Indie Chess Strategy Game Character Design

I am a solo indie developer working on a 2D top-down (3/4 perspective) strategy game based on chess mechanics. I am working with a micro-budget.
The Package We Need:

The Roster: The 6 classic chess pieces (King, Queen, Rook, Knight, Bishop, and Pawn) + a simple palette swap for the enemy team.

Resolution: Strictly 16x16 px base. (Note: 16x32 px is completely fine for taller pieces like the King or Queen, as long as they fit perfectly into a 16x16 grid system).

The View: They MUST be strictly 4-Directional (Facing Up, Down, Left, and Right).

Animations: Walking animations for all 4 directions. (This is the priority for the gameplay feel).

The Style: Medieval fantasy. They need to look like actual "living" characters but still be instantly recognizable as their chess counterparts.

Design Rule: Please, NO real-world religious motifs (e.g., no crosses on the Bishop).

Whether you are a pixel artist looking to get a completed game on your resume, or you just want to knock this out for a quick coffee tip, please drop a comment or DM me with some samples of your 16x16 art!