Brainstorming Paths to Good Game Art

[MrPhil]

I wish there was some sort of “Art Club” I could join that had a vast and ever growing library of art assets that I could pull from. As an indie I can’t afford to have great art created so I’m searching for alternatives? One idea I had was to have an Art Contest with cash prizes as a way of getting art assets. I like the idea because I get to see different approaches and concepts but I’m not sure how well that would be received by any artists.

Any thoughts?

[Sybixsus]

One idea I had was to have an Art Contest with cash prizes as a way of getting art assets. I like the idea because I get to see different approaches and concepts but I’m not sure how well that would be received by any artists.
Well I'm not an artist, but it seems to me that the best way to answer that question would be to ask yourself how you would receive it if artists held a programming contest where they got to see the different approaches and concepts.

[MrPhil]

Heh heh, yeah that's one way to think about it. I'd make a game for a contest if the work to risk/reward ratio was good enough.

[Nexic]

Couple of things wrong with this idea:

1. Since everyone's style vary you will only really be able to use one guy's work. I don't think people would be happy about your owning the rights to submissions that don't receive a prize.

2. The prize must be worthwhile. As in, if someone spends 5 hours on their entry they should have a chance of making more than they would working at a normal rate. So around $200-$400.

Combine points 1 & 2 and you're left with 1 piece of art that you've paid over the odds for. If you want to attract non professionals you can lower the prize fund. You might find a ultra cheap, really great artist this way if you're really lucky. But odds are you'll just get a very unprofessional amateur. Then add on all the hours you spent organizing and judging this competition.

Basically it's just a whole lot easier to pay an artist. If you shop around and can do basic photoshop tweaking yourself you can make a small amount of money go very far. A decent looking game can be done for $500 if you planned it well enough. If I remember correctly my game Desperate Space cost about this much (maybe less).

[oldschool]

Have you tried deviantart-contests (http://forum.deviantart.com/galleries/contests/) forum. Or maybe just ask for concept art and in return those that submit decent work will get a copy of the finished game(with their name on it in case they decide to share). And the one you like can get a contract.

Making all the artwork conform to a skin would great because for those that followed the rules and did good work you could easily slip in their art and give them a custom build of their art in your game.

But what do I know, I wouldn't pull this on my friends(artists) because I know how much time & energy it takes to put into one of these concepts.

[MrPhil]

So around $200-$400
That was the price range I had in my head too.
A decent looking game can be done for $500 if you planned it well enough. If I remember correctly my game Desperate Space cost about this much (maybe less).
The problem is I want to make development post on my blog that include "in progress" screenshots. So I can't wait until the end.

[MrPhil]

Have you tried deviantart-contests (http://forum.deviantart.com/galleries/contests/)
Yeah I looked into that. Took me a while to figure out where the contests even where. I haven't ruled it out, but it doesn't look like a lot of cash prize contests happen.

I also have looked at designoutpost.com. They look much better organzied, but the artist community seems to be more logo designer types.

[KNau]

If your game requires a professional artist to do the work for you then you're working on the wrong game. As long as you aren't in the casual match-3 business then I wouldn't worry too much about artwork, you can more than compensate for it with good gameplay.

I just checked out the screenshots for Galcon and they're perfectly fine. Did you need to hire an artist to make those traingle space ships?

[Qitsune]

You get what you pay for, I wouldn't vouch for the quality of what you will get in a DA contest, why not look at the available portfolios in the art section, pic artists you like and ask them for a quote?

That would be ethical, good business practice, you could sign a contract with a reputable artist who finished projects in the past and get your work done on budget.

[MrPhil]

I just checked out the screenshots for Galcon and they're perfectly fine. Did you need to hire an artist to make those traingle space ships?
Just to be clear I did NOT make GalCon. That is Phil Hassey's game. It's a great game and I've been promoting it for him. Check out his website at http://www.imitationpickles.org/

[MrPhil]

If your game requires a professional artist to do the work for you then you're working on the wrong game. As long as you aren't in the casual match-3 business then I wouldn't worry too much about artwork, you can more than compensate for it with good gameplay.
I totally agree with you here, hence the brainstorm. I'm just trying to see if there is an unconventional way to get a little edge in the art department.

[MrPhil]

You get what you pay for, I wouldn't vouch for the quality of what you will get in a DA contest, why not look at the available portfolios in the art section, pic artists you like and ask them for a quote?
I've already done some of this. One artist I worked with was a total bust.
That would be ethical, good business practice, you could sign a contract with a reputable artist who finished projects in the past and get your work done on budget.
I envision doing exactly this after most of my dev is done and I have a good idea of exactly what I need. But in the mean time I'd like to experiment with better quality stuff than what I'm capable of creating, especially with the "in progress" screenshots I want to do.