@NotLikeTheOthers Thanks - she was one of my very first - one day I'll clean her up and smooth out the edges etc...but I kind of like her as a memento!  She was replaced as my avatar...Bloody Maary got to her! LOL!

I love Medusa!  I enjoy the expression you were able to convey.

I "sketch" using the pencil tool in paint - I hate , despise, DETEST  scanning!  The reason it may seem "scratchy" is because that's how I draw.  I start with a new document, make it the size I want and draw using black pencil tool; then colour.  This piece was the second one I ever made LOL! and I'm actually busy working on another one that's a bit more refined.  I am very sentimental...she was one of my firsts so I wanted to give her a chance - she's also my avatar...what can I say...geecky?

Both you and Jalonso are helping lots!  Have you had time to have a look at my challenge piece yet?  I think it's more controlled - still a couple of issues I know, but it is a bit better than the gorgon -

Thanks for the input - much appreciated and good luck with the challenge, loved your bigfoot boffin  

   You tend to have a scratchy style. I'm guessing most of your stuff is done on paper, scanned, and pixeled over? If not, it seems that way. Remember, control is one of the main points of pixel art. Once you start losing control over your pixels, the piece starts moving over into another type of digital art all together...In this case, it's starting to look like "Oekaki", a messy type of digital art, which is kinda' like pixel art, but much more out of control.(not that it's a bad type of digital art, actually kinda' cool, just a bit different from pixel art). the best bet is to try and work within restrictions, to teach your self how to control your volumes, composition, and especially your palette....kinda' a big bowl to swallow all at once, but it's something we all go through when starting pixel art, or any form of art really. : )