I love to design sylesties. It's probably one of my favorite things to do here. And I have a lot of respect for those who attempt huge, 6vis projects. Many of them turn out to be utterly stunning, too.

But, I have found that I'm not really a 6vis person. Almost all of my project designs are 2 or 3vis, and many of them start to look too cluttered once I add more than that. This may have to do with the species that I choose to design; some lend themselves better to high-vis projects than others, I've found.

So, on to the point of this thread. I want to see your small-scale designs! Let me know that I'm not alone in finding that sometimes, less is more. Even better if you can tell me a little bit about your design, or say why you like it with fewer traits; I personally love detailed descriptions of designs.

I'll start. Here's the Starfall Nephini:



Just two genes here: Leopard and Uromastyx. This color palette actually looks good with a lot of different traits. But not all at once. With the exception of a subtle mutation like flowered vines or fairy shimmer, adding almost anything else covers up the uromastyx and leopard patterning and the contrast it creates, which in my eyes takes away from the main thing that really makes this design work. I've also tried to add a wing mutation, but found that the colors and pattern come out the best on the normal wing design.

So, show me your minimalist (or almost minimalist) designs!

I also will probably never breed a 6-Vis Sylesti. Here's my design for an Iocane Latte Puffadore--



--a work in progress.

I've found that I generally prefer simpler designs as well. (On top of that the Nephini has so little body space that I think most genes look best alone).

Here's one of my more recent simple designs. Not sure if it will be a project, 3 visible Lunemara:



I'm thinking "Deathcaller" as a project title if I do go with this.... Lunemaras really need more genes and mutations though. Too few choices as a whole on the species.

I always go for 6 visible projects, but I do have one 4 visible.. but I didn't design it.



This 4 visible Lupora design was created by Elise for me during one of my contests. I can't remember the original name she gave it, but I changed it to "Battle Luck Luporas". It's one of the few designs I enjoy without all of the trait slots full.

I usually go for a 6 visible because it's the most challenging and I feel like I've gotten my money's worth if I fill all the slots. A trick I use is to make 2 traits look like one by using the same colours. For example:

That is a 6 visible project of mine but it doesn't look like one because I've used similar colours and chosen specific traits that I wanted to stand out above the others. The traits DO add some depth, but don't overpower. :)

*whispers* Tinkerbell

Oh boy, I actually got some responses! I was starting to lose hope.

@SpaceElf1: The puffadores are adorable! They are simple and refreshing to look at.

@Emgeal: Those lunes look really nice and intimidating (not something I often say about lunemaras); anything else and they'd be too fancy, and it would ruin the look. I haven't designed many lunes myself, though, so I couldn't comment on how many traits are available. I'll just take your word for it. ^^

@FforFox: Don't get me wrong, I do like a lot of six vis pets; aeris tend to look really good with six traits, and I also design a lot of five or six vis nephinis; I'd love to show them off but that would defeat the purpose of this thread. But I find that I usually like ryoris with two to four visibles, since their genes tend to overlap a lot more than some species.

A good example is this design:



The thing I really like about this design is the sharp contrast in the petal markings and water tiger, and using fewer traits allows me to bring out that contrast without any other genes or mutations competing for attention. There are a few traits that could work with the three already used, but most don't add enough to be worth the extra essences and trouble (though I'm really starting to consider adding ghostly wraps). I'll save all that time and effort to use on another design that really needs the extra traits. ^^
By the way, those luporas look fantastic.

Someday I will attempt my own six vis project. And when I do, I'll have to make a thread titled "More is More" in order to show it off. ^^

Just a little more food for thought: Does anyone else prefer more or fewer traits depending on the species? Like I said before, I like six vis on aeris, and anywhere from two to six vis on a neph (depending on the design), but no more than four vis on most ryoris, usually only three.

I find Nephinis are absolutely horrid for 6 visible projects. Their bodies are just too tiny. I agree with Ryoris being notorious for being overcrowded for a lot of its traits.

I agree that Aeridinis are a great species for 6 visibles. Ny'Venes are my absolute favourite species and I guarantee you I can design a 6 visible Ny'vene with ANY combination of traits and it would look good. I make them waay too often. xD

Another problem I have is with the Lupora wings. They are so big sometimes I don't even want any in my pets because they cover everything anyway. The only exception are the new dragon wings which are <3.

Humpf! I'll have you know, DD, that I had not yet even unlocked Astryl's Vale when I created that design. It was an entry for the 2014 autumn Festival. Iocane Latte is just a local term for a lavender and white chocolate mocha latte, and these lattes are at their most popular after the lavender harvest is in. (My home state produces most of the United States' lavender crop. No, go look it up!)

With that said, you have a point. Maybe that's why my design was rejected?

My founding Iocane Latte Puffadore, created with an Enhanced Essence. And her name is Valerian.

I looked them up, and yeah she is reminiscent of the drink. :p

The only state that I can find is Colorado? There's not very obvious results, just a lot of articles about US lavender. ._.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequim,_Washington

When I have enough Iocane Latte Puffs, I'm going to name their tab Sequim.