I was always good at doing these but bad at actually drawing lmao

I mean I dunno looking through your gallery it's clear to see you've got a good base knowledge for your forms. But like with these fundamental exercises, this really is the base foundation. Like when it comes to constructing things like faces and anatomy, they have their own base line fundamental exercises. Your pixel art looks awesome, they have a clear stylisation that works for you. But if you want to push your talent and skills further, moving onto those other fundamentals is the next step.

Sorry if I have been presumptuous at all here. And what I'm about to say isn't supposed to be a reflection on you at all. But I often find that artists tend to think of doing this sort of thing as a step backwards or doesn't get them to the end result fast enough sort of thing. But like doing arts is just kind of a journey. One that you do often and eventually learn all the short cuts that work for you... Okay sorry rant over. But yeah wish you the best on yours

Oh yea, I'm not knocking the value of these exercises at all! The fundamentals are always really important to learn and keep sharp

For me, it just never felt like it translated. Like, I can draw a shaded cube or a tapestry, but it never really felt like it translated towards what I wanted to draw. For me, these never felt like a step backwards, it was more like I was learning a skill that didn't apply to what I wanted to improve.

But, that's just a me problem more than an issue with the exercises themselves haha

Also, appreciate the compliment! I've wanted to get back into pixel art for a while but haven't really had the drive lol, maybe one day