Coloring dissatisfaction! Help?

[Green Skies]

Hi Hi!
I hope y'all can give me a big hand and critique my art!
Although these images were going to be in our actual game (From the Wishing Well)...
I'm not satisfied with how "unprofessional" they look (
I believe it has something to do with the coloring?
Constructive criticism is much appreciated!
...please ignore the legs on the second image (i know they are very off but they will be covered)

[James]

I'm not an artist so I can't draw well myself, but I'll give it a shot what seems off.

Higher contrast with shading and highlights
The pastel color does give him a friendly knight feel, but it feels like all the shading are just mid-tone range.
Shadows are rarely just two colors darker, they're much more dynamic and you could make it better by giving highlights and darker shadows.

Cape seem too stiff and unnatural
Capes are heavy so they'll mold the back part of the body more and curve in, but in your picture it seems thin and light like a flag on a pole.

Light source feels inconsistent
The hair is pretty, but the highlights in the hair suggest the light sources is all above the character (either left, right, middle) which does not match the metal armor.
Both shoulder sides of armor are equally shiny which doesn't seem right. Make the side with highlighted hair shinier then the other side.

Two random pictures I found on web which seem to have good lighting/dynamics/colors for armor and cloth. Hope these help you.

[Green Skies]

I'm not an artist so I can't draw well myself, but I'll give it a shot what seems off.

Higher contrast with shading and highlights
The pastel color does give him a friendly knight feel, but it feels like all the shading are just mid-tone range.
Shadows are rarely just two colors darker, they're much more dynamic and you could make it better by giving highlights and darker shadows.

Cape seem too stiff and unnatural
Capes are heavy so they'll mold the back part of the body more and curve in, but in your picture it seems thin and light like a flag on a pole.

Light source feels inconsistent
The hair is pretty, but the highlights in the hair suggest the light sources is all above the character (either left, right, middle) which does not match the metal armor.
Both shoulder sides of armor are equally shiny which doesn't seem right. Make the side with highlighted hair shinier then the other side.

Two random pictures I found on web which seem to have good lighting/dynamics/colors for armor and cloth. Hope these help you.

the light source...somewhat matches O_O
...i knew someone was going to nab me for that XD

i didn't even notice how unnatural the cape was thank you!
shading shading shading...i believe it is my weakness, yes?
it is holding me back

[Sapphi]

shading shading shading...i believe it is my weakness, yes?
it is holding me back

While I've never really had this problem, I took a figure drawing class last semester and there were a few people there who were frustrated that they just couldn't bring themselves to "go dark" with the shading. My art teacher basically said, "just do it."

Take it a few shades darker and see how you like it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Green Skies]

shading shading shading...i believe it is my weakness, yes?
it is holding me back

While I've never really had this problem, I took a figure drawing class last semester and there were a few people there who were frustrated that they just couldn't bring themselves to "go dark" with the shading. My art teacher basically said, "just do it."

Take it a few shades darker and see how you like it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

thank you!
i guess i have been afraid of committing XD
cell-shading for games just freaks me out a bit
I am definitely going to give it a shot!

[Green Skies]

Yay!
following all your wonderful suggestions...
I did another version:


I think he is better, yes?
I still need and love critique! thank you thank you!

Y'all help me improve like no other site

[Auro-Cyanide]

I made some adjustments to your second image quickly. It is rather messy still, mostly because I tried to show too much on one image ^^". I will try to explain what I mean.

-You need to push the shadows/highlights even further. There is no reason to be scared of it, especially if you are working in a digital program. Lay on black and decrease the opacity if you have to.

-Also, don't be scared of using different colours. Try using the gradient tool and try out some of the different layer settings to create different lighting effects. The colour balance and hue/saturation tools can also help.

-You might wish to add some detail in the armour, such as texture and scratches. This is more personal choice though, he may have super new shiny armour, or he may have been through the wars.

-Try studying the effects of light on different material. Look at real reference material. This is also a good tutorial http://www.itchstudios.com/psg/art_tut.htm

[Green Skies]

I made some adjustments to your second image quickly....

Thank you!
i love the scratches and textures you added!
It is a GXB dating sim game...
so I decided it wasn't worth the effort to try and add textures
But what you did definitely looked amazing!
I will seriously reconsider!
...i hope it is not too hard! O.O
You used brushes right?
Do you mind telling me where you got them?

[Auro-Cyanide]

Sure, it is very easy. I make my own brushes mostly, so I don't have to worry about downloading or crediting, it is such a bother.

To get a brush similar to the one I used on the armour, you need to:
-Take a photo of carpet or concrete.
-Turn it greyscale.
-Shift the levels until you have black spots on white mostly.
-Select area with the selection tool.
-Go edit>define brush preset.
-Name the brush.
-Viola. You have a new brush. You can do this with almost anything, as long as it is in greyscale. You can also fiddle with the brush settings to get different effects.

This is the brush I have:

There are many ways of adding texture of course. This is probably be a bit over the top for your intentions, but you may find a use for it one day. For instance, once I scanned in some jewellery to use as a texture for armour, so it would look detailed.

There are many ways to do things, it is best to just experiment and have fun. Look at lots of tutorials, not so much to copy someone, but to pick up tips and hints that suit the way you work