Custom Sprite Artwork *Updated on 4/8*

[KazeKasano]

Recently I've been working on random sprites in various poses, just messing around and seeing what kind of cool stuff I could make with them. This led me to working in Photoshop, setting these sprites on various backdrops. Since this is a tactics community, I figured this would be the best place to show this stuff.

Note: None of this reflects any sort of continuity. I mean, really it's just a hobby. Though, if anyone is interested in what I have done on the hoodless Orlandu, I'd be glad to hand it over.
Personally, I think he comes out looking like Sean Connery.

Title: Rescue


Title: So The World Will Never Know
Note: This one is an area I've constructed (in paint) known as The Shadow Deep. It is Delita's darkest, obscurest, and least heard-of prison. And yes, the name is a reference to the Château d'If, made famous by its inclusion in Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo. Also, at the bottom I've provided a portrait for this version of Ramza.


Title: Please Don't Make Me Explain This One. PLEASE.

[Verdeni]

I like them, they're kinda simplistic though... Something anyone could slap together with a spritesheet. Make them a little more difficult, that's just me though. I don't know what happened, but Agrias' braid looks really... odd...

They're still nice though.




And Ramza/Agrias, is a nono, apparently it's supposed to be Mustadio/Agrias according to WOTL.

[KazeKasano]

I really don't think she'd be that into Mustadio.
And yes, it's really just something anyone could slap together.

Agrias' braid is flowing in the wind, as another version of this screen was going to take place on the deck of an airship.

[Archael]

I like this alot

got any more?

[jimmyjw88]

Wow...This is nice ^^
Great job.
Is Orlandu about to throw the sword? And whats Delita holding on his left hand? ^^

[KazeKasano]

Delita is holding what I've decided is one of the Zodiac Auracites. I've actually been working on a comic in which Delita's kingdom runs afoul of the remnants of the Archadian Empire, which causes him to recruit Ramza and the other survivors of FFT as allies in a new war.

And yes, Orlandeau is tossing a sword in the air, which he intends to catch and use in reverse-blade style.

To answer Arch, yes. I just finished some more and am about to put it in the first post.

[Kaijyuu]

Intriguing.

Only beef I have with it is that I don't see Agrias as a damsel in distress. Honestly, I think she'd sooner be the one saving Ramza's ass than the other way around.
Also, the shadows give more of an impression of a pop-up book than anything else. Need to conform to the terrain more.

[SentinalBlade]

Kaijyuu has a point in every respect.

Try setting the Drop Shadow Angle to where the shadow of the feet drape off the demons, or even try the sun pointing i na different direction.

Unless agrias is now a parapalegic, that shouldve been alma or ovelia ;P

I like the second one. that hanging ramza seems very intricate actually, when you think about it; copy pasta is not always done well, you should think yourself decently able to ctrl+c/ctrl+P.

[KazeKasano]

Thanks! My excuse with Agrias is that she's been imprisoned (not in the same fashion as Ramza) and is likely both starved and injured.

The problem I'm having with the drop shadows is that CS3 sets all the drop shadows in a pic to the same angle, so I did my best with everyone linked in that manner. It's difficult to make it look very good with that.

Thank you for all the feedback though. I will likely be continuing to make these. I'll probably get around to making a Wallpaper sometime as well, just to see what I can get done.

Edit: What are your opinions on the portrait? I think it's my favorite thing I've ever made for this game.

[SentinalBlade]

The portrait is very FFT-esque in style, and the starvation look is actually pretty unique. reminds me alot of Balbanes.

I just opened CS3 and set drop shadows independently on several objects by default, how are you accomplishing the drop shadows?

[KazeKasano]

In the blending options. For some reason, all the shadows on mine set to the same direction. If I change one, all the others change with it. Not sure why.

Actually, I was going for a Balbanes/Zalbag look. The little starvation lines were lifted from Zombag, and the eyes from normal Zalbag.

Edit: He's also grown facial hair, though the sprite can't reflect that.

[Kaijyuu]

Portrait's great. If I had to point out something, I can't really tell if that's a necklace or a collarbone.

EDIT: Aw, didn't look hard enough. Bottom pixels show it as a collarbone.
Correct me if I'm wrong though, but I don't think those pixels are shown in-game (least all the portraits I've worked with left that row blank).

[KazeKasano]

Actually, the collarbone (or at least most of it) is directly from the Chapter 1 portrait.

[Cheetah]

These are pretty cool. For Ramza's portrait it is looking good except for the collarbone, it definitely shouldn't be going down like that. Take a look at the female monk's collarbone for reference. As for doing drop shadow's in Photoshop: Get the shadow how you like for each of the characters and then make a rasterized version which is basically including the shadow as part of the image and then you can change it for each character. Though make sure to save a copy of your clean sprite without all the photoshop editing for other uses.

[KazeKasano]

Ah. That would definitely work, Cheetah. Thank you!
I'll take another look at the collarbone later today if I get the chance.

[SentinalBlade]

Yea, i assumed everyone used rastarization >.< basically mergin the drop shadow into the actual layer, instead of just laying it on it will allow you to keep it at that angle. Just gotta do one shadow at a time, rasterize it, start next shadow.

[KazeKasano]

I really just don't use rasterization very often.

[SentinalBlade]

Its a hard habit ot get into when using anything other than type layers, but its useful

[LastingDawn]

Wow! Kaze welcome back! I always loved your Firion avatar, in any case, have you ever read Delita, the King? One of my favorite FFT fanfictions and your second picture Really reminds me a lot of the scene when Ramza and Delita meet for the last time, all in all fantastic works! the flying Ultima Demon is perfect!

[KazeKasano]

Thanks LD! It has been a really long time since I've been active.
I have not read that fic. I'll bookmark it and try and fit in into my schedule.

Edit: Fixed up the portrait a bit.