drari: The statues were like that in LTTP; it's a direct rip from emulator. Not everything has to have an outline... In fact, it often looks better if you manage to avoid using outlines. I'm not good enough of an artist to go
completely without outlines, but I would if I could.
LTM: The dark colors are intentional. Shadows conceal the face, just like Final Fantasy black mages. I may darken the horizon or lighten the colors to make it fit in better.
Also, what's so odd about the statues' placement?
No, those two platforms are *not* touching. There's a gap between them that you have to hookshot over. That's just the way they have to look when rendered in 2D.
OMEG: Er... wha?
But... this shot has no Zelda 2 tiles in it...
EDIT: ...OHHH, wait!! You're talking about the second-to-last boss of the game. Whoah, points for remembering that one.
Hmm... I don't think I'll draw a connection between the two, but that was a very astute observation. I hadn't noticed that!
Anyway, about the bird: I started off by ripping some stuff from an old game called "Wizardry." I edited several birds together, and filled in the frames I didn't have by editing an actual painting of a falcon to get the wings down. It took several hours, which is why I decided to make it an animated gif.
By the way: the shot's not just for showing off tiles; I'm actually in the midst of making this boss... unlike the other two bosses I have "in the hold," which are nothing more than moving pictures at the moment.