Hey everyone! Working on a character sprite for a game, and really need some help. In no way am I good at pixel art, but I thought I'd give it a go. Here is the sprite:



Now as you can see, it looks really rough. I need help fixing this, and I know it has to do with the way I shaded it. I attempted to do it 2 other ways:



The one on the left is my attempt using the paint brush tool (Which I know isn't pixel art, just wanted to get a feel) and the one on the left is an attempt at a smoother shading style. This results in it looking nothing like a ball, can I get some help from the community? Remember I'm not very good and this is a quick sketch up so don't hate :D

Alright, so the first thing I notice when looking at this is the broken outline. Sometimes it is best if a sprite has a solid outline. It's less strain on the eyes.
The character is also rather confusing. It took me a good minute to find out that the yellow/black thing was his eyes. I would advise making the pupils 2 lines thick, as it is kind of strange that they are asymmetrical. It also helps readability if you do so. You should also consider raising the smile/mouth closer upwards to improve readability. The mouth's shape is also a tad elongated and doesn't look like a smile. The mouth on the character when he is looking left/right is also broken and not connected to the rest of the mouth.
And here's a suggestion, you could always try having the top part 1/4 or so of the eyes be completely brown and give eyelashes or something along those lines. It could help define this character.
Next I would suggest that you have the facing backwards version of the character consist of some sort of layering. It's really weird that his eyes are still visible, when in actuality the back of its head should be in the way.
Well, keep at it, and good luck with your game.