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[Chris2Balls [:B]]

One thing that I think evades you is the effort required to shade such a big sprite: is SHADEDBZ really prepared to take on something of this scale?
I don't think so.
I think learning to be moderate helps build up your potential and your ambitions. We're trying to give foundations to his ambitions.
Even if he doesn't finish this sprite, he's learnt a couple of lessons from this experience.
I don't think it's a question of "avoiding the hard stuff for now", because we're trying to make him conscious of the consideration that needs to be given to the pixels in his work. Working on small sprites and upwards is recommended for a reason: it's about mastering the area you're working on, it's about learning the importance of the pixel. So in no case is he avoiding the "hard stuff", he's being made more aware of it.
He still has a lot to learn, and not just technique in pixel art, but art in general too.
The fact that SHADEDBZ is trying to recreate something with a rather complicated and softened volume isn't a good idea at his level, and add to that rendering the ice textures. It isn't the kind of thing you'd ask a beginner to do, even to progress. Is it really a project that motivates him to the bottom of his heart, or is it some teenage whim which he'll probably discard in a few months' time?
This is why I think he should give this project a break until he feels up to shading such a large area. He could even try doing several smaller versions of this.
Working in fragments could more than potentially destroy his workflow, making his piece patchy. It could also lead to quite a lot of touching up if he keeps trying new techniques on it, which could be quite laborious, and easily avoided if it were done entirely in one set in time.
He could've optimised his worktime if he took a more general approach. Having an overall outlook on your work in progress is crucial in order to finish.