You have two different issues. Let's break it down.
Your first issue is perspective: in the IoG sprite it's 3/4 topdown. Look at where the eyes are compared to the nose. Specifically look at the bottom of the eyes and the top of the nose. That weird height comparison creates depth because something normally higher (eyes) are lower than something further away (nose). It's exagerated which is why the normal reverse engineering aspect of your method tends to fool you. Artistic license is for artists, not dorks.
But you can get away with it if you try to get into the same feel the artist was going for. It's not super apparent here with angled perspective, but it is in the second area.
The problem you're having with the stomach is the same. You want to create a buff dude with a larger pectoral area, but you're too much on a sideview. Drop your character's shoulder. The pit of the from arm should be low, and then imagine where the pit of the back arm is. The chest is somewhere vertically inbetween, and because the shirt puffs, its lower. Tbh I think that belt betrays the puffy adventurous shirt he's wearing, but that's me.
Issue number two is excitement: in both IoG and Zelda you have a plucky adventurer. That's not a walk cycle, that's a "get to it" cycle. Watch the animations play out, and you'll see. It's halfway inbetween walking and running, but it's definitely 100% emotion. Take the sprites and drop them so that the heads are level or even 1px lower during the contact stage, and watch the difference in feel. It is slow and lethargic.
I hope this helps. Last thing: your character is erring on the highly lit side. This is a design choice, so it's not bad, but a lot of pixelers will do this, and it's nice to be aware of it. It is a legitimate way to be realistic, but it doesn't help readability. More shadows and more highlights help read 3D forms and light. I would keep the same amount of colors but stretch out the range of your color ramps. Good luck.
I added a few more characters. I think I'm going to upgrade some of the sprites to 5 colors, too.
I created a matching set of Zelda inspired items here:
http://opengameart.org/content/rpg-items-0
If there are any items you guys want, please ask! Items are by far the easiest things.
You have two different issues. Let's break it down.
Your first issue is perspective: in the IoG sprite it's 3/4 topdown. Look at where the eyes are compared to the nose. Specifically look at the bottom of the eyes and the top of the nose. That weird height comparison creates depth because something normally higher (eyes) are lower than something further away (nose). It's exagerated which is why the normal reverse engineering aspect of your method tends to fool you. Artistic license is for artists, not dorks.
But you can get away with it if you try to get into the same feel the artist was going for. It's not super apparent here with angled perspective, but it is in the second area.
The problem you're having with the stomach is the same. You want to create a buff dude with a larger pectoral area, but you're too much on a sideview. Drop your character's shoulder. The pit of the from arm should be low, and then imagine where the pit of the back arm is. The chest is somewhere vertically inbetween, and because the shirt puffs, its lower. Tbh I think that belt betrays the puffy adventurous shirt he's wearing, but that's me.
Issue number two is excitement: in both IoG and Zelda you have a plucky adventurer. That's not a walk cycle, that's a "get to it" cycle. Watch the animations play out, and you'll see. It's halfway inbetween walking and running, but it's definitely 100% emotion. Take the sprites and drop them so that the heads are level or even 1px lower during the contact stage, and watch the difference in feel. It is slow and lethargic.
I hope this helps. Last thing: your character is erring on the highly lit side. This is a design choice, so it's not bad, but a lot of pixelers will do this, and it's nice to be aware of it. It is a legitimate way to be realistic, but it doesn't help readability. More shadows and more highlights help read 3D forms and light. I would keep the same amount of colors but stretch out the range of your color ramps. Good luck.
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