Thinking in pixels.

[AManofClay]

and the tengu is barely even readable.

Okay so I'll experiment with the Nes Palette. Changed the pale skin tone to hopefully reflect the brown feathers a lot of the Tengu in the references have, to maybe cut away from some of the blue.

also, according to wikipedia
"The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as an unnaturally long nose, which today is practically the tengu's defining characteristic in the popular imagination."

Further into the article

[On Greater, Daitengu, and lesser, Katengu.]

"Daitengu are often pictured in a more human-like form than their underlings, and due to their long noses, they may also be called hanatakatengu (鼻高天狗, tall-nosed tengu?). Kotengu may conversely be depicted as more bird-like. They are sometimes called Karasu-Tengu."

The beak stays for now. Kind of a social hierarchy thing. Though I admit she's not very avian like otherwise.

this kind of reminds me of earlier colored games such as Yie Ar Kung Fu. That is not a compliment though, as the sprites are blobby and really lacking in definition.

increase contrast and use the sprite's size as ally to make more details, and keep an eye on anatomy in both characters.

Haha, I kind of want to try that game now. ^^; That said I’ll work to distance myself from the art style, as much as I can. Never was very good with anatomy.

If you were to hand me the first sprite without any information about it whatsoever, the first thought to my mind wouldn't be "tengu" but "muppet that has escaped from the loony bin". I can't fathom why it's standing in a weird sort of squat, why its feet are as big as its head, why it's wearing enormous red shorts, and why it doesn't appear to have any hands.

Good reason to change the skin tone, and quit avoiding black for the hair. It's the purple hair isn't it? The hands are under the wings. While not in use I wanted them to fold like a cloak or, gi. The rest I think I can chalk up to anatomy, tweeking the stance might help, and defintion for the pants.

Thank you all for the criticism.