Pixel ID - Work In Progress Part One

Yes it's true, I'm making one of those Pixel IDs...You know, that sprite and portrait you'd see on the Character Select screen of a fighting game...They're all the rage on dA.

Here's how it's looking so far. The background is complete, and the portrait is coming along, although I wish I had an actual drawing there instead of more pixel art (HINT HINT for all you artists who actually watch me). It's a good thing I haven't gotten to the sprite itself yet; I'm having a hard time deciding how I'd illustrate myself...