Help me improve my sprite drawing in MS Paint

[n00bie]

this is a character i drew yesterday. i put all his different versions together in one picture so you could see how i progressed on him. any tips on improving it? the final sprite on the far right is one i was happy with last night, but looking at again this morning it just doesn't seem as good as it could be.

don't sugarcoat any criticisms either, rip it apart if need be.

[Darth Mandarb]

All of these (except maybe the first one on the left) would be great characters in a game!  The three in the red coats (2,3,4 from the left) look like they're partially transparent.

I would add some shading ... like this:


If the game consisted of backgrounds with this same style these characters would fit in perfectly and look quite nice!

I can see at least 4 usuable characters in that graphic!

[..]

These are brilliant for MSPAInt graphics!

I prefer Mandarbs version, tis nice. My only problems is that IMO the head is slightly too small

[InCreator]

If you're going to use them in hi-res game, character versions 2, 3 and 4 are too bright. I mean, colors blend into each other too much. And yes, I'd add shading, and even more than Darth did.

[n00bie]

thanks for the edit, darth. i've always had a problem doing shading in ms paint. i'll use your edit as a rough guide if that's okay with you.



it's quite nice looking at my first sprite and then these, as i think i've progressed quite quickly in 2 days. i mean, in regards to making technically good drawings. pixel shading and anti-aliasing, are something i have to seriously work on.

apart from shading and aa, is there any criticisms of the above two characters you can all offer me?

anyways, i'll keep you all updating on my progression, and hopefully i'll have a background finished for you soon.

[DoorKnobHandle]

they're really more than cool...

I think the shoes of the left one look quite strange...