Pixel Character Art

[SARS]

So this is my first real attempt at pixel art:



I started with a 500x500 sketch, scaled it down to 150x150, and then cropped it to 100x150. I ended up abandoning my line art though and went with just building up the colors and adjusting as I went. I wanted to give it kind of a spooky vibe so I went with the candle lighting, but I don't think I pulled it off very well. Maybe adjusting the colors would help? I was also struggling with creating any sort of texture on her clothing--I feel like she's wearing spandex

Thank you for your time,
SARS

[Atnas]

Only had time for a quick edit, so it's only marginally better:



But I think moving more in this direction will help.

- think of light as a 'pool'. spread it along forms, have it wrap, get cut off when it cant climb.
- there's a lot of low contrast colors that you dont need. eliminating them and only adding them after the main tones are in place might help you be more decisive
- the anatomy in my edit is only vaguely more correct, so try to pose and look in the mirror to see how this might look. i would recommend redrawing this pose in black and white or a new layer or something to work on the anatomy without getting held up on trying to make the rest of the piece look good at the same time. maybe someone else can come and make a proper anatomy focused edit
-as an illustration, you're allowed to use perspective, so dont be afraid to make things grow as they get closer to the camera, or shrink as they recede.

[SARS]

Wow gosh that edit helped so much, thank you! I took your advice and made some reference pictures, but I found my original pose with the knife sticking outwards from the hand pretty awkward to do so I lowered the angle. I think the hair and face are still a little wacky but I feel a lot better about the clothes.