New Sprite(s)-Chishio

[Siegvar]

Hms... any ideas on how to shrink the head without making it look erm... just shrunken because it was too big?

A neck. or a hint of it. Or maybe more pixel room to emphasize the shoulders or trapezoid muscles(the ones connecting the back of the neck to the collarbone, and stretches out to the shoulders).

I'm not sure though, just throwing out possibilities here.
Basically when you shrink the head you have more of that dreaded "empty space" of yours, so fill it up with hints of other body parts as you desire.

on your inclination to squeezing details in everywhere:
I like details too... but empty space at 300% magnification does not equate to empty space back at 100% normal size. lol. so just keep that in mind when you paint your details on the sprite.
You might end up losing details instead of gaining more if you're not careful.