Samus Pixel art[WIP(?)]

[Afelium]

I think you need to fix the proportions before you start shading, an edit to illustrate:

How can I be proud of my creation after seeing this?
Thank you for your edit,it's awesome!

[Hunited]

Afelium, you can still be proud, but it's not really about pride. I too feel a bit down if I see other people's art that's much better than mine. But instead of developing an inferiority complex you should try to learn from it, everyone was a newbie once, everyone will improve given enough time,work, and dedication.

Keep doing what you love!

[Afelium]

Afelium, you can still be proud, but it's not really about pride. I too feel a bit down if I see other people's art that's much better than mine. But instead of developing an inferiority complex you should try to learn from it, everyone was a newbie once, everyone will improve given enough time,work, and dedication.

Keep doing what you love!

Thank you,that's really motivating (;

I think you need to fix the proportions before you start shading, an edit to illustrate:

Wolfenoctis,Hunited,I have a lot of questions, so don't worry to answer them all:
How can I get better at making proportions?
How can I give a metal effect like the one in wolfenoctis's edit?
Do I have to study art theory to make decent pixel art?(good enough to be paid for)

[eishiya]

I hope it's okay if I butt in with a few answers.

Yes, you need to study art theory. Pixel art is just another 2D art medium. To learn more about light, this is a great tutorial. This is a more general tutorial that might be useful. Neither of these is about pixel art, but all the same theory applies to pixel art.

The metallic effect is created through contrast. Metal is shiny = high contrast. More specifically, the highlights on metal are usually much more different from the midtone than the shadows are.

[Afelium]

I hope it's okay if I butt in with a few answers.

Yes, you need to study art theory. Pixel art is just another 2D art medium. To learn more about light, this is a great tutorial. This is a more general tutorial that might be useful. Neither of these is about pixel art, but all the same theory applies to pixel art.

The metallic effect is created through contrast. Metal is shiny = high contrast. More specifically, the highlights on metal are usually much more different from the midtone than the shadows are.

Thank you for replying,your advice is always good

[wolfenoctis]

Wolfenoctis,Hunited,I have a lot of questions, so don't worry to answer them all:
How can I get better at making proportions?

Proportion is always relative, so for example the head has a certain size ratio compared to the torso and so too does the torso compared to the shoulders, etc. You can get better at it by studying your reference closely and trying to replicate these ratios, the more you practice, the better your perception will get.

How can I give a metal effect like the one in wolfenoctis's edit?

Study metal photo references, metal tends to have a broad range of values with bright specular reflections. Try to replicate the references, the more you practice, the better you'll get at illustrating metal.

Do I have to study art theory to make decent pixel art?(good enough to be paid for)

Yes you need to understand the fundamentals of art, pixel art is a medium just like painting or drawing and all the fundamentals apply to it just like any other medium.

Above all you need to keep doing pixel art on a regular basis, don't fear making mistakes, they are opportunities to learn. The only true way to fail, is to give up. 

[Afelium]

Sorry,its been a long time,but it is difficult to restart something you already made without making the same mistakes.Here's my latest attempt,trying to follow your advice

I changed palette and tried to respect the proportions
The shading on the shoulders still being a problem
Seems like I accidentally downscaled it a little

[Afelium]

im struggling with the lighting on the limbs(Especially the highlights,don't know where to put them),I have no idea about how to apply AA on the grooves and I don't know if the metal orange palette(the one on the shoulders and limbs)is good

Waiting for advice before proceeding
Edit:no longer waiting
Edit 2:
+1 leg

[Afelium]

Maybe not well,but I managed to make all the limbs,but the pose feels strange;do you know why?

[eishiya]

It just feels a bit unbalanced, with the legs leaning one way, but the torso not leaning/shifting the other way to compensate. In addition, the arm on her hip doesn't seem to be resting on the hip, is she just holding her fist next to her hip?