New to MAKING Pixel art

[SageParadoX]

Recently me and my mate (we make video games) have realised that not having an artist severely limits what we can do. As such we are attempting to branch into pixel art, 3D modeling, etc.

As a first attempt at something new, I recently tried to convert a character from a popular anime into a small pixel art image that could be used as a character in a handheld game.


It's meant to be Sinon from Sword Art Online II.
(hopefully the url works)

I'm new to the whole concept of MAKING pixel art, but have frequented this website, looking at what other people have been working on and the community seems really helpful.

[Manupix]

There are many problems here, but none that practice (lots!) can't fix 

You need to prioritize what has to be seen in this character. ATM it's mostly unreadable in its details and volumes.
Contrast is random: use it for rendering volume with strong shadows (the shaded areas of the face and hair are almost not visible at first sight because their contrast is so low compared with other elements).

There are too many colors, some of which are used in one or a few pixels only and not even in your palette (they might be accidental; see their location by hovering over the color samples). 12 or 16 should be enough for a small sprite like this. You might try using a good pre-set palette like Arne's or Dawnbringer's (you should find them using the search function here or googling). You'll learn a lot about color use by sticking to a given palette (the smaller and crazier the better!).

Other than that, just soak your brain in tutos and good critique. Have fun!

[YellowLime]

I've only seen the first 3 episodes of the first SAO! (Nobody asked but I said it anyway!)

• Not enough difference in the shades (the hair lines, for example).
• Too much detail in such a small picture! It's hard for an onlooker to identify the clusters and what they're supposed to be (you got this for trying to faithfully mimic the complex clothes design) It's not enough to have the pixels there, you must make sure the average viewer will be able to read it correctly.
• The face is grumpy. Is the character supposed to be grumpy? The eyebrows are too close to the eyes and it looks like a frown.
• I find it peculiar that, being an anime fan, you didn't use anime eyes and instead went for bead eyes. Not right or wrong, just funny to me