New post to help keep things separate. I like the pictures that you’ve done. In fact they’re a reasonably good size comparisson for the existing game art. I’ve slapped a couple that seem to match thematically side by side to help illustrate the similarities. It’s worth remembering that these will look a lot smaller in game.
In dd3-1 we’ve got four standing body shots that echo variants on the Twilight Knight theme. Overall I’d have to say that the second one comes closest to the image that I had in mind. Perhaps you will recall that I mentioned wanting to echo the Bounty Hunter’s leathery armour style and keep it ambiguous as to whether the plates were metal or hardened leather (as they’re likely to be made from the flesh, shells, bones and horns of monsters she has slain in the past). The swords that you’ve included in this first picture have rather broad blades. That concerns me a little as it’s supposed to be a sword and not a cricket bat :P. I think the heads could possibly be a little bit smaller. We all know that the heroes in Darkest Dungeon have larger heads and you’ve done well there. They might be a little bit too big ‘though. Perhaps they could be a bit smaller. Some details like the knee pads, the gauntlets, belts & buckles etc would probably need to be a bit larger (to stand out at the smaller size they’d show up as in game). Hopefully in the side by side comparison I’ve provided down below you can see that the knee details are in danger of disappearing when the game shrinks them down to size. Exaggerated details also help to give the hero a more distinct profile – making it easy to recognise them at a glance from the other shapes in the party. This may come across as a lot of criticism but I really like your work. I’m trying to suggest ways in which it could be improved (to fit in with the game’s style).
In dd2-1 we have 4 poses which I assume are Investigate, Combat pose/Defend, Defend, and Camp (a brave choice – you do not want to see the current state of my camping image as it’s basically the leper with the vestal’s head and breastplate on – basically). I was considering, for the camping image, having her holding her little lantern in the same hand with which the Leper holds his mask in his camp image. This would be easier (less stuff to redraw) but also harder as I need to think about where the light it throws would go. For the mini lantern I’m planning on a soft dull blue glow rather than a warm yellow or orange. So if it’s a soft gentle light it does not need to radiate far.
With the defend stance you’ve done she could theoretically have a wider grip on the hilt of her sword as it should technically be long enough for 3 hands. Gripping farther apart would look more dramatic when bracing for impact (plus the hand nearer the blade can be used as a pivot with the other rotating the hilt to spin about that point). The second image that I’ve labelled as Combat/Defend could also work as a Defend image if we’re going more for the Leper’s “stand there and take it like a man” kind of defence (which would work better for a reskin). Her left hip (her left, that’s our right) looks a bit odd. It should probably curve a bit more. It could probably do with a bit more work.
I like the investigate pose. It does look a little as if she’s running (perhaps running eagerly to interact with some curio or other). The camp pose looks familiar but I can’t immediately place it. I’ve just gone back and checked all the existing camp poses and while many are similar none are identical. The fact that you’ve managed to capture the essence of a good Darkest Dungeon camp pose – enough to make me actually go and check to see if you copied any of the existing ones, is great! She’s a bit closed off ‘though. Her knees drawn up close against her chest definitely fits the stress filled emotional turmoil that these adventuring heroes put themselves through but ti doesn’t give much to identify her as a recognisable character (I’d emphasise some of the detail on the arms and gloves or something, perhaps have a bit of her inner armour showing if through a gap in the cloak). Given how tiny DD heroes’ feet are it might be worth making her feet slightly smaller there as well so that her toes don’t seem to point out too far. I should probably check how long and un-tattered I can make the cloak in the animated sprites first ‘though as the cloak here looks quite long and intact. I’d love her cloak to be longer than the Leper’s cloak but I’m not sure if I can get away with it. This long healthy cloak you’ve done (especially in the investigate and combat/defend sprites) reminds me of a lot of old Lone Wolf art from years back. Ah, good times.
You know what? Now I’ve gone and added a second size comparison shot – not because they seem like the same sprite but because the pose is quite similar. Hopefully these comparison shots serve to illustrate how some elements are exaggerated (the head, the hands, the knees etc). It also shows how limited I am with the length of the Leper’s sword if I use his standard defence pose. I don’t need to sue his standard defence pose. I just need a picture that fits inside the sprite and doesn’t cover up the shadow that will go on the floor. It also needs to look approximately the same length in all the other images including the animated ones. Looking at the animated sprites I honestly couldn’t make it much longer. In fact I think I had to bend it slightly just to get that last little bit of the tip in place.