Penguin character C+C

[nukegara]

Hi everyone, this is my v. first foray into pixel art - I would appreciate some feedback on this penguin I'm making for a game.  It's a fairly cliche character - penguin with monocle and a top hat.  I wasn't sure about shading though, it looked a bit weird, so I kept the outline and body shapes simple.



lemme know what you think! 

[nukegara]

changed the color.

[Tourist]

I'm still a beginner, but here's what I see.

The eyes, beak, and so forth are closer in proportion to the body than the giant melon of a head.   The tiny hat makes the head seem bigger too, and the red necktie reinforces the separation between head and body. 

All of this would be ok if you were doing something with the large head.  But it just doesn't express anything to me.  Maybe someone else will see something I don't.


The first (lighter) version shows the monocle, it disappears in the dark version.  Also, using what looks like pure black gives you nothing to shade with.  Maybe try a dark gray instead of black or add some highlights

I would try resizing either the head, the features (eyes/beak), or hat, in order to have something connected visually to the the large head.  Maybe change the shape from a simple circle to something else? 

My two cents,
Tourist

[Oltar]

I´m a begginer too, I think the learning in pixel art it´s a never-ending story 
I draw again the penguin but try to imitate your style. Fixing some proportions and colors.
I hope this help you in some way.

[nukegara]

Thank you both for all your help and input, I completely agree with the head proportion critique - it is wasted space and makes things just look wonky.  Generally making things look wonky is my own stylistic choice, but I know now to change it coz it's not serving a purpose. 

And thank you Oltar for reworking the penguin, I think it looks so much better, and much more of a character.   

[Oltar]

And thank you Oltar for reworking the penguin, I think it looks so much better, and much more of a character.  

You´re welcome