First Pixel Painting [C+C]

[failsafe]

Hi everyone,



This is the first pixel painting that I have completed, just something in the spirit of halloween being around the corner.
I've played around with pixel art in the past, but never seriously and never to the point were I finished anything. Anyway I finally did and it didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would .
It's still not great though, but I can't work out exactly what it is that I don't like and want to improve. I'd really like to get better, so any comments and critiques would really be appreciated.

[bengo]

Use reference, it helps:
http://kansaswomenbloggers.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/pumpkin.jpg
You're not thinking basic enough. Don't worry about dithering, just think about the simplest form of your pumpkin (a sphere) and imagine how it'd be lit. The top of your pumpkin looks too dark, that brown circle shouldn't be there.

[jams0988]

...the brown circle is where the pumpkin was cut to take out its brains, though...maybe it's too dark of a circle, though.

[bengo]

Oh true, but even then I don't think it'd be that dark.

[failsafe]

Thanks for the comments.
 I reworked the shading trying to think of the basic curves of the shape (still not sure its right though)
and removed the dithering (although it wasn't intentional dithering, I was more trying to show the dimpled nature of the pumpkins skin).
I decreased the darkness of the top, including the cut of the lid.
I think the shading is slightly better but still needs work, however the image now feels flatter IMO, what do you guys think?

[AlcopopStar]

At the moment your pumpkin is ignoring the basic principles of how light falls.

As a quick exercise, try shading a rubber ball with light coming from the top right. Then add a crease into that ball and see where the light lands. Apply those same principles to the pumpkin.

[failsafe]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I had a go at the shading exercise. I started with the following reference to help out



The I tried to recreate that and then added some creases like the pumpkin (I also flattened the top in this one)



Then I did the same with shading from the bottom left to match my pumpkin



I then tried to create the shape and angle of my pumpkin around the sphere and then attempted to shade it


 
I stuck with grey scale to try and focus on the lighting to begin with. I'm not sure if any of this is right so i'd love some comments/help