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[Chris2Balls [:B]]

Yes, I don't think he's ready yet, but let him realize that on his own

Well, if we did let him realize that on his own, we wouldn't be posting in his thread. We'd let him make other sprites, other threads, over a span of months, until he realizes himself that he still has a lot to work on.
By asking us for help, and with us responding to him, we're cutting down that time. We're confirming a doubt he could have had regarding his work.
He's free to take in count what he likes from us, we're trying to help him; if we can't suggest anything that he does take in account, then we only have to try harder to see what does. He can also look elsewhere for advice at the same time.

I briefly acknowledged the lengthy touch up phase that would be needed to prevent patchiness in this method. I happen to use a similiar method quite frequently so I thought I'd suggest it. It may suit his skill or mind set. I don't see the need of avoiding this mistake however. There's a lot that could be learned from touching up a sprite, including nifty pixel combonations that you can apply elsewhere even if they are not needed for the current piece.

Yes, you did aknowledge it and I did notice, which is why I expanded on it. What you're suggesting depends on the outlook he has on the sprite: does he want to get the sprite done, or is it a potential source of creativity? Is it both? That's something he has to make clear when he works, which is why it's worth mentioning.
I think it's paramount for us to stop him making avoidable mistakes, but not ones from which he can get ideas from.
His skill and way of working are still in the making: suggesting a variety of ways of working will help him decide how he'll work himself, eventually.
You can do a lot from editing a sprite, but you can do even more from restarting; either way, from both you have high chances of getting some results that can interest you, by mistake or not. You don't only learn from mistakes, but also from attempts and failures.
Personally, this is why I prefer creating several versions of a piece and going down several paths for each, then choosing the version I feel I can continue working on. The advantage of doing this is that you don't feel afraid of making drastic modifications of the sprite, or focusing on something else, as it's a different version with a different effect in mind to the original. In the end, I have a lot of material to compare and to observe if anything in my current or future interest arises.

Well, I've tried large backgrounds before, and for now I haven't finished anything beyond 320x240. Anything below that is half or two thirds finished.



I still think it all boils down to awareness. From the awareness of a problem, you can find a solution.
We've all tried to rise his awareness in the thread, and offered some solutions, but ultimately it's up to him to actually use the information we've provided.