I could've sworn you used a gradiant fill. Good work though, I would find it extremely difficult to do something like this 5*
Yeah, I apologize too if what I said at all offended you. I actually typed up a full paragraph after my comment below, but I found it was too long winded so I ended up deleting it. Believe me, I'm trying to help, not hurt.
I agree that what we define "pixel art" as is unique to each person. I mentioned that in the chatterbox, but I know how inundated you've been with posts :P
I could go on and explain in detail what I meant, but I think jal's right in suggesting you make a WIP thread. I'll try to help you out there 
Please know that we truly try to be helpful and if you were hurt, I'm truly, truly sorry for that. I thought that if you could use some humor and have a light attitude like you did in the chatterbox then I could use that here. I apologize 
Make a forum WIP for this. Your post below makes no sense to me (and to most pixelartists) you are extra hard to explain things to. Maybe later/tomorrow I'll dissect your post and answer with more insight.
That exactly what i`m thinking when a look at all that photorealistic-or-close-to-it pixelled portraits actually.
Anyway that comment is pretty hurtfull, since noone can actually say what is pixel-art or any other kind of art is about. Everyone found something unique for their liking in art or music. And that what is it about. Just for the person who found it.
Now, i`m not claiming pixelart is all about banding and red piece of meat. Still banding and dithering and pixel portraits as well and that red mess above is part of pixelart. (this one could actually lack the -art part, but it`s a joke).
edit: oh that was answering for Justincrdibl`s post. I cant keep it up with all posts.
This is epic. You have managed to use banding, pillow-shading, blinding 50/50 dithering, jaggy edges and the nastiest palette all in one piece. An instant classic!
Of all the things to take a stance on!
Hey, I don't begrudge you liking banding, there's people that like pillow shading and selout and other things. It doesn't make your art not pixel art, it's in fact clear you carefully decided that you shall place pixels here in such a way that they will band. And band they do. Spectacularily.
I'm afraid sometimes that after realizing what banding is and theorizing extensively on it, I've 'started' something. I don't think anyone should tell anyone off they utilize banding on purpose. At least on pixelation when I see someone nowadays use selout I tend to ask them "what do you think the selout achieves, and you do think there are other ways that you can achieve the same result without it?". It's the same with banding. I don't want to tell anyone DON'T MAKE YOUR PIXELS BAND, IT'S EVIL (at least not seriously). All I can ask is, do they know what banding is, and if they do, do they think it looks good? If the answers are yes and yes, I think that's the end of it.
It just so happens that most people haven't considered banding and they do it because it seems like pixels lining up is a good thing. Since there's a grid and everything. But if they're informed and they still want to do it and they know that the vast majority of appreciators of pixel art will think it looks horrid, they should follow their hearts.
I just want to say, if one of you looks at this and recognises banding but doesn't think the banding looks *bad* then you shouldn't, in honesty, tell the guy that he should unband his stuff. Don't do it because other people do it. Art is art and you should tell people if you like it or not, not just tell them 'I recognise this and that term that pixel artists throw around and therefore now I can count myself amognst the numbers of informed, savvy appreciators that know their jargon'.