Horrible spriter seeking advise

[Name_Changer]

Although the title sounds like an ad for love interests its the best description of my situation. I'd like to end up doing a full sheet of this guy but definitely cant with my skills as they are. The main issue i have is picking the right colors and then shading the right areas.

The part I'm working on right now is the gold plating which was BAD at first, started to get alot better and then i got to the point where i was only making it worse. Then i tried to add some shading to the same shoulder guard but it just doesn't look right, it feels like the light is misplaced but im not sure where to put it.

The rest of the stuff was just included in the picture so you can see the whole thing instead of just a zoomed in shoulder pad. If you want to give some advice for when i do try to knock the rest out please do however.



If any of you are wondering what this is, it's a space marine from the Warhammer 40k universe wearing the ultramarine colors.

[Garamonde]

The blue looks a bit too bright. Maybe deepen it or add a grayish tint to it? Less saturation, and defining a light source is always important (like try top-left) then you can shade it accordingly.

Also the outlines are kinda jagged, and need some AA.

[X Gamer 66]

this isn't a spectacular example but I hope it helps explain my points:


a few tips:
-when choosing colors, make sure you hue shift a bit (like, rather than just going from yellow to dark yellow, go from yellow to orangish yellow)
-add more contrast between your colors, and use less colors. Too many colors it tight spaces make your sprite look blurred or cramped, not to mention it's a lot more work.
-you should alter the shading. Make larger, more dramatic shade area that follow the shape of the thing you're shading. Remember that it's the shading that gives the illusion of depth. Shade lines that are perpendicular to the light source (like the leg's shading) just make that area look flat.
-avoid banding and jaggies

[Chris2Balls [:B]]

first of all, set the lighting for the piece. by this i mean define where the light is coming from in this scene, and the tint it has.
as you're working on a white/transparent background, you're giving yourself a hard time, because you'll be using colours in relation to it (they tend to be pure and contrasted).
setting the light saves you a lot of time and gives you a global idea of the piece, and then it's just a question of refining it.
here's a suggestion: