Different Peoples Art Methods

Hello everyone,

I am relatively new to the sprite scene, I know many of you here are veterans, and would probably have a little bit more insight than me on this matter. I have a question that has been bothering me for quite some time, it is:

Why do some people say that using too many shades of a color is not a very good idea?

I remember hearing something like "If the shades are too similar to one another, they blend in too much, so just take it out". I know there are different views and opinions about this, and I respect everyones say. I know there are all types of art styles and techniques, and my post is not to critisize one or the other. I just want to hear people's opinions on this matter.

Also, I am sorry if I am bringing up a topic that has been brought up before I couldnt find any post that talks extensively about this matter. I want to start manking sprites for games that I will make in the future, and I would like them to look like many of the great games that came out for the 16bit consoles.

On that matter, here is an example from a Chrono Trigger sprite that I think looks quite good. I studied it and found that there are so many different shades they used to make up the piece of art.



I wanted to learn this tecnique, so I made this, its a little piece of grass. I used the same shades as them.



I just thought of a possible answer: It is ok to use many shades when the object is really far away? But use less when its a close up?