My Pixelart Version of Nataliadsw's Art- Draw this in your Style Challenge

Hi guys! This is my first "Draw this in your style" challenge that I've done, but when I saw the painting by Nataliadsw I felt instantly inspired. All of the colors are so lively/cheerful and the character looks so interesting and well designed.

First of all, Pixelart contest reminder: https://peakd.com/hive-102502/@kristyglas/pixelart-contest-1-theme-crystals :)

This is my process for how I drew my version, as I'm not designing anything, the steps are a bit simpler. I always avoid color picking, so the colors are a little different in my version.

I start with basic colors and shapes, defining the composition. Then I worked on details bit by bit. I used a few layers to make it easier for myself, but I still kept them minimal. I skipped some of the piercings, because of the very limited canvas size. I tried adding them, but it wasn't clear that those were piercings. The shoulder tattoo isn't very clear either, but I kept it since it it adds interesting detail. I personally prefer random/freehand shading over perfect pattern dithering.

The cat was the hard part, so I left if for the last. Pixelart cats are usually either extra adorable or incredibly creepy... My first attempt was a very grumpy cat, but flipping the eyes vertically worked out great.

The shirt could use a little more works, but I did manual shading so now overlay or multiply layer. However, if I made the shirt brighter, I'd need to increase brightness and contrast on the rest of the image as well. I want to keep it balanced.

Important note: most shadows aren't just darker colors, they have additional hues and saturation in them. This give the drawing a more vibrant feel.

Above you can see the work in progress kitty xD

Final art, I'm really happy for how it turned out :D

1:1 scale

Thank you for Nataliadsw for sharing her art for the challenge ^_^ and for giving me the permission to make this blog post <3

Check our more of her art on IG: https://www.instagram.com/nataliadsw/

Dragon head winner @jaynie !

You can win a head by just commenting.

Pixelart contest reminder!! We have 40ish hive prize pool :D . (even if you're late you can enter till I pick winners on Thursday.

https://peakd.com/hive-102502/@kristyglas/pixelart-contest-1-theme-crystals

Tomorrow I'm taking the day off from internet, mainly all social media (it's for self improvement and focus practice) ^^ Last Wednesday was great, so I'm doing it again. Sorry for any delayed comments especially on contest entries.

Thank you for checking out this post!