MY FIRST FORAY INTO PIXEL ART

Arms are strange, cuz they are arched. Our bones are flat.

Here's a rough example I did over yours using the same colors + body size. Don't actually use it, just keep in mind some things:

-You're using pillow shading, pick a light source angle (like say from the top front angled to the right) and stick to it. shade where the light doesn't reach. But you also need to sculpt and shape the forms with it. Muscle definition is a pretty good way to determine that.

-Arms aren't noodles, they tend to "pinch" at the elbow joint and are defined by the muscles. This also depends on the angle the arm is turned at, so keep that in mind. Just grab your arm with your other hand, and slide it from shoulder to your wrist. It isn't quite like a tube is it?



-You're going on the right track with the legs, but could use more definition.

-Not really sure about what you're trying to do with the posing, it seems like you're doing a FFT thing where the characters clench their fists. But even those chibi characters don't flip their wrists at a 90 degree angle.

-As for the head you can use shading to your advantage to imply things like a nose and cheeks to give the head more detail using the same amount of pixels. The space/detail between the eyes could be a little more relaxed. The head shape is a bit wide and the ears seem a bit detached looking.

-Hair is pretty tricky and even I'm not so great with it, hair has a lot of strands that you can't individually draw let alone pixel, but it shouldn't be a blob either. Instead think in clumps and use highlights to show where the light is hitting it from. Hair is shiny, so your head is almost like a reflective ball that's scattering the light a bit with the strands.

-Also the hair style is a bit weird, if you have long hair it's probably going to cover your ears since there's lots of hair on the side. Also just have fun with a little, don't make it so symmetrical.

In general I'd actually study human anatomy and try to draw stuff to get a better understanding before tackling pixel art. Even doing exercises on a site like this http://reference.sketchdaily.net/en/ can go a long way.

Then I would probably just bend the actual arm and not her wrist.