I'm decent at spriting (some of you may have seen my Sonic Genesiserations Thread [also, I posted it in the wrong section, sorry]), but my main trouble is finding a palette. I'm wanting to sprite some things that take on a somewhat dark, dramatic feel, and I'm wondering what sort of palette I should use (I know darker colors, but I need exact colors). Help?
Pixeljoint actually had a palette competition recently, you might want to check out some of those:
http://www.pixeljoint.com/2011/12/08/364...INNERS.htm
Most of them are rather all-purpose, though some have a more 'dramatic' feel than others.
I'm sure all the palettes are free for use with credit as well.
though its good to point that no "given" palette is perfect nor is a wild card for anything you do. only experience and practice will give you the tools and knowledge to develop the taste to choice the colors you need according to your needs.
Metaru is correct, though using other people's palettes is a really good jumping-off point, especially if you're new to color theory and such. If you see a color that doesn't work for your piece, try to change it but still have it in context with the other colors... combine palettes... and just observe what other people do with similar palettes. (I'm still at this stage haha)
Also, don't gradient shade. It's really bad. Shift your hues and play around with contrast. A lot of art classes explain on art theory.