Since I'm new: Hi! I'm really a programmer, working a platform game for myself (Nintendo DS). It's... a Mario clone, but with entirely new cat-themed artwork. Problem is, I'm not a trained artist. I do have an eye for visuals, and with effort I can pixel a little. This is where this wonderful community could help I think... I'd love some feedback and criticism! First up, some balls.



(10 colors, various palettes)

The idea is to make a "ball" trampoline much like in Yoshi's Island for SNES/DS. That would be the one with the arrow, but also shown is the "original" sphere I drew. About the colors, I haven't decided on a final palette for the trampoline ball, just looking at it in different ways for now.

So, what do you think? How can I improve this, given that it's supposed to be a game sprite?

Thanks! Yeah the shine on the arrow was intentional, I wanted to make it look receded into the surface but still shiny like the rest of the ball. To be honest I have no real clue what I'm doing, I just poke pixels until it looks right. Maybe the edge of the arrow should be outlined through the shine? Hm.