Oh, I see now.  That does make sense that one would recycle the base sprite. For some reason, I did not even think about it. 
Thank you so much for providing the time estimates.  I really appreciate your help..   

Hello everyone.  It's nice to meet you.

Unfortunately, I am not a pixel artist.  My strengths are in directing and writing.  I have been working with a small team for a little over a year in the development of an indie game.  However, I have always valued the skill and quality that goes into pixel artwork and have chosen this medium for our project.  In truth, I have joined this forum in order to find artists who are more professional and who specialize specifically in pixel artwork.  I look forward to seeing you around the community, and hope to contribute as much as I can as a new member.

Thank you for your time.

I have been creating an indie game with a small group of commissioned artists and volunteers for a little over a year.  However, recently the decision was made to update the graphics in order to completely customize and enhance gameplay for players.  In order to do so,  I would like to create a mockup for potential sponsors to give them an idea of how gameplay will appear on the screen.

At the moment, I have only planned for a single walking sprite sheet for the main protagonist, and few other sprites that consist of either a still standing frame, or a 3 frame  animation.

Do to a low budget at this time, I am offering $50 for the sprite sheet and $30 for the few various background sprites.  However, if the artist is interested in the project after the commission, I may hire him or her again in the future at about $100+ per sprite sheet.

Payment Process and Terms:

• Artist must be 18 years or older
• Must have a strong understanding of the English Language
• In order to prevent themes or character art from leaking, any artwork created for the project may not be posted online until the project is released and written permission is granted from the one termed as the "commissioner" in the contract.
• After accepting the job, the artist will sign a contract designed to protect the interests of the game as well as protect the artist so as to receive proper credit for his or her work.
• Contract will be made through Docusign.  When the artist goes to sign it, he or she must use the draw signature option to sign instead of the default font option.
• Payment will be made through Paypal only.
• The first payment of $50 will be made after the completion of the sprite sheet.  If the artist prefers, the artist can put a watermark on the sprite sheet until the entire commission is complete, but I must see the complete sprite sheet to record progress on the project.
• The last $30 will be paid upon completion of the work, and all watermarks (if any) must be removed.

If the above terms are acceptable to the artist, then please take a moment to carefully review the details of the job offer below in order to have a better understanding of the work expected. 

The Sprite Design:
The sprites are similar to that in color quality, size, and proportion to the Kingdom Hearts: COM sprites for the game boy advance (minus the abstract features like giant feet, for example).  To better illustrate, I have used the Kingdom Hearts sprites for reference, as well as a reference of the older sprites.  However, I am not asking for all frames shown in the reference illustration. Just the specific ones listed in the text below the image.


The sprite sheet is going to simply be a walking animation sprite.  Above, the default (original) sprite shows only a 3 frame walk animation.  However, when the sprites were updated, a 3 frame walk animation was no long acceptable because of quality.  The Kingdom Hearts frames show a 9 frame walk cycle (1 standing plus 8 movement). For the sprite sheet I am requesting, it does not have to be 9 frames, but it must have enough frames to move smoothly without jerking. I will let the artist make a judgement call on what he or she thinks looks best, but there must be no more than 9 frames to make the walking motion.

The walking motions are up, down, and left.  You will not be required to do the right walk frame as it is just the left one mirrored.


For this particular sprite sheet, please make sure that when you are animating the left walking motion, that the character is facing the extreme right (as illustrated below) and not  as though on a sideways grid.


Lastly, the other sprites are six characters, single standing.  Two of them have additional 3 frame animation sequences (like one crosses his arms).  The other one has a four frame animation sequence (He stands from kneeling).

Conclusion:
If you have any questions or are interested in the commission, please feel free to contact me at:
BOTW_contact at yahoo.
In the "subject" box, please put Pixelation at the beginning of the title to prove that you are not spam.

Thank you for your time.  I greatly appreciate it and look forward to hearing from you.