Cheers, appreicate it, thanks for the tips. I'll defeintly be spriting more trees and work on the presspectivie and shading. As for the for the sky, I was attempting to fade the light in the sky from the sun?
The tree-shape is pretty good, but the perspective and shading seem a bit off.
- It looks like the tree is planted on the horizon or on top of a hill, but this is not reflected in the shading.
- The cast shadow of the tree is too small and its perspective can also be improved. The form shadow of the tree is incongruent for the placement of the sun (the trunk and foliage should be shaded more).
- There are some big squares of redundant colors in the sky (artifacts?).
The big blocky squares of about 32 x 32 px in the sky distract from the intended fade effect. You should use smooth shapes of light intensity for a smooth sky gradient (or even cloudshaped to suggest a clouded sky). Some artist use dither to fade the sky colors (though I personally wouldn't).
I think a single color sky could also work, which would fit the simplicity of the scene.
However, if you want to go all out, you can add lens flare, god rays and atmospheric effects (gradient) close to the horizon.
BTW there is a single green pixel in the sky (184, 114)