i though it was big in terms of size.

the dithering and the gradient sheding make no sense. you'd rather not use dithering and instead use each tone to show the head's shape and volume instead of just poiting from where does the light is supose to come. also, keep an eye on those ears, considering the perspective you're trying to use, the top part of them should not be as wide as the bottom part.

and don't be afraid to use some purples and some yellows as for the darkest/brigthest tones. experiment with diferent color sets, don't limit yourself to such small and tiny canvas. and always post a reference when needed.

same thing again, don't do a gradient shading.

Shading Tutorial to the rescue!

looks like soemone just saw the images, but didn't actually read sh*t about the tutorial itself <3

if you see gradient shading is because the shapes used there are only spheres. in a polygonal shape, like a cube or a moai, each face or side of the shape reacts direct from the impact of light, casting a shadow or a highlight, depending on how directly the light hits it. ofcourse, there will be some scenarios when a gradient would be needed(because the stregth of light over a shape would fade over its surface), but it doesnt mean that THE WHOLE OBJECT is flat (like your moai). the idea of shading, as i said earlier, is to show the volume and shape of the object shaded, in order to place it in a three dimensional eviroment(and by 3D i don't mean the games you play in your console, but rather the three planes known as height, lenght and deep). just look around you and see how are the objects near you shaded.

here's a quick shaded version of your moai, as if the light hit it from above, and it put yours to make it easier for comparisions.
 
do you notice how, even when there are gradients used, it doesnt really follow a straight pattern? it certainly shows some dep as how some structures are placed above others(such as the nose casting a shadow over the lips) and how the cheeks get a highlight in order to depict a raised structure over the surface of the face.

you don't need to take it. instead, try to generate another moai, and shade it acordingly. there are plenty moai references on the net, don't feel that you "have to" do that one. you have up till sunday, so there is no need to rush it.

and read the tutorial, but this time, do it.

Thanks I'm going to read it. Here's the bottom part shaded. I hope I did ok. I won't enter any contest until I get good at pixelart. Thanks Jimmy I'll read it now. I'll aslo read the other one too Metaru.

read the tutorial, study it, and you'll see all the mistakes. currently that shading makes no sense.

i think one of the problems is you just took Metaru's edit and put a body on it. try and do it without looking at Metaru's.
i also think it would be cool to draw the whole body if that's not already your plan.

Well anyone has some C+C on the new shading?

Edits are for LEARNING OFF, not ripping/ pixeling over. The point was to look at what Metaru did and why and then put your own spin on it.

I'm sorry guys I'll start working on it's shading and when it gets to the point that it just looks awesome. I'll post it up.

I have to agree with Metaru on this one, just google tutorials and references.  What helped me most when I was first learning how to shade things correctly, was just looking at actual pictures of people.  Hell, take pictures of yourself with different light sources.  Study the shadows and highlights of the face and body.  It just takes a lot of patience and practice, but you'll get it.  

you just took away a few details still too simular to metaru´s shading

you're just trying to emulate what you don't understand yet.

i think that, themain isue here is that you don't really know how a moai is shaped. not at all. moais are stone made faces with defined round angles.not to mention the body you gave it is not really conected to the head. as it should.

i do really encourage you to start all over with a more simple shape, like a cube or  a sphere, practice some lightsources and then experiment with a mroe complex thing like a face or an object. if you rush yourself too much, you will find yourself stuck w/o a clue of what you're doing.

Nope, all wrong. Sorry :/

If this is a cube of which we can see only one side, why does the top of that side reflect more light than the bottom of that side?
The rule is not: The closer to the lightsource, the more lighter.
The rule is: The more light is reflected into our eyes, the lighter.

Try to think of that.

look how everything around you is afected by light.

Try to see exact colors everywhere you look. If you take a careful look, you see that asphalt roads are not black. In fact, they are from most views often white.
When you look at it, you wont notice. But when you draw that asphalt, you must draw it the way you see it. And that is, white.

Looking and learning is important.

Thanks guys. I'll keep everything you said in mind next time I wipe something up. Let's see what happens.

Your first example is a game. Not evidence to suggest that thats how asphalt looks. However the rest are good, and are all examples of old roads using a particular mix in materials. What you have there though is an effect on the asphalt over years. Not light effecting the material at that certain point.

New paved roads are black, but as soon as you draw something white it is much more recognizeable. Thanks for making the images viewable as I was lazy to edit it even though I knew I failed, and at last, the car thing is an example of how other artists use asphalt.

Ok ok, bad examples, but keep in mind: Apples are not red, rocks not brown, if you get to see the actual hues you can draw much better!