixel art--I'm also still quite green. I've got a lot of time this summer and aspirations to make a game. Typically I'm a programmer, but onto the point. I've made a snake sprite for use in Dragon Warrior style battle that I feel is ready for review.

First draft:

This was the first draft. I started to make a scaley diamond design on it but decided I was doing things wrong.
I had a pixel artist friend give me some pointers and...

4 hours later:

I came up with that. I'm looking for further critique. I couldn't get the head/eyes to turn out like I wanted either, so pointers there would be great.

References:
      Close full body
      Winding body
      Face close up

Thank you for reading/assisting!

[Vermolius]

With other recent pixeling I noticed I could use a highlight to help make the snake look rounded.


It's been brought to my attention that I'm banding something fierce. I'm researching that now, but if anyone wants to pipe in with advice please do.