07-27-2015, 11:06 PM
I was trying to design a fairly generic animal character recently (generic in that is isn't anthropomorphic or anything just the typical quadruped design) and the first thing I looked it was what could be customized, as well as what colour markings/palette could be used. The bubble bobble characters are a really good example of customization with the added cheek spots, colour palette, eyes, and different but similar proportions.
You don't want the entire character to look mostly uniform in colour. Even though Banjo (as an example) is all brown, he has his clothing which adds new colour interest visually. Keeping to uniform or similar colours is what makes things look generic and realistic. But you can "recover" a generic colour palette in the character design. It comes down to the eyes, proportions, and personality. You made a good start by shortening the snout and stuff.
(I like those sprites by the way, they are very clean and sharp and the shading works really well. But just see what else you can pull off on the design, you might be surprised).
You don't want the entire character to look mostly uniform in colour. Even though Banjo (as an example) is all brown, he has his clothing which adds new colour interest visually. Keeping to uniform or similar colours is what makes things look generic and realistic. But you can "recover" a generic colour palette in the character design. It comes down to the eyes, proportions, and personality. You made a good start by shortening the snout and stuff.
(I like those sprites by the way, they are very clean and sharp and the shading works really well. But just see what else you can pull off on the design, you might be surprised).