Starting out, any advice?

[bitra]

I’m brand new, and would love if someone further along the learning curve has any advice on what kinds of things a novice should try; I personally want to make some nice looking stills, and am starting with smaller bitcounts. I’m practicing distinctive characters from animes & cartoons… is this how everyone does it?

[gnegni25]

Replace the darker yellow with a yellow/orange color

[Phantom]

Here are my two cents: your shading is pretty good but the overall shapes are a little wonky because the ears, eyes, cheeks, and general shapes are lacking sharp edges and round curves. Your drawing is generally very blocky. I would suggest going to view-preview and looking at the outline to see if it looks like you want it to be from farther away. That way you can see if the silhouette is good. Here is a video I would suggest you watch. Constructing Lines and Curves in Pixel Art (Tutorial) - YouTube
Here’s another if you want custom colors that look nice: How to Pick nice colors (Tutorial for beginners) - YouTube

[Phantom]

I know it’s been a while but I like Pikachu and think you did a decent job. The ears in pixel art are difficult because they are supposed to be very thin and have a taper on both sides with a round black part on the end.

Anyways here is my version.