New Blue Mage Sprite

[Kuraudo Sutoraifu]

Hello all, I've been gone awhile, won't promise I'll stick around, but I picked up a sprite that I wanted to do long ago. Ryu and Smash started a blue mage, but I don't think it got past the first frame. I wanted to use it for the game I'll be making. Here it is in all its glory:


I noted that the unit was based on the Geomancer male, so that will save me all the work on the shoes and a little bit of the arms. Arms tend to be the most time consuming, so that works out wonderfully. Here is my progress so far:


Discounting the arms, I'm about halfway there. Questions, comments, opinions are welcome.  I haven't quite decided what I want the back of the turban to look like, so I have two or three version popping up in there. I'm not looking forward to doing the portrait, so if there are any takers on that, go for it.

[Kagebunji]

I liked the concept a lot back in the day, and I still like it. I don't see any particular thing that is wrong, personally I would try adding some hair on the back frames below turban, since skin there loks kinda flat and doesn't sit well IMO. Good to see you back Kuraudo, even if temporary

[Mobius]

I think I could help you with this greatly. I was just pondering upon making a Blue Mage sprite for a project of my own too, and what better than this beautiful sprite of old?

Collab!

If so, consider the portrait done. I'll also fix tidbits here and there until it looks flawless.

Beginning with that turban on the back. I'd make it a hat instead, so if you're working on that part of the sprite, just leave it untouched for me. 

[Lijj]

Looks good so far Croud!

[Mobius]

Blue Mage portraits, coming up.

[Lijj]

 :0 That's the best portrait imaginable for the blue mage. Did you hit a new level of understanding recently?
That really is sharp; what a flawless.. victory!

[Reks]

Blue Mage portraits, coming up.

Dear Saint Ajora this is beyond amazing

[Kaedre]

I start to think that Mobius wakes up in the morning and simply defecates awesome portraits in to his Pc, instead of go to the bathroom and shits like normal people do.
How can somebody be so talented and so prolific at the same time?

     (>_<) GRRRRRR!!!

P.S: Very cute signature, Lijj.

[Jumza]

That is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard Kaedre

That's incredible Mobius, one of your best I'd say.

[Kuraudo Sutoraifu]

Mobius, that is awesome!  Well done, sir!

I found a rear view for the turban that I like, so I'm good in that department.  I'll have everything but the arms done later today.   I'll post that progrees when it gets there.  After the arms, I'll need to reacquaint myself with converting it into .spr format.

[jimmyjw88]

:0 That's the best portrait imaginable for the blue mage. Did you hit a new level of understanding recently?
That really is sharp; what a flawless.. victory!

What Lijj said.

[Kuraudo Sutoraifu]

I've made it this far tonight.  I had some palette problems because some errant duplicate colors got into the sprites.  I have some issues to address, namely the legs for the jumping/level up animation.  I might take another pass at his back since it looks a little flat.  Other than that, it's just the rear attack frames and the arms.  Mobius might be taking a revising pass at the sprite as well.

[Mobius]

And I will. Checked your PMs?

Arms are not really necessary to even work on, of you go by my artwork.

[Oroborobo]

Where's the cape? like his bit of deserty cloak or mantle

the capey swooshing thing

strago had a cape

it's only sensible!

[Kuraudo Sutoraifu]

BOOM! DONE!

I ran through all the frames, and everything looks grand to me, but I need a second set of eyes to double check.  Also, Mobius, if you were going to work any of your artistic magic, I say go for it mang!  Also, I figure you would add the portrait as well.

[Celdia]

Amazing work, as expected. It's very nice to see this sprite come to completion after so long. Doubly so since one of my first commissions for a perler was this one:

spoiler

Now...how about a female variant to go with it?

[The Damned]

(I still say the FFT:A Blue Mage design was one of the few relatively good things to come out of that game series.)

Excellent work on the sprite, Mr. Sutoraifu. You as well on the portrait, Mobius. (And you as well on the perler, Celdia.)

For the longest time I've wanted a Blue Mage sprite compatible with FFT and while I'm still curious as to how the domino-mask wearing FFV Blue Mages--who people would probably nowadays mistake for Relius from Blazblue--would look in FFT, this is a great step forward. It's always good to see things completed in general sense around here though, no matter the actual scope of it.

Now...how about a female variant to go with it?

*waits for someone to "jokingly" suggest the female version should have a niqab or an abaya just because the male version has a turban (even though they'd probably call it a "burqa")*

...Hmmm...typing that out, even with the controversy about those types of clothing, I must admit that would at least be visually...interesting to see in FFT and might even turn out quite well.

Still, even without a canon FFT:A variant to go with for Blue Mages, it's not like you can't just give the female variant a turban as well I guess. All I know is that either design choice would probably fly better with me than "midriff-baring" Dancers, though I'm not so prudish that those sprites aren't horrible are anything. It just...bothered me the first time I saw them more than a decade ago.

(Actually, now that I think about it, don't FFXI female Blue Mages have turbans? I've never played that game, so I don't know, but I vaguely remember the Blue Mage design there having a "Middle Eastern"/Indian feel to it like FFT:A between the turbans and sabers and what not from what little I've seen during research.)

Should you choose to do a female variant at all, Mr. Sutoraifu, I'm sure whatever you choose to do will come out quite well given how this one ended up working out.

P.S. Since I keep saying the word "turban", I must also admit that the Sikh religion has really bitching turbans apparently.

[Kuraudo Sutoraifu]

Celdy, glad I could make it. It was such good design, I always hopped smash would finish it.  Also, does your portrait have a sprite to go with it?  I've always wanted to have the sprites of the Dragon Force monarchs.

The Damned, I would like to make a female blue mage, as well.  I'd like to keep it middle eastern/southwest Asian themed, as well.  I think I'd use something other than a turban, though.  Using and abaya style would be worth a go, but I don't know if I could pull it off without it looking like a male ninja knockoff.  We'll see though.

[Mobius]

Turns out I intend to make a female one soon too, and I got the concepts sketched already. These are for my own project:

spoiler

   

But really, I don't mind at all if someone here decides to do the female one for me and uses my artwork.

[Celdia]

Celdy, glad I could make it. It was such good design, I always hopped smash would finish it.  Also, does your portrait have a sprite to go with it?  I've always wanted to have the sprites of the Dragon Force monarchs.

Sadly, no. Hell, I wasn't even aware more than like 2 people around here even knew what Dragon Force was.

spoiler

But really, I don't mind at all if someone here decides to do the female one for me and uses my artwork.

I just sat here for like 5 minutes trying to think of something to say after seeing that and coming up with nothing. I'm pretty sure that's the definition of speechless. I just...wow.