Hmm I've been following this thread and I want to see if I can piece together the crits that have been given:
[GENERAL CRITS]
-selout is too strong (possibly remove it)
-his proportions are bit too exaggerated
-pose is awkward (legs should be straighter?)
-hair flows unusually (similiar to that of tentacles/tendrills)
-sword was too long compared to offical art
[OTHER CRITS]
-sepiroth is a poor piece to be used for portfolio purposes
-squenix/final fantasy uses poor/exaggerate proportions/designs
-aethetics should overrule style/design
It would seem the primary purpose for his fighter sprite, of Sepiroth, was for a contest about Sepiroth (of which I am also participainting in). Almost all of the critiques in this thread appear to be geared toward porfolio bulding which was only the secondary purpose for this piece.
Coldmage initally set this thread up so he could get advice on how to improve his sprite *of* Sepiroth for the said contest. He has recieved about 4 general types of comments, each of which were repeated several times, regarding this (posted above).
He has recieved twice that in comments regarding 'sepiroth has a poor design, final fantasy 7 had a horrible art direction/proportoins etc.' and numerous comments regarding his porfolio. It would seem he could care less what other artists think of his porfolio... he just wants ideas on improving his sprite.
Many people enjoy the psudo-anime look while just as many others enjoy more normal traditional looks. I don't think it benefits anyone to criticize the proportions so long as they match the given style the artist was aiming for.
Here are some more comments on the sprite magey, I hope these actually help you:
-Since the sprite is set to match pixeltendo's background, the bg should have remained a solid dark color (removal of the transparent bg is reccomended.)
-Sepiroth's left foot should be further back to provide greater balance in his stance.
(however it is possible to stand like that, more or less a 'squat' position)
-Sepiroth's left tripcept appears disconnected from the body (as if it doesnt reach the lats)
(remedy by adding a few pixels on the left side of the tricept so it connects closer to the torso)
-Adding a few shines to his sword would make it appear more dynamic
-Consider removing 1px of the bottom edge of each shoe (it would make them more roundish)
-The shouldpads seem to be shaded somewhat oddly/messy. It is hard to dicern their exact shape in their current state of shading.