Looking for artist / graphics designer

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Looking for artist / graphics designer

(33 posts) (15 voices)

Started 5 months ago by Birkemose
Latest reply from dissidently

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Birkemose
Moderator

Like the title says.

I know this is a developers forum, but I also think cocos2D has quite a reputation, so maybe there are some great game artists / designers lurking, looking for the next black.

Basically I am a 100% programming geek ( women likes me though ), with my strength in problem solving and finding simple solutions to complex problems. Examples of my work can be seen at
http://www.youtube.com/user/BackfireE?feature=mhee
http://thebackfiregames.wordpress.com/

What I need, preferable on longer terms, is a graphics designer / artist, at my own level, who are willing to spend some time discussing at least one idea for now, and being able to deliver artwork if I deliver programming.

There will be no money involved unless we hit on iTunes, but if you are a good looking woman, I might pay for the beers at our first meeting.

/Birkemose

Posted 5 months ago #
Martin
Member

I am curious what style and genre you are looking for.

Posted 5 months ago #
riley13196
Member

I would love to work on a game with you. My e-mail is riley13196@gmail.com ... This is the most recent game I have worked on. I did all of the graphics and someone else did all of the code. The same situation that you are in right now.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/save-the-elves-lite/id488667121?mt=8

Posted 5 months ago #
Birkemose
Moderator

@Martin
The app I have in mind, is a social / lifestyle / entertainment app. It will be free to download, but require IAP to use the social part. If you think FatBooth / AgeBooth / HairBooth , and how they integrated the graphics into the theme, then you would be close. The app is relatively simple, and will rely heavily on graphics / design, and some fancy programming of course, but I honestly think it has potential.
So, @riley13196, while I think the graphics style suits the game fine, that is not what I am after.

Posted 5 months ago #
Panajev
Member

I thought the programmer's motto was "No problem is simple enough to be unworthy of a complex solution" ;)... or so they say in some corporations hehe :).

Posted 5 months ago #
Scryb
Member

Maybe complex and simple are not the right terms... it's often harder to fit a good essay into one page than if you can write as many as you like. The same way, a "simple" programming solution is often one that's short and succinct but actually requires a lot of thought before you even write a single line of code.

Now, as for the topic: I'm quite interested in teaming up with someone to work on more stuff and get more done in shorter time, but I'm afraid my artistic skills are quite limited. I am doing all of my own art, and I've gotten much better with my second game (still working on it), but I'm very limited in what types of graphics I can make. Abstract with nice effects, clever little animations, gradients and so on – sure, but characters or other "lifelike" art? Forget it :D

Posted 5 months ago #
cocojoe
Member

The best code is the code you never write :-)

Posted 5 months ago #
Birkemose
Moderator

All code is pr definition ( at any time from start to release ) at a stage of 90% completion, where you juuuust need to ... then it is all done.

Posted 5 months ago #
jcloughley
Member

The indie developer wants to pay as little as possible for artwork because if their app doesn't sell, at least it didn't cost too much (just the developer's time) to produce.

The artist wants to get paid for their work because they attach value to the work they produce and if the app doesn't sell, at least they got paid.

I'm interested to see how this thread plays out. I too have struggled with establishing this relationship where the risk is somewhat shared between the developer and the artist. So far, I have put up all the risk, the artist gets paid and I hope for the best in the AppStore.

Jim

Posted 5 months ago #
davidlxk
Member

@jcloughley the team dynamics between the members of the team (artist, developer, sound designer and etc) actually has a huge impact on how the game will turn out ~

Posted 5 months ago #
Scryb
Member

I agree with David. If the artist is content with getting the job done and moving on to the next project having been paid, s/he is much more less likely to commit as much as the programmer. If both have their asses on the proverbial line, they are both likely to do their very best to make the game a success.

But it's hard to find a designer who's willing to take that risk unless you have a proven track record. Much as you wouldn't risk it with an artist without a good portfolio.

Posted 5 months ago #
cocojoe
Member

Ideally you want team members who will also contribute to ideas and have the same passion and drive, it's all about personality.

There are a lot of people who want the success (even think they are entitled to it) however after the initial excitement wears off, they soon realise there is a lot of hard work involved, interest soon drops and ultimately they will start to bring you down.

I never used to put much value in the 'creative/designer' type role, I presumed any artist/illustrator would naturally be creative however that is not always the case. Getting that combination of skills and personality is difficult.

I would love to work with some of the talent of cghub.com

Posted 5 months ago #
Tone
Member

@cocojoe cghub is nice. I also love Daarken http://daarken.com/

Posted 5 months ago #
GarrettVD
Member

Hey @Birkemose,
I think you should have a look at DeviantArt for some freelance artists looking for commission work. There are al ot of hidden gems there, and that's where I found my graphic artist. I am thinking that it will be difficult to find an artist who'd be willing to do work on a "if we're successful"-basis; but I could be wrong. After I lost my job at RIM, and started doing freelance work, I got suckered into a 50/50 scheme; the guy promised a great marketing and sales strategy in exchange for my programming services, but he couldn't deliver and I ended up wasting time and money.

I think in order to make the most of your iPhone application, you have to look at the big picture and think of an iPhone application as an investment. Cliche, but honestly, I feel that the most profitable games for the most part are have great gameplay mechanics, superb retina-display graphics (in most cases, but not all), quality sound, and a solid marketing strategy. Many developers can nail A but not B, C or D. I've seen your programming work (water ripple code, morphing cocos2d blob code) and you're a smart cookie, so I know you can definitely come up with a great game.

-G.

Posted 5 months ago #
Birkemose
Moderator

Thx, I will have a look at those sites.
Basically I agree to the above, that a good artist, is just as important as a good programmer, and the ideal solution would have to have a great artist participating in the design process.
If that is not an option, and as the app isnt to difficult to do, I think I will complete it with "programmers graphics", and see if the final working app, can lure in an artist.

Posted 5 months ago #
GarrettVD
Member

Yeah, just throw the some mock-ups in, and see if you can draw some interest. You can post an ad on Dribbble (costs money, though) or on Deviant Art (free; great forum with a lot of talent).

Posted 5 months ago #
MichaelB
Member

iStockphoto is another place we use a lot. We have bought a lot of stuff, but if you find somebody with a lot of things you like, you can contact them and maybe work out something too. We've had a photographer do things in a photo shoot because we requested a type a picture.

We've done several games where all the graphic sources came from iStockphoto, then my brother did his photoshop magic to make them into what we needed.

And we just today paid one of the designers there so some graphics we really like & that'll be key to the game got removed so nobody else can buy them :)

Posted 5 months ago #
Martin
Member

I agree with David. If the artist is content with getting the job done and moving on to the next project having been paid, s/he is much more less likely to commit as much as the programmer. If both have their asses on the proverbial line, they are both likely to do their very best to make the game a success.

But it's hard to find a designer who's willing to take that risk unless you have a proven track record. Much as you wouldn't risk it with an artist without a good portfolio.

I tend to disagree on this one. As an artist doing freelance illustration work your income has a rather hard upper limit. It's very very very unlikely that as an artist you will ever earn much more than your usual hourly rate. About the only way is to become super famous and get rich on licenses/merchandise. But that's something not even 1 in 1000 artists achive I'd guess. I've been for years on a big german artists forum and the job forum is littered with threads of people having the "super awesome foolproof idea with a highly motivated team" but zero budget and a promise of shared profit. I don't think I have ever seen one of those projects ever reach completion, not to think about making huge profit.
For artists the shared risk jobs are almost all complete failures in every way. I think every professional artist has made enough experiences of that kind to be highly sceptical of such offers. I think if you manage to talk one into that, he is not more motivated to deliver good work, but less motivated because he knows that this most likely will fail anyway.
Making a living from Illustration can be pretty hard and making a lot of not or badly paid jobs is a surefire way to fail financially as a freelancer. You need to pretty much fill 100% of your work time - that is left after aquiring new clients, improving portfolio and practicing - with paid work at regular rates. A lot of people I know that work as artist are next to broke and making a failing "risk job" instead of normally paid job would break their neck financially.

Also I think that no one ever will put as much passion into a project as the one who sparked the idea, so I guess finding an equally motivated artist is impossible anyway, but that's just me and I'm hard to get excited;).
Personally I'd suggest to pay for art, you will most likely get higher quality that way. Or if you can't do that, offer your time and knowledge in exchange for the artists time and knowledge. Most artists don't know much about technical stuff like coding so you might for example code a website for an artist in exchange for him/her to create some art for you. That is the kind of deal that I would consider as an artist.

Posted 5 months ago #
Birkemose
Moderator

Some good food for thoughts @Martin.

I think a lesson I would draw from what you write, is, that you as the creator of the idea, have to put somme effort into it. Somehow prove thats it not all just hot gasses.
Like no serious designer would jump the "I have the best idea in the world" waggon, no serious programmer would either. The big troll the other day, is an excellent example of that. ( Damn, why am I never online, when a big troll comes around )

Posted 5 months ago #
Martin
Member

Big Troll? Damn, I must have missed it too.

Please send me your mail address as PM, maybe I've found someone for you. I'll give him your mail address and he will write you.

Posted 5 months ago #
Birkemose
Moderator

It was a mighty troll
http://www.cocos2d-iphone.org/forum/topic/26192

Posted 5 months ago #
cocojoe
Member

@Birkemose Yeah I did wonder why you hadn't commented in that thread, I'm much too polite myself as wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt to respond. However his response was even more extreme than I had expected lol

@Martin do you have a link to your own artwork portfolio?

Posted 5 months ago #
Martin
Member

@Birkemose: lol, epic thread indeed :D. Thanks for the laugh.

@Cocojoe: Sure, my personal portfolio is http://www.keinebilder.de . The site is German but you'll figure it out.
This link goes directly to some pictures:
http://www.keinebilder.de/index.php?go=bilder&section=a

But I'm fully booked for at least a year already and I'm aiming to transition to making a living from my own iPhone games. So I can't take any new jobs at the moment.

Posted 5 months ago #
Birkemose
Moderator

Wow, that was some serious graphics. Makes sense that you are fully booked.
I really liked this one
http://www.keinebilder.de/index.php?go=bilder&section=b#b04
Look at the dynamics ( the action even if it is a still ), and the impact his weapon has.
Amazing.

Posted 5 months ago #
MisterX
Member

That Super Secret Troll should have a Battle Royale match against that even mightier Unity 3D, employee hunting, "Girl Queen", Model Mayhem, Troll. She used a screen name that sounded somewhat similar as I recall.. She had a much cooler Avatar image though! I think her Troll Magic was far more powerful.. I would bet on her to be the winner.

Posted 5 months ago #
Birkemose
Moderator

I agree with @MisterX, that while there really isn't any direct link, über super trolls are rare, and we might even only meet one in our lifetime.

My native tongue isn't english, but I still have a very sensitive "ear" to language, both written and spoken. I am willing to bet my reputation ( and you all know how good I am ;), that this is the same super troll.
Or actually, it isnt a troll for starters, because the guy ( its not a super model ), probably believes in what he is writing in first post.

Posted 5 months ago #
abitofcode
Moderator

Maybe the super troll is Charlie Sheen!

*winning*

Posted 5 months ago #
wilczarz
Member

That was a Rockstar troll, that's for sure.

Posted 5 months ago #
Birkemose
Moderator

Next time, we will all reply just with

*HUG*

Posted 5 months ago #
wilczarz
Member

Nah, that would be against instructions, you don't want to mess with THE COMPANY do you?

Posted 5 months ago #