Ok so I have a question. I want to apply, but I can’t do one of the trials and that one being Scratch spriting. I would just beat myself over about how it looks. Could I still apply?

Trial 1: Pick three different Pokémon to make one unique sprite. Trial 2: As you described. Trial 3: As you described. Trial 4: 2 sprites: A basic stage and an evolution or a single stage make and female split (like meowstic) which will need icons made and concept art shown. You had it half right! I'll be sure to clarify these things when I'm able to. Yes this is expected to be pixel sprites barring the concept art required for trial 4. Even if you feel like your art is weaker, it's good to know where the Applicant stands in terms of their drawing skill. No, recreating sprites for the recolor isn't required. The purpose of the Recolor(s) is to test the Applicant's ability to make a palette that is visually appealing. Any sort of palette is fine. Fusions have a 3 sprite minimum - either Canon or from our Fakemon. Light scratch work to fill in missing detail or enhance the fusion is allowed. Look at Orthrus, kyukori, and noismoem lines for examples. It might weaken your chances, but you're still welcome to apply! We do a lot of odd jobs on art staff, so if you feel like you're weaker with scratch work, bulk up your app with more recolor and fusions.

Ok, last post from me i swear, haha trial one, we're fusing three pokemon into one new one? What exactly is scratch spriting/scratch work? Is that like... rough lines? Similar to initial sketches in unfinished work Could you please clarify what you mean by non-sprite art? Would these just be sort of rough sketches? Like, planning out the sprite before putting in the work of the completed sprite? Thanks! I just want to make sure I fully understand what is required so that I don't miss anything or do something that isn't required.

I think I can help with some of the things you asked ^^ Scratch spriting means making an entirely new sprite from nothing! It comes from the phrase "starting from scratch" it still means to make a completed sprite! Non-sprite is like, regular art. Drawings of the pokemon/fakemon. Possibly with various poses or colour themes, depending on your line of thought for the concept!

If, let's say, once upon a time, I was part of the sprite team on Pokefarm 1, would I still be allowed to apply? ^.^'

Oh, thank you! This helps a lot! This clears a lot of my confusion, haha.

in trial four, you say icons are required. what do you mean by icons? are icons the smaller sprites of the pokémon, like those that can be seen in the display images like the image below, or is it something else entirely? also, does concept art need to be in colour, or can a palette be included with annotations explaining where the colours will go?

Icons are the smaller images you find in game when you open up your party. We use them for PKMN codes, display codes and evolutionj displays so they're pretty important~

How large are the icons, btw? ^^ I'm tempted to apply, but I need that info first.

we use a maximum of 32 x 32 pixels for icons. some of the canon ones are bigger but I'm working on that ;)