3D/2D Artist for hire- 18 years of industry experience

[Mjonesgraphics]

Artist : Mark Jones
Site : www.mjonesgraphics.com
Email: mjonesgraphics@comcast.net

I am an industry veteran artist of over two decades, having worked on
many award winning titles, such as the Elder Scrolls Series and Dark Age
of Camelot. I have just finished work on a Fantasy RPG for the
University of Louisiana, and "Saga" for Silverlode

I'm experienced in all form of content creation, from pixel
art, through low and high polygon modeling, texture mapping, character
design, rigging, animations and level design. I've worked on most
platforms, and in most game styles.

I have an online portfolio of my work at www.mjonesgraphics.com, and can
send more samples on request.

Direct links to some of my recent work are:
http://home.comcast.net/~mjonesgraphics/Oldgames.html
http://home.comcast.net/~mjonesgraphics/saga.html
http://home.comcast.net/~mjonesgraphics/conquest.html

http://home.comcast.net/~mjonesgraphics/queen.html/

and some of my 2D work can be seen here:

http://home.comcast.net/~mjonesgraphics/indy.html

Thank you for looking, and I hope to hear from you soon.



Mark Jones

[Reactor]

Wrong forum, but... wow, you did the artwork for Darkmere? Double wow, you did the artwork for Rubicon? I loved old Rubicon ;) Anyway, your artwork and style are fantastic. I hope someone can afford you, because I'd sure love to see more of your 2D artwork in games.

[Jack Norton]

I instantly recognized your 2d pixel art style from those games I played (Darkmere, Elder Scrolls, etc).

You guy rule!!! :cool:

[Mjonesgraphics]

Wrong forum, but... wow, you did the artwork for Darkmere? Double wow, you did the artwork for Rubicon? I loved old Rubicon ;) Anyway, your artwork and style are fantastic. I hope someone can afford you, because I'd sure love to see more of your 2D artwork in games.

Thanks!

Yeah, sorry about posting here. I have to wait a WEEK to post in the correct place and I'm impatient! LOL

I don't beleive that I charge a ton of money for my work. I've always thought I'm a good deal! LOL. But I can't really afford to do anything for free.


Mark.

[Mjonesgraphics]

I instantly recognized your 2d pixel art style from those games I played (Darkmere, Elder Scrolls, etc).

You guy rule!!! :cool:

Thank you. It took a while to get a "style" back after starting 3D stuff, about 3 years in fact!! That was quite a jolt! Nice to see that people still like the pixel stuff though. Who's up for Darkmere II on some phone thingy?

:D

Mark

[papillon]

... pixeling up the walls for the first-person-dungeon part of my little RPG is on my list of tasks to either outsource or get around to eventually, but I'm one of the poorest people here and almost certainly couldn't afford you. :)

Now that I actually have a commute at the moment I find myself wishing I had a better phone for games. :)

[ggambett]

Wow, amazing. I wonder if anyone in the forums can actually afford an artist like you!

[JiriNovotny]

I'm pixel art nerd and to be honest, I've never saw game that looks better than Darkmere. I would LOVE to play it!

[Midnight Synergy]

I'm not looking for this type of art right now, but I just gotta say "Great Stuff!". I fondly recall the graphics of Stormlord. I was convinced back then it had to be Pete Lyon or the Bitmap Brothers guy... that's definitely a compliment! :)

[Mjonesgraphics]

I'm pixel art nerd and to be honest, I've never saw game that looks better than Darkmere. I would LOVE to play it!


Thank you. It can actually be played on a PC if you use one of the emulators out there. I think the final game had to chop some of the animations to make it all fit, so one day I'll get a bunch together, "GIF" them up and stick 'em on my website.

Mark

[Mjonesgraphics]

I'm not looking for this type of art right now, but I just gotta say "Great Stuff!". I fondly recall the graphics of Stormlord. I was convinced back then it had to be Pete Lyon or the Bitmap Brothers guy... that's definitely a compliment! :)

I loved their stuff! BIG influence.

Mark.

[Dan MacDonald]

Yep the threads in the wrong place, but the art was soo good I decided to let it sit for a while so people could appreciate it. Mmm.. now that we have a lurk period I think we should probably unmoderated the services for hire forum and just nuke the odd off topic thread that shows up. I'll talk to the mods about it.

Anyway, I've always enjoyed pixelart as a kind of hobby (I'd never be so crazy as to do the art for one of my own games though) and this stuff is top notch.

[Mjonesgraphics]

Yep the threads in the wrong place, but the art was soo good I decided to let it sit for a while so people could appreciate it. Mmm.. now that we have a lurk period I think we should probably unmoderated the services for hire forum and just nuke the odd off topic thread that shows up. I'll talk to the mods about it.

Anyway, I've always enjoyed pixelart as a kind of hobby (I'd never be so crazy as to do the art for one of my own games though) and this stuff is top notch.
Yeah, sorry about that. Hoped to move it once my enforced lurk is over. :)

I do 3D too!

[Vorax]

All the art is simply amazing.... no, even better then that ;) But the thing that stood out to me is this:

He worked on the original Arkanoid!

How many Arkanoid clones are out there? How many people on this board worked on them? How many of you are working on one right now?

We have a living legend here ;)

Now, if I was working on the NEXT Arkanoid clone... I am sure I know who I would contact for the art! What better pitch could you offer to the Arkanoid fans out there then a new Ark game developed with one of the original games artists? And with his work I am sure it would be extrodinary.

When are the Pac Man and Galaga developers showing up? :D

[Sharkbait]

OMG the artist behind Darkmere from the old Amiga days! Where's your nearest the nearest shrine of worship?? :)

Darkmere was truly unforgettable.. it was one of those last Amiga games that were trully raising the bar in the graphics department.

Anyway, welcome to the forum. I won't even dare ask for a quote :)

[Mjonesgraphics]

OMG the artist behind Darkmere from the old Amiga days! Where's your nearest the nearest shrine of worship?? :)

Darkmere was truly unforgettable.. it was one of those last Amiga games that were trully raising the bar in the graphics department.

Anyway, welcome to the forum. I won't even dare ask for a quote :)

Thank you.

I'm not that expensive, not much call for pixel artists, so most og my work is 3D these days.

Mark.

[Reactor]

There are many threads on this forum talking about the advantages of 2D over 3D. I'm a 3D guy myself, but there's just something special about 2D artwork like yours that inspires. I wonder if you'd ever consider tutorials on 2D, so others can follow in your footsteps...?

Anyhow, I'm again amazed to see you worked on Skynet as well. That still is one of the best multiplayer games you can play :)

[Nauris]

Some mindblowing pixel-work indeed (well, doesnt mean that 3D work is subpar :) )
I`m of a younger generation and Amiga is black and white cinema for me, but your stuff is truly amazing. Its rare to see such a brilliant low res work nowdays.

[svero]

I moved the thread. I'm not sure how I feel about people posting on news and announcements because they're impatient. On the one hand this is a good on topic thread but then on the other hand if people make a habit of it, it defeats the purpose of the lurk period.

[Jay_Kyburz]

The thing that really stands out about the 2D stuff is the interesting lighting and the huge about of detail. I hope we will see these in 3d games soon.

[puggy]

seeing as no one has asked yet, i may as well be the cheeky one and ask, how much do you charge for your 3d work?

I'm going to be developing a 3D viewer for my mpog game in the next few months and thus need the 2d iso buildings i've got done in 3D. There not overly complex (some screen shots can be found at http://sp1.starpeace2.com) but there are a lot of them (one or two thousand). As the game is online and will be updated a lot there could also be a case for ongoing work as well.

[svero]

This wouldnt of happened if Mark hadn't of posted incorrectly in the first place, but Ill pass this along since some people may be wondering. Mark, please refrain from posting things in news and announcements that aren't news and announcements. In the future I'll just delete them. If you need to reply to something then ask for an early removal of the lurk period instead. I believe there was even a note in the lurk period text to that effect.

- Steve


As my probabtion period has not yet finsihed I'm unable to post there for a few more days, so I just wanted to let anyone asking me anything over there that I AM READING! I just can't reply just yet.

In a few more days I will reply to all questions!

Thanks!

Mark.
__________________
Mark Jones
Freelance Artist (2D/3D)
www.mjonesgraphics.com

[michalczyk]

Hello all,

and my 2D PIXEL work can be found here,

http://users.adelphia.net/~mjonesgraphics/darkmere.html
http://users.adelphia.net/~mjonesgraphics/rubicon.html



Ha, I remember playing Rubicon on Amiga. I liked that game (great graphics), but never completed it, it was too tough! :)

[Mjonesgraphics]

Ha, I remember playing Rubicon on Amiga. I liked that game (great graphics), but never completed it, it was too tough! :)


Yeah, it was bit tough! ;)

Really like your fantasy art, expecially the "Mystic". Nice and moody, great use of light!
Mark.

[whisperstorm]

With your mad 2d pixel art skills I'm suprised you aren't being inundated with requests for mobile games. Are you looking for just large scale projects or would a one-off graphic be not worth your while?

[Mjonesgraphics]

With your mad 2d pixel art skills I'm suprised you aren't being inundated with requests for mobile games. Are you looking for just large scale projects or would a one-off graphic be not worth your while?

I'm certainly not deluged by offer and I find the mobile thing is a bit feast or famine, but as a freelance artist there is NOTHING that is NOT worth my while! LOL

Mark

[Ax TroM]

how can indies pays for such talent!

[sgm]

Very impressive past work :)

Bookmarked incase I need an artist in the near-future.

[Mjonesgraphics]

Thanks for all the nice comments. I really need to update the site as it's a bit out of date, and I need to add a few more games to the portfolio.

I'll post again, once I've got the additions uploades.
Mark.

[michalczyk]

Just wanted to add that your site has a special atmosphere to it while being highly functional. Looking forward to see the new artwork :)

[Adrian Cummings]

All Good stuff!... I remember Darkmere from my own Doodlebug - Amiga/ST Core Design days back in the early 90's - what great times they were!

[Mjonesgraphics]

All Good stuff!... I remember Darkmere from my own Doodlebug - Amiga/ST Core Design days back in the early 90's - what great times they were!

Indeed they were! Simpler times, and more fun! :)

Mark.

[Mjonesgraphics]

The website's updated, not quite up to date, but better than before. :)

I've added a few games that I've worked on over the last couple of years. I'm also looking for more commissions by anyone who needs a 2D/3D artist with some industry experience behind him.

Feedback's always welcomed.

As always, thanks for looking! :)
mark

[Applewood]

I'm not that expensive, not much call for pixel artists, so most of my work is 3D these days.
OMG! You need to learn your worth bud. A pixel artist with your level of talent is in *serious* demand these days. I'd offer you a job on the spot if you were looking.

We've been trying to hire "proper" artists for a long time and most of the companies I work with/for have similar stories.

[Mjonesgraphics]

OMG! You need to learn your worth bud. A pixel artist with your level of talent is in *serious* demand these days. I'd offer you a job on the spot if you were looking.

We've been trying to hire "proper" artists for a long time and most of the companies I work with/for have similar stories.

LOL. I get very little demand for pixel work, and mostly I'm simply unable to bid low enough to make ends meet. Pixel art is simply underestimated compared to the "wiz" and "bang" of 3D. It takes me much longer to create some really nice pixel work, than it does to create the same character in 3D and animate that. Cost wise though the pixel stuff seems to pay a tenth of the 3D.

Perhaps I should work faster? ;)

I used to live in Dorset by the way, just across the way from you. :)
(And that is a cool office you have by the way!)

[jomanto]

I'm sorry that my post isn't related to the topic and you'd probably like to hear that from somebody you know what to think of, BUT: You are legend.

[Applewood]

I used to live in Dorset by the way, just across the way from you.
(And that is a cool office you have by the way!)
Well, consider yourself under a permanently open job offer if you ever fancy coming back down here :)

[Mjonesgraphics]

Well, consider yourself under a permanently open job offer if you ever fancy coming back down here :)

Thanks for that! :D
I might need to move then, as things are pretty dire at present. WalMART's looking like a pretty good working experience at present. ;)

Mark (starving artist! LOL)

[Applewood]

Whilst I'm sure it's unlikely, I'm dead serious, so at least keep it as an option. If you don't want to come to us specifically for work, I can find you a job at a bigger outfit back here no problem.

As a freelance you're probably suffering the same fate as I used to as a freelance programmer. Even though they have no intention at all of doing it, the threat of them going to some Indian sweatshop for outsourcing is hard to make a stand against. And indies can't afford jack all.

Stick with it though, cream always rises to the surface.

[Mjonesgraphics]

I appreciate the offer. Thank you.

I'm seriously thinking of matching some of these bids. I'd almost make a loss on it. Perhaps I can develop a looser style, that is "good enough" and still compete?

How do others manage? Pricing is always hard, perhaps I overprice? I try to keep as low as possible, especially for Indie gamers, and hope that the larger companies can pay "top dollar". LOL

Mark

[Matthew Doucette]

Mark Jones, amazing work! :)

I remember the Stormlord controversy for the Sega Genesis. I read about it in (probably an early GamePro) magazine. So cool to 'meet' the person behind it all.

Have you ever done an 2D shoot'em up graphics? I am working on such a game right now.

[Mjonesgraphics]

Thanks!
I was completely unaware of that controversy until I saw the pics from the Sega version. LOL I never worked on the "additions" myself. ;)

I have done a few shoot-em ups. Most never released. But I've found that that's pretty normal, or was so back when it took less than 3 years to make a AAA title.

Mark
www.mjonesgraphics.com