Looking for constructive criticism

[Llust]

I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and try something new -- pixel art is something I've always admired but never gave it a shot because it looks so complex to me. I finally tried it out and initially tried drawing my OC (her outfit is fairly simple), but I ended up scratching that and just going for a random design and even more simple clothes (nothing more than jean shorts and a tank top). I admit, this was a bit half assed and was more of an experiment of whether or not I should keep practicing or just forget the idea of learning how to do pixel art. It turned out much better than I expected, but I want to be able to be more flexible with the poses and be able to work on complex characters later on. I just want to get the basics out of the way first

I'm primarily looking for advice on coloring eyes, shading hair/clothes, or just anything that I need to keep in mind while working with pixels. I already took all I could from the tutorials on dA, but even that isn't enough for me tbh. I'll be working on more later, but I'd just like to know what I should work on and how to improve it

Spoiler: Click

 

[chocobeann]

I don't have a lot of experience with pixel art but I can say right off the bat that it's really light and hard to see. I'd suggest making the lines darker and adding more value, especially with her eyes.

 

[Squidward]

I'd add more contrast and darker colors. It's a bit hard to see it this way! Othewise really cute, though. c:

 

[xinggan]

The proportions of the body all look good, although I might shorten the neck by one pixel. The head shape looks slightly wonky to me. I'm also going to echo the two other comments made about lack of contrast and how darker lines (particularly for the eyes) would really help your illustration.