Kratos Aurion

I really enjoy many of their design. In general, i'd say there 2 mains issues. The first one is that your sprites with thinner necks "lack" the back of the skull. Give more a cartoonish effect and 2D effect lacking depth. The second thing would be that there is often 2 differents sources of light in the sprite.The face are often shaded from the top-right or top-left corner while the clothes seems to have more a light source from right above them or in front of them (as if the light source was our eyes).

The flow in her hair is stunning! Very precise, but not overly shaded. Only think i can criticize is that her shoulders are a bit too low. If you draw a line between her shoulders, you'll notice her neck is abnormally long.

How come no one commented your last sprite, cause it's a really good one! I love the details in his hair and how natural it looks. Only thing I could critisize is its too soft jawline. If he's 15-16 keep that jawline, but if he's an adult, I think you should make it a tiny bit squarer. But it's more a personnal opinion more than a ''real'' issue =P

Not so bad! Although it's true your shading isnt on point! Biggest issue with the hair is that they look pilloshaded. Something i used to do when sprinting more often was to put all the hair in mid-shade, then highlight where the light ''hit'' the hair and finish with the darkest shade to had some better contrast. It helped me to give a better flow to the hair and reduce pillowshaing. Maybe you could look how Karla, Isadora, Amelia, etc. are shaded to be a bit inspired. The outline of the hair could also be a bit cleaned: make it smoother! And lightest shade can be right next to the outline color. I think it would help a lot to reduce the pillowshade (and same goes for 3rd shade, it help to give interresting contrast) Scarf coulduse a bit more 2nd shade and a bit less 3rd shade. Also, since light comes from top right corner, you need to shade the area right next to the paldron on our right and the left part of the scarf above the paldron. For the shading of the paldrons, maybe look at Franz or Ephraim or any other cavalier because right now the light source appear to come from 2 differents places for each paldron. The left eye (our point of view) could use an extra pixel in height i think and a bit more color / a tad less outline color. Lastly (i swear!), the head is a bit in a weird angle. Next seems like twisted 80-90 degree. I would suggest either to change a bit the orientation or to move the chin a couple (maybe 2-3) pixel off the neck line. (If you look at yourself in a mirror and you try to have that pose, you'll most likely be unconfortable =P) I know i pointed couple issues, but it doesnt mean it's a bad sprite. It appear to have a good personnality. I feel like it's a squire who dreams to become the best. I also like the androgyne features: I'm not quite sure if it's a male or female character, but i like it.

Moulder got hot!

I like that first one. Although, change Fir's hair. They are really bad (even on original sprite). Looks like she has way too much hair on her head. As for you second one, I think you can customize it a bit more! Proportions really seems good. Her hair on our right side is really pillow shaded. There is a bit too much shade ''out of the blue''. Use shading to show us where the ''hair are starting'' (if i can express that way), A tad more like Karla and/or Isadore might give you an idea of what i mean. Also you could check soren artwork to get some other ideas (at least on how you can add ''movement'' in her hair). There is also too much dark shade on the cloak

Not bad, definetively better than the first you posted here! Couple thing though: 1- Head is too small. It barely has skin ''between the face and the face outline''. I'd say 2 pixels or so on each side. 2- Jawline appears to be really sharp, so the face shape should be ''squarer''. The chin should be at least 1-2 pixels large and not just pointy. 3- It needs more shading right under the neck. Always depending on the shading style you are going for, but from your previous work, it appears to be a mix between anime style (which is almost none ) and FE8 style (high contrast between shade). Light is coming from top left corner, so add some 4th and 3rd shade. 4- The white clothe appears to be separate from the green shirt, so it has to be at least 1 pixels larger, than the shirt (larger on her waist and higher on her shoulders) 5- It lacks shading under the sleeves. 6- She has at least D-cup boobs (if you compare them to the face you can really imagine how big they are) so it needs shading under them and quite define since the clothes seems really fit. Don't forget, light is coming from top. 7- Hairs are boring (I used a strong word on purpuse). Outside of clothes, hair are the one thing that helps to express one personnality. Her seems mehhhh... You learn nothing about the char looking at her current hair. Add curves, difined lines and a bang or so. 8- Currently there is 2 style of shading in the hair : almost none on top and a pillow shadowed / overly shaded one on the side. A thing i liked to do when i sprited hair was to put all the hair on 2nd shade, than add 3rd shade where i wanted more definition and finished with the palest one at the end highlighting where light ''hits'' the hair. It helped me seeing where contrast should be instead of just how dark an area should be. I know i pointed out a lot, but those are the major one i can quickly see.

Really smooth, I like it a lot! The armor is so clean. I'd say the chin seems a bit overshaded, but again not too much of an issue.

I think you should raise her hair a couple pixels : she's almost lacking any forehead. The right shoulder (our point of view) is too close of her neck, you should move t couple pixels right and lower it a bit. Also the same shoulder seems way bigger than the other one... Lastly, maybe it was your objective, but she seems angry and her face in general appears a bit too long : Nils' and Ninian's are rounder. She appears too angry, as if she had already transformed from despair. It's really personnal, but I don't like FE6 jawline in general. And in this case, maybe you could soften it a bit. I really like her facial expression, she looks in control of her business! Although, the face seems a bit to small. Also, you need to add her hair on her left side (our right side). Right now it's like if wind was blowing her hair, but only a portion of it and not all. Again a personnal comment, but i think you should change the golden part of her armor/cloth in the same yellow as her tiara. Just my little 2 cents

1- I meant because of the missing hair making the back of her head empty 2- I meant 2nd shade (not shard) on the shoulder pad. Since light source is from top right corner, the hair should produce shade on shoulder pad too. And OPV is Our Point of View. Note to myself re-read what I write before posting!

New version is much cleaner. Hair look a bit too much manga style IMO. I think you should add a bit of shading (mostly 2nd shade) to give more depth. Also, maybe it's on purpose, but there's a lot of hair's length inequity : A part of his bang appears to be longer than all the rest of his hair, while the middle of the bang is way shorter. Her new face looks more mature, but she lacks upper lip. The back of her head also seems a bit too flat. Her hairs appear to be long, so they can't just disappear in the back of her head and be that flat. Even more, her haircut is unsymitrical, so we need to see all that extra hair from the left side (OPV) thatmust be behind her head. New version is better, he looks way more adult than previous version who was somewhere inbetween age. Chin is good from what i can tell. Eyes are a bit too close of the headband.We can't even See eyebrows! First one, there seems to be a dark pixel over the shoulder pad that shouldn't be there. It gives a square look while all the rest is smooth.There should be a bit a 2nd shard on pad too because of the hairs. Not a lot, but a bit on the left side (OPV). Jaw line is too strong too, close to the ear, you dont need that much 5th shade. Second one's armor isnt clean... But it's an issue with the original mug. Scarf is pillowshaded too and shading of the scarf on the neck is off, also over pillowshaded. Third one need shade on the chin because of the collar. Also, the back of her head isnt in the same orientation than her face (That face is hard to work with).

Shaman is looking better, maybe just lacking a bit of 3rd shade on cloth. It would help with the depth. Not much but a bit Mercenary still has fuzzy hair's root. You really need to use 3rd shade. Maybe Sain could be a reference, but right now it just looks flat. Yound girl's hair seems a bit like a wig. You need to give her some hair on the back of her head. A bit like Serra has. Also, the top of her head is really flat and lacking any shading. On your Assassin Peg, the orientation of her face cloth is wrong. The highest point has to be on top of her nose, whire right now it appears more under her eye. The second point is 100% personnal opinion, but the red ou use isnt right for an armor, if you want to give it a metallic look, you need a brighter and more contrasted red. There seems to be a misplaced bright pixel on the brighest part of the armor that wasnt there in the before version. Chin is really weird. Like he's lacking any chin. Looks a bit like Cormag, but Cormag had that issue too...

Ohhh ohh!, just figured out. You used - what his name again.... Roland? - as a base for the body. He's much more sprited on the side than most characters. Since the face you used isnt in the same orientation is gives that sorta weird aspect. Or peraphs it's just his adam apple that mess my mind up.

Very nice first mug! Good proportions and all. You should definetly stat mixing up more pieces together. I would have to agree with Zelkami though on the color comment

There's a couple issues i can see in your mug: 1- the collar of the shirt seems flat. she's wearing a tie, which takes some place and, unless I'm mistaken, the blue part is a different piece of clothes than the shirt. 2- She seems to be lacking a chin. If you look at the other female mugs from the FE, you'll notice their chins aren't on theline of the neck but a couple pixels on the side. It would also help to define her jaw. 3- There's to much shade on her neck while the rest is lightly shaded 4- Space between her nose and her mouth is too small. I think the head should be a tiny bit bigger than what it currently is. 5- I know you haven't work the hair much yet, but they are way too light/un-shaded. Gives the head more a 2D impression than a 3D. You should had more 2nd and 3rd shade in it to create volume 6- The bows are technicly not bad, but they don't fit well the mug IMO. They seem random, out of no where. Maybe it's because of the color or because they are too big 7- Her eyes are a bit in a chape of V (higher on the sides of her head and lower the the middle) 8- The nose is shaded on the left side while the light is coming from that side. It should be the right side (our point of view) that is shaded I know i pointed out quite a bit of thing, but i want you to improve, so i get critisize a lot the mugs i comment on.

Better and cleaner on the first one. I think i prefer the before hair on second one. I think they are a bit too much in FE4/FE5 style more than FE6-8 style. Headband is better under the hair, but i think you made is too small in this version (that 100% personnal opinion and not technical). Shoulders are much better now, you added just enough. Hair just above the band doesn't work. They don't seem to start from a point. Rest f the hair are all clean and there's that patch that appears to have been paste there out of nowhere. Second char is way better. The bang was odd, now it looks way cleaner. I think the hair till lack a bit of shading, they look a bit too plain in my opinion. For the 3rd char, i prefer the before version, not that the hair isnt good, but i find the 2 first version gave her a more distinctive personality. Looks a bit to childish instead of dynamic (short hair) or kinda quirky (bottom version). I really like your first one. 2 things i notice. First, he seems to lack any chin. The neck is the right size, but his chin is too close of the neck, at least for the orientation of his face. Second, shading on shoulder isnt right : light comes from top right side of the sprite. A bigger part of the shoulder should be in light tone. You second mug is better with hood on, I think she has a more crazy/don't mess with me scholar look that i prefer. Without the head seems to small (the back of the skull seems sorta flat. Although, with the hood, you should rework a bit the hair just under hood : hair are suppose to be ''affected'' by the weight of the hood, which they don't right now

First mug is to tiny. Shoulder should be wider. I know its a child, but still child's head aren't the same size as their shoulders. The headband should be hidden in my opinion : either its all above or all under the hair. Hairpin is nice, but seems to be hanging there out of nowhere instead or ''fixed'' on hair I really like your second one. The line between hair and hat sould be in outline color. Without that line, hair and hat seems to blend a bit. I think you should add details on the hat (that last comment is completly personnal, i like detailed mugs!)

Gave a little try

Awesome details and texture on armor. I like how for once the armor seems to have been served and not be brand new. Two things I can find to criticize are the cape seems to be short in cloth, I think there shoud be a bit more folds in it (mosly the purple part). I have this impression because the cape repose on all on his left shoulder and not on both, and currently the cloth seems a bit too ''stretched''. Second thing is I think you used too much 3rd shade in the hair. Gives a lot of texture which is really nice and clean, perhaps a bit too much compare to the rest of the sprite. But that last comment is purely opinion based and not technical

Really simple, yet your cleanest I woud say. Although there seems to be an extra outline line on the left side of his face (our left)

I was referring the red head monk. I think the messyness and the movement the blue hair monk had made a good contrast with the ''perfection'' we expect from monks and clercs! If you redo the blue hair, i would suggest to raise the top of the hair by a couple pixel. It look a bit to flat, and it's MESSY hair : they chose where they want to go!

I like the design of it. Although, the hand is too small (Lilina's hand seems bigger ...) and you draw her left hand and placed it over her right shoulder. Except if the has superlong boneless arms, the pose is impossible. I think her thumb is meant to be on the other side of her hand ! I think you could add a bit of 3rd shade on the top of her head to give more depth and volume. Also it's lacking the earring shading on the har

The jawline of the one with blue hair is weird. Well I'm not sure if its that or that the whole face is too small. Her shoulder is a bit to close of the neck (maybe like 1-3 pixel to our right). The shading on the shoulder doesnt work. I mean i guess the shaded line is a scar, if not I don't know what it is. Jaffar could be a reference for how to shade it and like she appears to be a mercenary, it's okay if she's muscular. On the second one, the head seems a bit to short (I would raise the hair a couple pixels (maybe 3-5?)). The 3rd shade of her armor is to dark too : contrast is too high even for FE8 standards. Ohhhhh, th neck line is odd : it should go straight up from the collar of her clothe to the end of her jaw (same apply to your redesigned one) I prefered the initial version. Hair appeared more customised and with more personnality. On the new version, he appears younger and looks like a teenager with a man body. I think it's because the neck on the clothes is too large. Other than that point, it looks good

I feel like this one is your best Color choice is a bit odd, but that a personnal opinion, it looks the cleanest and you used characters with similar shapes/frame. Biggest issue is since you switch the orientation of the head, the head and the outfit don't have the same source of light (head from right side and clothes from left side)... On this mug, the main issue is that both armure you used aren't the same size and style. That's what make it odd. I would suggest to either enlarge left paldron (our point of view) or shrink a bit the big one. Also, armor in FE usually have a golden outline on the edge (if i can express myself that way - you can see the outline i mention on Seth armor as an indicator). I think that just adding this golden outline would help the character to appear more ''realistic''. Also, that more a technical point you can use on all your futur mugs, but we usually use the skin color for the gold outline. Not always, but in general, and it helps reducing the number of color to 15 (the 16th is the background) Your sprite of Cloud isnt bad, The shading of the hair is a bit too soft in my opinion. You could look seth, Ephraim, Cormag as exemple (basically any short hair men). More precisely, the part on the top of the head. Last point, the left shoulder (our left) is to small, almost looks like he doesn't have a shoulder to support the paldron.

So yeahh.... After 2 years not spriting at all, i deceide to give it a try again. While I have free time and most importantly motivation! I think I once made a topic on this forum with some of these sprites, but i was too lazy to search for it and wasn't even sure it was on this account... So here are couple of my old sprites: In the last 2 days I gave a little revamp to one of them -> What do you think of the changes? I tried a new shading style compare to what i used to do, so I'm not quite sure if it's clean enough.