First(ish) attempt at pixel art

[Sinceriously]

Hi! The reason I put tacked an (ish) at the end of that is because it's technically not my first attempt at pixel art as I used to draw pixels as a hobby some few years ago. They weren't very good and they never really involved any shading, or much drawing from scratch, so I don't really want to count them towards my experience haha. Here's an example from a few years ago (the most recent one I could find, really):


Flat features drawn over a generic base.

After a while, I stopped doing pixel art, and eventually, drawing altogether, but after that two-year long art block, I'm trying to get back into it. Here's my first work since the hiatus:



I'd like some critique on it, specifically on the shading and the lineart. I'm really not very good at shading because I never used to do it, not even on my traditional works. (The light source is supposed to be in the upper left.) And, well, I took forever drawing the lineart because getting the pixels to match up with a scaled down sketch is hell. I'd love if you guys pointed out the wonky looking parts and ways you guys do your lineart!

Oh, and one last thing. I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to pick which colors to use. I knew I wanted red hair and a green scarf, but when I pick the colors out myself, it just really looks lackluster and plain. The colors here are taken from a few sprites from Pokemon Diamond haha. So, how do you guys choose your palettes?

[Not4mortaleyes]

For lineart the only advice I can give is to practice practice and practice like you would for normal art and to look at other peoples art and for the color I suggest that reseaching color theory and other people's art would help the most

[MysteryMeat]

Honestly I'd say you got it spot on. It does look a bit desaturated, but that makes it look more like proper hair since hair is rarely that vibrant without product in. The color choices used  give it a sort of storybook illustration feel.
The only real criticism I got on the shading is that you didn't seem to factor in his browline, but that can work as a stylistic choice here with how simplified the face is.

[Sinceriously]

For lineart the only advice I can give is to practice practice and practice like you would for normal art and to look at other peoples art and for the color I suggest that reseaching color theory and other people's art would help the most

Thanks a lot for the advice! I'll be sure to keep practicing, and I'll try looking into color theory and start picking out my own colors for future words. I guess in the end, improving usually depends on lots of pratice and research ^^

Honestly I'd say you got it spot on. It does look a bit desaturated, but that makes it look more like proper hair since hair is rarely that vibrant without product in. The color choices used  give it a sort of storybook illustration feel.
The only real criticism I got on the shading is that you didn't seem to factor in his browline, but that can work as a stylistic choice here with how simplified the face is.

Thank you! Yes, I was going for a bit of a cartoon-ish, stylized kind of feel, so I put minimal detail into his features. When I try my hand at more realistic styles, I'll be sure to take those details of the face into account.

[PixelPiledriver]

[Sinceriously]

I really appreciate the edit, although it would be a bit more helpful if you left some explanations along with it. The correction with the eyebrows and nose look reasonable to me, so I added them in. The change in the head and mouth shape, however, seem more dependent on preference. The mouth edit really changed his expression, deviating from the look I was going for. The "blush" on his cheeks, too. I've never really liked those.

Lastly, though, you made an edit on his jawline, and the shading there. Even with the altered shape, I'm not sure any more light would hit his neck, considering that the light source is on the upper left, and that his head would block light from getting there.

My updated version:


Thank you so much for your time! I really appreciate that you'd go out of your way to make an edit

[MysteryMeat]

Inclined to agree, though some edge lighting on the neck could help

[PixelPiledriver]

I don't always have time for text.
And this allows you to interpret what you want from it.
Rather than me listing changes as if they are corrections.

When you draw stylistically you are choosing which parts to draw with form and which to draw flatly.
You can turn the dial towards more 3D elements, more 2D, or some sort of balance.
My edits are just attempts to add a few more elements of 3D.

The mouth feels pulled to the side and faces us, without indication that it is a forward facing feature or how it opens.

The jawline and neck indicates that the head rests on top of the neck rather than being attached to it.
The side of the neck and the side of the face share many similar normals and can be lit the same depending on the angle of light.
I could have made the cast shadow even smaller and only shown the jawline, sharing the face and neck shade entirely.
You've drawn the jaw as a literal line and receded the neck.
But you are showing forced depth and that's fine if you want the layers to be very clear.

The face has lighting to show form but the outer edge shape doesn't show why that exists.
It feels symbolic of a face like the other elements, rather than the parts fitting together to form a face.

Is all that bad?
No.
'Symbols' often comes off as a dirty word in the art world.
When really they are very powerful, relateable, creative, etc.
As an artist that draws mostly from imagination I'm super fond of them.
Still it's worth exploring variations of symbols with slightly more form to see if added physical presence is nice.
Yes, even the smallest change to any part of a drawing, especially a character, will change how it feels.
If your drawing expresses what you want it to best with flat elements then there is no need to give them form.
A combination of 2D and 3D often creates a strong drawing that is unique and appealing.
What I would call Identity.

[PixelPiledriver]

[MysteryMeat]

Took from Piledriver's post a bit for this. Smoothed out the connection between the neck, added a nostril, tweaked some of the shading, and repositioned/reshaped the mouth slightly to be more centered. I also messed with the chin outline a bit, gave it a bit of a dropshadow just under the right bit by making parts black.