The VG Resource

I haven't sprited in what seems like ages so I'm trying to refresh myself.

Any problems in the method, anatomy (my worst), ect.
On another note this is the first time I tried to do a human

there is no problem in the method, save for the fact that you shouldn't divide the character in a lot of pieces. Making pieces for the character can be very helpful if done right, but you should be aware that this way, figuring out the size proportions can get really off and the pieces may not match. Fortunately, there is no problem of this kind in your example, but remembering is always good.

a thing that should be better, though, is contrast on the facial features (I can't see her mouth unless I zoom it, which shouldn't be happening), on some places (pincipally her hair) and it is mostly pillowshaded (that is, the way you shaded doesn't show where the lightsource is coming from). Also, consider the materials you're shading; hair is made up of several strings, so the highlights/shading should also reflect that. Check out some official sprites with hair to see what I mean.

Am I on the right track here?

Edit: Or split it into different layers and shade accordingly?
Sort of like this?

can you make your background color something different (and darker)?

It's kind of hard to see since the background blends in