No, you're not annoying at all. I've stuck my nose in pixel art attempts before, so I can give you some basic hints and recommendations, so to say.
There are 2 main ways to go about making pixel art: either (1) start from scratch and draw pixel by pixel (first black outlines, then colors and shading, then fixes, then save the final result as a different file), or (2) draw something on paper (make sure it's of middle to big size, as small sizes won't get scanned well), scan it, save the output image, backup it, and start tracing with black (or some other) color over the pen/paper outlines with the 1px pencil tool and then continue as explained in (1).
A nice introductory tutorial about the difference between the pixelshading and toolshading techniques, when it comes to coloring the insides of the pixel art outlines, can be found here:
minidollz.ninique.net/tutorials/newbies_before.html (yeah, it's on pixel dolls, but the subject of drawing isn't of great importance to people who are just starting to deal with drawing pixel art, plus drawing and coloring pixel dolls is relatively easy to get the hang out of; hell, even colorless body outline templates are available for the impatient newcomers).
First of all, are you aiming at isometric pixel art or non-isometric? The basics of pixel art theory are something you should pay attention to, for example by studying articles on these topics (just do some websearching for something like "pixel art theory how to draw" or something).
Secondly, you need tools, i.e. application software (programs). I'll discuss just some free open source raster graphics programs that you could utilize. GIMP was already mentioned and it's probably your best bet if you're looking for a solid Photoshop alternative, although it is a rather complex program when it comes to getting good at using it production wise (i.e. slow learning curve at the beginning). If you're aiming at simpler software tools (which are somewhat less feature-full and are more pixel art-centered), I'll have to recommend the following:
mtPaint (
mtpaint.sourceforge.net/ - uses a 256 color palette by default, perfect for pixel art projects) and
GraFX2 (
code.google.com/p/grafx2/ - even more simple, sadly, it had no layers feature if I recall correctly); also
paint.net (
getpaint.net), which is freeware and for Windows only.
Thirdly, you need some time for refreshing your general traditional drawing skills (pen/pencil on paper, old school style!
): do some observations of real-life objects, study the light shading gradient, practice drawing some real items on paper. After that move to the digital toolbox and find offline (RL) and/or digital and/or imaginary inspirational sources to first mimic to draw, and then just be inspired by.
After that step you may want to go and find, save, study and practice with some of the great free pixel art tutorials out there on the Internet. Good starting points would be the following legendary pixel art havens:
www.pixeljoint.com/default.asp and
browse.deviantart.com/digitalart/pixelart/?order=15.
From then on, it's all "practice makes perfect, imagination makes the concept and polishing makes the eye-candy better."
Lastly, but not least, make sure to save in a lossless raster graphics file format like
.PNG (with or without transparency, i.e. 24-bit or
32-bit), or in the lossy 256-colors-only color .GIF (with transparency), for optimal results in the finished works. We've had it with great pictures ruined by saving them in the lossy .JP(E)G format - this one is mostly for photos or if you really want smaller filesize instead of image quality! (TEO knows what I mean by that.)
P.S. Post some drafts or share early pixel art doodles here with us if you can, and want to.
P.P.S. Remember, it's the artist's perseverance, determination, and, most of all, hard work, skills and imagination that make great (pixel) art pieces, the software comes second (although it does help tremendously given the right feature pack and the artist's needs).
I hope that I've been of some help.
Good luck, and have fun learning by drawing!