Pixelation

General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Uli on July 03, 2006, 10:14:35 am

Title: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Uli on July 03, 2006, 10:14:35 am
I wonder if a pixelartist can live from creating freelance pixel art.

Can you guys give some hints what a freelance pixelartist is getting paid?

I wonder how the salary is?

THX,

Uli
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Feron on July 03, 2006, 10:57:25 am
Well there are some folk who are highly paid and can live of freelance, I believe Nvision is a freelance designer full time.  However i doubt many people could survive, sometimes there will be a lack of work.  You can however get employed by big companies such as gameloft, who are sometimes looking for in-house artists.  They would guaratee you a fixed salary, however you must be quite talented and able to relocate.  When i do freelance work i normally work for about 20/25$ per hour, or i try and agree a fixed price for all the graphics within a project.  The rate you charge is very personal and will come down to the following:
1. How fast you work
2. Your experience
3. The quality of your work
4. How much the employer is willing to pay.

So in all its very much down to you to decide how much to charge, and only the extremely talented artists can freelance for a living.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Frychiko on July 03, 2006, 02:50:10 pm
A salary? As a freelancer you don't get a salary.. you know that right?

I started looking seriously into freelancing since march this year,.. but only have managed to land two gigs so far.. and only about a three weeks worth of work.
During the negotiation stage, I failed to get many gigs.. for various reasons.

I did work semi fulltime hours for a couple of years doing pixel art, and the pay(not salary) was not bad.
$1857 - $2600 USD a month, depending on the hours I worked.. (roughly 20-35 hours a week).

I have seen full-time in-house positions salaries that are much higher.

If you wanna do pixel art, try getting an in-house position... you'll be better off



Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AdamTierney on July 04, 2006, 04:40:01 am
I lived on pixel freelancing exclusively for about a year and a half before I got salaried, so it's possible. When I started I was making around $10/hr, by the end I made around $20. That's for the hourly stuff, though. If you get paid per chunk of art, you're rewarded for speed. Per chunk I've made (what works out to) as little as $2/hour or as much as $150+/hour. The ley to freelancing for a living is diversifying. You need to work for as many developers as possible, and never turn down a job until you're absolutely sure you have no time for it (or the pay is crap). I actually wrote down most of what I learned here:

http://www.adamtierney.com/Freelancing.doc

- Adam
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: The Cold Mage on July 04, 2006, 05:04:47 am
i do a lot of freelance pixel art. my clients range from people who want sprites for a random game project to established game development companies. i'm different than most people in that i charge per frame instead of per hour. i made $1246 last month. a lot of the job opportunities i've been getting lately also offer royalties or a monthy percentage of profits over the course of the game being sold. those are nice becuause once the innitial work is done i can sit back and rake in the cash.

i wouldn't say its something i'd want to live off of though. If i wanted, i could probably jump at an in house job, but i look at this as more of a hobby that pays. i'm persuing a degree in business managment so i can own a company instead of do the grunt work. my advice to you would be to realize its a nice job to have on the side, but there are far better jobs to have.

pixel art is slowly but surley fading into obscurity. if you're good, the people who still need pixel artists will come to you. there are interesting developments in the near future that will need pixel art, but for the long haul, everything is going 3D.

in order to make any kind of liveable wage you really need to take on a lot of projects at once and that can get really exaughsting. the other problem is most employers can only pay you after all the work is done. they are usually really slow in sending out that check. to speed things up i like to do business over paypal, but even then you have to wait for the payment to clear, then you have to get the money to your bank acount which takes more time... its not as steady as i would like, but for my purposes it doesn't have to be.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AdamTierney on July 04, 2006, 05:11:45 am
Yeah, I think the key to going from making some bucks to making a living is leaving absolutely no gaps. Take more jobs than you can handle, because some of them are going to fall through. This might make for some pretty crappy weeks, where you're working 80+ hours a week, but that's still better than working 10 hours a week. You have to overcompensate for the dry periods that might come up by keeping a steady and hefty workload coming in. If nothing else, carry every viable opportunity as far as you can. You can always regretfully decline a job if you're swamped elsewhere, but better to audition and discuss it rather than assume you won't have time for it.

- Adam
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: nvision on July 04, 2006, 02:04:47 pm
Adam is completely right...  With freelancing in almost any industry, you're going to have periods of feast and famine.  When work is available, it's usually quite plentiful, and at that point it's best to accept as many jobs as you think you can handle.  I've had times when I've gone almost two months without work, and if I haven't saved up a good chunk form previous jobs, my wife ends up paying for everything (and that tends to make her a little irritable :P ).  You can start to burn out, working such heavy loads, but after you finish a big run like that, you can usually afford to take a little time off.  As Frychiko mentioned, working in-house is much better for your stress level than freelancing.  I live in the middle of nowhere, so freelancing is the best option for me, now.

In way of pricing, I tend to keep my rates between $20-$30/hr, depending on the client.  Having a static rate is rather foolish, because a lot of your work is going to come from independent developers, and often their budgets are very limited.  On the other hand, if you get a job from a larger developer/publisher, they can usually afford more, and will ask more from you in return, so you don't want to sell yourself short.

You can get salaried positions, if you're willing to relocate, or happen to live nearby to a development studio.  Again, pay can vary, depending on the size of the studio.  If you're looking for in-house pixel art work, I'd say your best locations for looking are in the SF area, in California, or in Great Britain.  Lots of little studios seem to be popping up there (along with some larger ones) and you might get lucky.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: sonic_reaper on July 04, 2006, 09:07:19 pm
Since when is Calgary the middle of nowhere?

Anyway, God damn you are some expensive ass artists!  The last job I held was about a freaking year long and the pay was only $11.50 an hour.  I did however get royalties and there was a compensation program (for every hour that I worked I got pay on top of the hourly wage); still ... $20 an hour ... you guys are just psyching this guy out.

It's RARELY like that.  If you're an extremely consistent artist; I would say yes.  But if you're just starting out or are a little on the lazy side, I doubt you'll be hitting up that amount of cash any time soon.

My recommendation is that, if you're interested in art, persue something else.  Take digital imagery/graphic design or illustration and find a job in those fields instead.  The pixel art scene is somewhat of a depressing one.  And the jobs that are available are fickle and thin.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: nvision on July 04, 2006, 09:48:38 pm
Since when is Calgary the middle of nowhere?

Okotoks is the middle of nowhere...about 1/2 hr from Calgary.  We have a big rock in the middle of a field, and a Wal-mart.  Aside form that, Calgary has the worst per-capita investment in the arts of any major Canadian city, and creative jobs are rather scant.

Anyways, a professor once said to me "You're only worth what you can negotiate."  If you feel your skill are only worth $11.50/hr, than that's all people are going to offer you.  If you think your skills afford you a better wage, then ask for it.  When a client hires you, they aren't just paying for your time, they're paying for the experience and investment that you've put into your talent.  Whether that comes in the form of post-secondary education, work experience in your field, or whatever, you have to define what you think your services are worth.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: sonic_reaper on July 04, 2006, 10:27:07 pm
I understand that.  But you've had a lot of experience and are more than qualified.  In some cases you should probably be getting more than $20 an hour.

I was just saying that you may be filling some unknowing newb's brain with delusions of grandeur when obviously a new comer shouldn't realistically expect that much compensation.

And the reason I took the job was because I was taking a year off and saving money for school.  Pixel work for a living is another matter entirely.  I would never pixel for a living; it's not reliable enough.  My last job for example, the employer was located in Europe and they sent out payments bi-weekly, however, because of their location, and because Canadian banks blow big junk, it took about a month for that to arrive.  Sometimes longer.  I kept wondering if they were ripping me off from time to time.  Luckily they didn't but that fluctuating payment arrival was hella annoying.

And I'm sure Okotoks is much better than Saskatoon.  Now this town is the middle of nowhere for sure.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AdamTierney on July 05, 2006, 12:15:31 am
Why do you say $20/hour is a rarity? I still freelance in addition to my fulltime job and the only thing I've done for under $20/hr was for a former co-worker as a favor. It's not an unreasonable amount, given that we're performing a specialized talent, and most developers are willing to pay at least that for quality and reliability. If either of those aren't supplied, I wouldn't expect to be paid at all. Making money and a living hinges on building up a client list and ensuring that these individuals love your work and work ethic. And if that's the case, you're going to see not only your number of opportunities grow, but the monetary amount they'll agree to as well.

I guess I'm saying it's about getting continuous work v. not. And if you can, $20 is probably going to be a number within your reach. Chances are your first jobs (and even maybe your first years) are going to be well under that, but I wouldn't say it's a rare blessing. Freelancers get paid what they ask for. And the freelancer who has enough opportunities presented to him that he can be choosy is going to get the numbers he wants.

Touching on what nvision said, the client is also (or maybe even primarily) paying for your professionalism. Your reliability, constant communication, ease of submissions, correct formatting, intuition, understanding of brand, and so on. It's not just about pixelling ability. It's also about paying someone who gives the client absolutely no headaches, and maybe even (ideally) make the process easier than they imagined. For that, companies will be glad to pay above and beyond because finding all that in an artist who can also draw or pixel well is pretty rare.

"It's RARELY like that.  If you're an extremely consistent artist; I would say yes.  But if you're just starting out or are a little on the lazy side, I doubt you'll be hitting up that amount of cash any time soon."

If you're not a consistent artist or consider yourself 'lazy', give up the idea of making a living at this now. Freelance pixelling as a primary income is hard as hell. It's not something for the faint of passion.

- Adam
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: sonic_reaper on July 05, 2006, 12:36:20 am
Let me say that I don't mean to say it's a rarity in general, but a rarity among new comers to the pixel art scene.  Usually it takes awhile and some experience before one's work is worthy of $20 an hour pay.  I agree with your last statment and that was what I was also trying to get at.  Basically you work your balls off and at the end of the day it's hard to say if it's really worth it.  Personally I would recommend finding a job in another field; but that's just me.  As a hobby or an aside I think it's fun, but as a means of living, it's just not worth it IMO.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Feron on July 05, 2006, 01:00:07 am
New comers cant expect to work for 20$+ perhour because they wont have the experience or skills.  However its unlikely they will get hired at all, when theres so many other talented pixel artists out there, all looking for work.  I think it would be great to work as a freelance designer - if you dont like your boss, you find another one  :P.  The pay may not be that of a brain surgeon, but anyone with a love of designing would probably rather work as a designer than something with a higher salary.  And with freelancing, its a lot more "free" and less pressurised.  The work will always be different and interesting.  The work may also be hard but if your happy it shouldnt really matter.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: sonic_reaper on July 05, 2006, 01:03:23 am
Is there an echo in here?
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AdamTierney on July 05, 2006, 01:28:31 am
"As a hobby or an aside I think it's fun, but as a means of living, it's just not worth it IMO."

I whole-heartedly disagree. I make a very comfortable living and it only took me a few years of freelancing to get there. Are the odds against you? Sure. But I say if your heart's in it, go for it. Don't settle for a job without going after what you love, first.

- Adam
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: sonic_reaper on July 05, 2006, 03:21:45 am
"As a hobby or an aside I think it's fun, but as a means of living, it's just not worth it IMO."

I whole-heartedly disagree. I make a very comfortable living and it only took me a few years of freelancing to get there. Are the odds against you? Sure. But I say if your heart's in it, go for it. Don't settle for a job without going after what you love, first.

- Adam

That's why I said IMO.  I'm happy for anyone that really enjoys their job and benefits from it beyond just monetary means.  At the same time I also don't mean to stomp on anyone's dreams.  I'm just saying from personal experience it's not something I would want to do for the rest of my life or even as a means of supporting myself.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: sedgemonkey on July 12, 2006, 04:20:04 pm
I would recommend looking into your local market for general "design" and "illustration" rates rather than focusing in on one specific aspect unless you've already established yourself as a pixel artist. If you're in Los Angeles, New York, San Fran, London you are probably going to have access to larger clients that can afford to pay $20-30/hour.  I've only had a few paid pixel art gigs (mostly for Flash games), but they've mostly been for big companies that didn't fight me on $20/$30.  Look at job postings for your market (Monster, classifieds, etc) and break it down by hour.

A Los Angeles designer's salary range is between $45-65/K (based on my ancedotal evidence). If you break that down per hour $21.63 to $31.25 per hour for a year of 40 hour work weeks.  Realistically you would probably want to add  20% to those numbers for freelance work to cover your expenses so $25-$40/hour would be more realistic.  With the age of the Internet all the "local" stuff gets blown out of the water, but it's still not a bad idea to study what a client's city is offering for salary/freelance.

Don't forget that networking and self-promotion is as important as your talent. I consider myself a pretty decent programmer, but I make more than people who are more talented because I've worked hard at connecting with people. Which reminds me... if you have a steady income coming in (even working in some other industry) you can take your time building your client list and possibly take some cheaper jobs to get your foot in the door.  If you do work outside your chosen industry be careful not to let your full time gig wipe out your passion -- it can creep up slowly and it's hard to get back on that horse (believe me).
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: ndchristie on July 30, 2006, 05:30:43 am
ive only ever done one paid pixel-art job, and it worked out to about $20 an hour when all was said and done.  i dont think i would want to be full-time freelance because i know the pay can be shit.  what's important to remember is that roughly $20 an hour for about a 30 hour week means that you pull in the ballpark of 30 grand a year, which will get you by but its well below par. 

since im not an experienced pixel artist and im only 16 atm, i cant say if my plan will work, but i intend to do freelance work while im at art school, enough at least to feed myself, and then hope that between that and my investments i have enough to get through the first four years of school.  with any luck, at that point the degree and the portfolio i will have established will at least give me enough qualifications to earn a living should i go into the commercial world, but at lesat at the moment i plan instead at that point to become a teacher and pursue freelancing on the side.

to make a long story short, i dont think freelancing should be pursued as your only source of income unless you are very serious about it, and very good.  on the other hand, if you say you are seriously looking for work, there will be so many full-time on-site job offers your head will spin.  i have to turn down jobs at least once every month or so (because im still in highschool), mostly in new york or la, and im not even looking for work.  the only problem would be finding a job that is right for you, but it you want on-site work, i cant imagine it taking more than a couple weeks before you land one you like and get all the arrangements made.  then you just have to pick up your entire life, which will probably be small if you are like me, and move everything over to a place near your new job.

anyone can correct me if im wrong again im not an experienced artist.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Blick on July 30, 2006, 09:06:39 am
There's an article or interview I remember reading in which Joe Murray (creator of Rocko's Modern Life and Camp Lazlo) where he mentions that he was asked how much money someone could earn doing animation. His reply was something like, "If you're looking to make money, art is not your industry."

I'm sure it's possible to live off a pixel artist's salary, but just remember, "starving artist" is a common term for a reason.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: jagged software on July 30, 2006, 09:40:24 am
I will agree in that a 'standard' rate for pixelling is going to be somewhere around $20 - give or take ten bucks. That is either what people expect or most indie developers can afford or are willing to invest. How many hours they can work you is a different matter.

When it comes to commercial developers, they have a much higher budget, plenty of hours to work, but deadlines. so you're basically being paid to expediate things. probably takes minutes off of your life from stress though.

Now, someone with a good sized portfolio has a lot more grounds to negotiate. But you're going to be making it harder on yourself because expectations will be higher. I think artists that get cocky end up having a harder time. but if you're on the flip side of the coin, never sell yourself short.
if your work speaks for itself that's all that matters. try to be fair and expect fairness from the other party.

In this line of work, there are always tradeoffs. Developers tend to pay depending on the artist and the artist tends to charge depending on the developer. it's a symbiotic relationship. But I'm only an indie developer, so treat my opinions as such.

I recommend setting a standard, 'fair' rate, charging more for intricate or detailed images, then the famous 'attitude adjustment fee' based on how things are going.

I tend to send more work to artists who have a good work ethic, and after that it comes down to price vs quality. I treat fairness with fairness.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: hawken on September 20, 2006, 02:28:44 pm
pixelling for advertising earned me a whole wodge of cash. Seriously

I won't go into it but there is money to be made if you have the right head on the right shoulders.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Bo on September 23, 2006, 04:53:40 pm
I dont realy know. i only worked for pay once and i got 110 usd. could have finished the work in a single day if i wasnt so lazy :P
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Elk on September 24, 2006, 03:04:05 pm
advertising = THE job of artists o.o
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Dogmeat on September 28, 2006, 11:42:41 pm
Back when I was actually decent I got about 35k a year in San Francisco, which is about half of what it takes to live here. One of the reasons why I went back to IT, pays more than double that.

On the other hand though, being a production artist or creative director is truly a joy and was one of the funnest jobs I ever had. One of the only jobs where it was still fun after 13 hours in 1 day :)
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Aeon Vision on September 29, 2006, 05:58:41 pm
May i ask how long the freelance pixelers here pixel?
I hope to freelance a bit to some day, maybe when i'm done with school.

I'm sorry for not having those long posts like you guys make, i can't really talk that much about this subject.  :P
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AdamTierney on October 03, 2006, 04:34:24 pm
May i ask how long the freelance pixelers here pixel?
I hope to freelance a bit to some day, maybe when i'm done with school.

How long as in hours per day, how long we pixellled before getting work, or how long we pixel now that we have work? When I pixelled regularly for fun, I did it maybe 2 hours a day. I pixelled for about 12 or 18 months before getting my first paid gig. I made a living at it a year later and a year and a half after that I got my first salary gig. I rarely pixel for fun anymore, and most of my job is design/art direction so if I pixel at all it's usually cleaning up other peoples' animations and models. I usually do a fair bit of pixel modelling and animation on any freelance jobs I take on the side.

Just hang around here, participate in all the challenges and show your work constantly. The collective wealth of knowledge about the pixel arts is incredibly strong here.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: sir-knight on October 05, 2006, 05:12:07 pm
I am under the employ of a fairly medium sized (and quickly growing) mobile games company. Right now we emply 3 full time and 1 parttime graphic designer/illustrators. Our artist salary starts at $40k canadian with a full benefits package. From what I understand this is a bit of an anomaly in the graphics business; it definitely is for me, coming from TV animation.

Freelancing is not for the faint of heart. You really have to plan 12 months ahead and keep money set aside for things such as periods of unemployment. As an animator I faced this situation for the first and only time - 6 months of employment, 7 months off, 12 months on, and then I started at the game company. I was lucky enough to be hired out of animation school. But for those of you who don't have formal training, it might be a good idea to persue some.

My animation demo reel and illustration portfolio was heavily scrutinized when I was hired here, as well, the programmers appreciate the fact that I am able to communicate to them. One of the hurdles an artist has to become is being able to communicate with the developer. We don't speak the same professional language for the most part.  A few developers prefer working with me (the new guy) over the other 3 artists because they were all more traditional illustrators and designers. I came from a very technical position in animation, in addition to being able to draw and animate, I also have a some of technical knowledge in terms of how programming works.  Being able to understand even part of the development process will go a long way in this field, not only in finding the first job, but maintaining good working relations with those you work with.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: big brother on October 06, 2006, 04:01:18 am
It varies on the place, but for a staff position you're generally looking at something around 40k USD/year (entry) with some benefits (health, dental?). Although this isn't great pay, since pixel art is such a specific skill, if you're willing to relocate it's fairly easy to find work.

Most freelance jobs work around an hourly rate, which will be a higher number than if you did the division on the annual salary (taxes, private insurance, etc.). I'd say $30/hour is a fair freelance rate for pixel art.

Advertising is a solid route for an artist to make money, just be aware that it takes much more than a knowledge of art or graphic design.

P.S. Avoid Gameloft like the plague. Their 'system' results in an over 50% turnover (NYC office). To give you an idea, by the end of my 10 month employment, every artist that was there before me had quit (all but one within five months). They were giving out 1k bonuses if someone you recommended got hired, but none of us would wish that fate on an enemy, much less an acquaintance or a friend.  :)
(I think ripping art from other games, shrinking and digitizing photos, and working with art mis-direction got us depressed.)

Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Frychiko on October 06, 2006, 06:15:04 am
P.S. Avoid Gameloft like the plague. Their 'system' results in an over 50% turnover (NYC office). To give you an idea, by the end of my 10 month employment, every artist that was there before me had quit (all but one within five months). They were giving out 1k bonuses if someone you recommended got hired, but none of us would wish that fate on an enemy, much less an acquaintance or a friend.  :)
(I think ripping art from other games, shrinking and digitizing photos, and working with art mis-direction got us depressed.)

The times when I look for jobs, I can see their adverts plastered in every bloody forum available on the internet and even in places where it doesn't belong.
I knew someone who's working at Gameloft, NYC, but I wonder if she's still there...
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: sir-knight on October 06, 2006, 02:58:31 pm
our company steals gameloft employees  :D
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: big brother on October 06, 2006, 04:53:35 pm
I knew someone who's working at Gameloft, NYC, but I wonder if she's still there...

If it's Chia you're thinking of, she quit.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Frychiko on October 07, 2006, 01:45:22 pm
Yep, I was thinking of her. That's good news!
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AlexHW on October 07, 2006, 05:48:02 pm
That's good news!
just curious, but why is that good news. I almost went there but decided not, so i'm wondering the possible reason why she quit.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: big brother on October 07, 2006, 06:33:40 pm
Working there crushes your soul.

Feedback consists of either 'yes' or 'no', hence a total lack of art direction. A former coworker artist made over 30 portraits in almost as many styles and in the end they told him to take photos from Google image search, shrink them, and index them.

With another project, they changed their minds about the graphical style (despite the fact they picked the first one) when the project was a month or so away from beta. They had a coworker redo all the sprites and animations (250+ animations), then changed their minds AGAIN afterwards. They justified it by saying they couldn't get a sense of the style with only a few mockups; they needed to see the entire game in a style.

Everyone starting at GL is treated like they're entry level, regardless of their past experience. They had one of the designers from Everquest, but ignored all his ideas and put him on an "adult" puzzle game instead (he left soon after). When they hired Christian Robert (Flashback, Cruise for a Corpse), the manager told me he would probably be promoted to a senior artist position in a few years. (He already has over 15 years experience).

They laid off a programmer who worked on DOOM III, only to realize their mistake a week later. They tried to get him back, but it was too late.

Alex, the senior artist you talked to quit mere months afterwards. :)
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AlexHW on October 07, 2006, 09:08:47 pm
wow, that's crazy..
sounds like they make alot of odd decisions.
mobile phone games seem so messed up, and those types of things were what worried me when i was deciding whether to go or not. guess i made a good decision.
Companies should focus more on making their employees feel good.. if they feel good, they'll produce good stuff, but the people in charge need to trust the employees to do this and not be walking over them all the time.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: miascugh on October 09, 2006, 06:24:02 pm
Companies should focus more on making their employees feel good.. if they feel good, they'll produce good stuff, but the people in charge need to trust the employees to do this and not be walking over them all the time.

Those in charge should be people who have a passion for making games, not making money... Oh, we're being realistic here :)
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: big brother on October 09, 2006, 07:05:12 pm
They're not really about either.

It's like a baby, who needs to be fed, and maybe gets fed, but it's not like he's striving towards the food as a goal. You can't really deconstruct the behavior rationally. :)
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Indigo on November 23, 2006, 06:04:19 am
wow, I was just about to set up an interview in new york with gameloft.....now i'm having second thoughts
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Blick on November 23, 2006, 07:54:28 am
I feel so out of the loop since I've never heard of Gameloft. Probably because I don't do art (or anything, currently) professionally. I wonder how they stay afloat with so many decisions that seem so time consuming and self sabotaging.
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: baccaman21 on November 24, 2006, 12:17:32 pm
"As a hobby or an aside I think it's fun, but as a means of living, it's just not worth it IMO."

I whole-heartedly disagree. I make a very comfortable living and it only took me a few years of freelancing to get there. Are the odds against you? Sure. But I say if your heart's in it, go for it. Don't settle for a job without going after what you love, first.

- Adam

here here!
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AdamTierney on November 26, 2006, 12:00:13 am
wow, I was just about to set up an interview in new york with gameloft.....now i'm having second thoughts

Never hurts to interview. Even if you don't take the job, or don't hang around past the first assignment. I guess if there's overwhelming negative feedback about the company here it's something to be wary of, but I'm of the opinion that everyone should individually give each company the benefit of the doubt at least once if they want a good shot of making a living in the industry. I'd be willing to work with Gameloft at least once, in spite of this thread.

- Adam
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Conzeit on November 29, 2006, 12:44:31 am
They're not really about either.

It's like a baby, who needs to be fed, and maybe gets fed, but it's not like he's striving towards the food as a goal. You can't really deconstruct the behavior rationally. :)
LMAO. that's such an awesome quote, you should put it on a T-shirt
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: Froli on March 27, 2007, 05:24:00 pm
Sorry to bump this but I have a quick question and I hope I didn't miss this. For freelance job that is paid per character/creature set finished <no hour payment but there is a deadline>...  How much do you usually get for lets say

Example :
1 Monster
64x64 size
consist of 15 overall sprites
3 frame animation
<this can be subjective> xD but I guess in a very nice quality of artwork.

or
1 character
32x32 size
Consist of 15 overall sprites
3 frame animation
Very nice quality
Title: Re: Pixelartist salary?
Post by: AdamTierney on March 31, 2007, 12:55:46 am
What do you mean "1 character" and "Consist of 15 overall sprites"?