Yeah i made that avatar, and pedros for that matter.
I draw the character and group crucial parts. Like an arm is grouped in two pieces, forearm and hand is one piece, bicep and shoulder is another. Then the torso and head are usually grouped.
then i group it all together.
but yeah most characters i draw from scratch. but pedros i used an actual picture of him, traced over it in flash, then filled in colors. That way it looks exactly like him.