I dont use photoshop for my sprites, just good old fashioned PAINT
its quite simple to rip characters by using Snes9x and delayering the rom so u can remove the floor, then all you need to do is PRNT SCRN and then cut the character out and make the backgroud pink
When u are make te sprite run i ften find it's easiest to get them to run into a wall, then you have al the time to get the best shot, u cold also think about slowing the speed down (GbA only i think), try and find out the rythm of the character, how they move, is it left foot, right fott left, foot etc. or to the stand straight between each step
If u wanna make your own characters then find a snes chatacter that is a in a similar style to what you want, the draw lines across the box where the top of the head is, where the neck is, where the waistline is and where the feet start, then work on your character from that
And as you can see from the Harvest Moon character theres doesnt always have to be a thick black line around your sprite
Sorry it can't b more detailed but I got a Business test in 4 hours