I went to a lot of trouble to make my character portrait look kind. The creator and game engine (understandably) don’t seem set up for that. There was a lot of messing with the lighting and camera angles to avoid harsh shadows.
If I had to offer a tip, one of the things I did to soften the portrait was to increase the pupil size. I suppose opinions on whether that is a softer look can vary, but it is an option you can play with if you’re taking an up close and personal shot of your character’s face.
