Thanks jolanso. I agree and considered most of that while making this. Except for the struggle for a focal point. I'll watch out for that. I need to look for some pre-made palettes while I'm getting familiar with pixeling

The good- Nice scene and good design with overall good pixelling.

The bad- The AAing is not the best in areas. The color choices could be more interesting. The square design/texture on BG may not be right for this piece because it visually fights the focal point for attention, tho the smoke area on the Chimmney is ok...maybe its just overdone.

Thanks man. Admittedly,a specific lighting source played no role in this (shame on me). By the way I do like your current avatar (especially the long version)

 I can't see what the direction of light is, but I like it a lot, very stilized piece!