AuthorTopic: A realistic buget for artwork  (Read 3284 times)

Offline AlistairHutton

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A realistic buget for artwork

on: August 25, 2006, 02:49:40 pm
I investigating the feasibility of turning a little hobby project (a 2D overhead Alien Breed style shooter) into a commercial game.  My single biggest exspense is going to be art but I don't quite know how much I should be bugeting, what payment options would be realistic and what kind of time frame would be realistic.

My initial estimate is that I'll need about 200 32x32 pixel tiles, covering 2 character types, walls, floors, sci-fi furniture, incidental details (pools of water, boxes) and some sport effects that won't be generated by the engine.

So how much would I be expecting to pay for that amount of work?  I see the figure of $10 a tile thrown about but it seems that that is for fairly small job lots.  Would I be expecting a "discount" for buying in bulk?  Also, would I be living in cloud cukoo-land to look for an artist working purely on royalties with no upfront payment?  If so what percentage of $14.95 would they have to get to work for me?

Finally, what kind of time estimate would I be looking at for an artist to produce the work?

Offline Gil

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Re: A realistic buget for artwork

Reply #1 on: August 25, 2006, 06:58:31 pm
I'd say that 200 tiles could be done for less than $2000

More like $1000 for 200 if they're not too tedious to create, $800 if you're looking for someone who hasn't done professional work yet.

Offline AlistairHutton

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Re: A realistic buget for artwork

Reply #2 on: August 28, 2006, 09:00:09 am
I'd say that 200 tiles could be done for less than $2000

More like $1000 for 200 if they're not too tedious to create, $800 if you're looking for someone who hasn't done professional work yet.

Thanks for the info, that certainly helps making this project feasible.  Any advice on how long it would take to produce the, fairly mundane, art.

Offline Akira

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Re: A realistic buget for artwork

Reply #3 on: August 28, 2006, 11:22:06 am
depending on the complexity of the tiles, anywhere from 5-30 hours. of course it also depends on the artists' speed/commitment :P and whether or not there's a deadline looming ;D
thanks Dogmeat!

Offline Gil

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Re: A realistic buget for artwork

Reply #4 on: August 28, 2006, 02:30:34 pm
Hint: if you pay per hour and check up on progress, you can get away with less. 30 hours of work at $15/h (fairly good rate, you should get a nice artist for that money) is $450. Add a bonus of $50 if they finish within deadline (30 hours = 1 - 2 weeks?) and you've got a fast job for $500, a nice price.

I would do it that way...