A few summers ago I made a backsprite for every single Pokemon to start them with a draft. I seem to work best with a discernible goal in place so I am now planning to get something much easier done: spriting all of the as of yet unsprited gym leaders and elite four members.

Basically my strategy will come in two parts:
1. Conceptualize each gym leader. This can either be in visual or written form.
2. The actual spriting.

Help with either stage of the process is welcome. Providing options is best for this project and will foster some really good work, as has been the case in the past.

I'm going to provide a short write-up for each character as a reference point for their sprite. I'm leaving out Froy and Therma as their sprites are pretty solid. I know that there are sprites for some other's floating around, but we can work through them if no other versions emerge.

FERNANDO: Grass gym leader. Very earthy, soft-spoken. I kind of envision Tarzan when I'm writing him. He doesn't exude much emotion, but is overall very calm and poised. He is not a stalwart defender of the environment; he is more a part of it than a protector of it.

JANE: Normal gym leader. A dancer. She prides herself on her strength, almost having a mentality like battle-girl trainers in canon. She is beautiful, but powerful and this has to be balanced in her sprite. I would prefer her to not be a stereotype dancer, so no tutus or leotards. It has to be there, but subtle.*She and Bella are rivals, so I would like them to be dissimilar in stance/hair colour and style/ ect.

BELLA: Poison gym leader. A chemist. She is exceedingly kind, but has a streak of anger against recklessness and carelessness. Just as Jane cannot be outwardly a dancer, I do not want Jane in a white lab coat. She is also beautiful, but is not trying to show it off. *She and Jane are rivals, so I would like them to be dissimilar in stance/hair colour and style/ ect..

TRSITAN: Light gym leader. Tristan has strong instincts and great leadership ability. He is proud of his home city of Portwind and is the city's champion. I really want him to exude charisma. If there is a flashy appearence to create, this is the one to do it for.

WOLFE: Dragon gym leader. Essentially a warrior. I don't want a knight either: Wolfe is more rough than that. He isn't polished, but he's confident and skilled. He is the city's protector and is well respected. He is not friendly, especially to Team Rocket, so please avoid a colour scheme dominated by a lot of black or red. I'm really feeling something mostly brown for him, to camouflage against the rocky terrain that he is fighting in.

CRYS: Rock gym leader. This is the environmentalist scientist. He studies the rock formations outside of Enechestra city and is concerned for the weathering that is threatening their survival. Alternatively, he also studies crystals. He is also strong and confident, getting along with people on a personal level. He has to be able to hike the mountains around his city, as well as be comfortable and presentable in the public sphere. He is concerned with practicality and appearance, and he needs to show that.

GERAD: Electric gym leader. A scientist/inventor. Also needs to exude charisma. He is not a standard canon scientist--he's got a big personality and a bigger ego. He built a floating city, so yeah. I would not completely mind him in a lab coat, but he needs to look casual. Nothing he does is a big deal to him, there is always something more exciting in his mind.

CHRISTINA: Ice gym leader. She is bluntly honest, and comes off a little cold at first, but warms up over time. She is extremely guarded against outsiders, as well as in battle. Dress her for the cold: some Ice gym leaders in canon do not look prepared for the elements *cough*Candice*cough*, but Skobeloff Town is cold. Christina has to be prepared.

OSIRO: Ground gym leader. Very wise, bordering on sage-like. He isn't old, long-beard kind of thing, but he is at the very least old soul-d. I'm toying with how he looks. He could be plainly Egyptian, like a left-over relic of the past, or he could be an archaeologist who lives in the ruins to study the culutre. TBH, it depends on how people want to see him. There is a theme of academics (Therma, Bella, Crys, Gerad), so having him as part of that stream might be cool.

LAYLA; Dark gym leader. She has to be in black or dark grey, preferably some sort of dress. I would like it if she weren't looking at the player, or her face was in shadows. She feels abandoned and locked away at the bottom of the sea. She is very powerful because of it, but she has worn away all of her other purposes except power, embracing it because that is what people seem to fear in her. I wouldn't like there to be any colour here, but if one is required, a very dark blue is the only real option.
GREYSON: Steel elite four. He is the token old member of the E4. He talks about resistance over time, so he ought to be strong looking despite his age.

TORI: Water elite four. She talks about gaining experience over time from each battle she particiaptes in, like a river. I imagine her very water-spirity. I've already made a really bad-ass looking sprite for her (which you can see on the site), but if something else is produced we can compare and decide.

MYRNA: Ghost elite four. A child. She is essentially not actually real, but a Mirust posing as a human. Mirust/Ferrain's pallet should be the basis for her clothes, which should be as ghostly as possible.
A note on pallets: Other than the things I have mentioned in specific sections, certain colours need to be noted for general use. Black with red accents is off limits, as this to closely links the character to Team Rocket. So too is white and gold/yellow combination forbidden. I would also like to avoid any entirely black outfits for anyone except Layla, to make her stand out a little more.