This is going to be a comically brief post.

I am not an expert skin maker. At all. As of this post, I have only made two skins. So to be fair, I admit that my opinion could just be based on my lack of experience (???) in skins.

Everywhere, I see tutorials on shading and avoiding plain skins.

There is a method; a proverbial rhyme and reason that must be followed to make amazing skins and avoid being passed off for your "lack of roundness" and "noise effect" that you exhibit. If you want to be recognized, it has to be "this realistic" to work...

To be blunt, I really do not like what most call "better skins." In risk of sounding ignorant, I just think it takes away from the feel of the Minecraft world (Can't believe I just said that). Since I began playing, I have never changed my texture pack and kept it that way because it's just the way that Minecraft -is- that keeps me loving it. It's a refreshing breakaway from the constant groaning and complaining over how games look. It takes something as simplistic and childlike as a block and just lets us enjoy the feeling of discovery and originality.

I have absolutely nothing against people that use these skins that the creators have taken great care to make. They look great, but they don't do it for me. Call me unoriginal. Call me a noob. I love The boxy, noisy style, and if you don't like it: THAT'S FINE!!! :D I respect you, my friend.

Perhaps my views will change in the future, and I will find myself falling reluctantly in love with this style of skin. I am still learning how to become more efficient at shading, and will definitely be uploading some "new and improved" skins in the future.