How much do artists normally charge?

mikelowe

I would like to hire a graphic designer for my next game. I want a couple of sprites and a background (minimal animation). How much do artists usually charge for this sort of thing?

3d10

It would be better you post the required sprites and backgrounds you need to get a quote with your contact info so you get the right picture.
But the budget can vary from few hundred dollars to thousand dollars.In your case i think few sprites and backgrounds you will be good with few hundred dollars.

Braydon_SFX

Hey mikelowe - email me : braydon@coyer.net

I am a cheap artist with experience in Photoshop and Illustrator.

Thanks!

threepeasoup

Hey Mikelowe,

The range of payment for an artist is huge. Most are freelancers who go by hourly, or per project. If hourly, the range can go from $20 up to $100. ( In many cases it exceeds $100) For your case of a few sprites and a background, discuss with the artist a per project based payment. Not only do you save money for your small batch of art assets, but the artist knows exactly what hes getting into for what your asking and can judge his own time if he makes a profit doing your work. Pay is usually negotiable, but sometimes artist have a base price that is not negotiable. Communicate is key! Be precise with your description of work, then the artist has much more to go upon and not produce something you dislike. Both sides are happy and save time and money.

cheers!
threepeaoup

Mammoth

Good art takes a long time to make. Most artists will charge around 200 -400 dollars a logo. That is one image. So if your game has 20 images it that's 4000- 16000 dollars. If you want really good art then it will cost money. The best artist don't have day jobs and in order to make a living they have to make at least 40k a year. If you don't want to pay type in "photoshop or illustrator tutorial" into google and go from there.

Braydon_SFX

Note - I charge by picture, not by the hour. :-)

3d10

@Mammoth
Well for 20 images 4000-16000 dollars looks very unrealistic.No offense to you sorry if any.
I also do art and know many artist out there and top of the line but that is too much.Really depends on the images also it can go that way if you are
doing 20 matte paintings then yes.

But not for simple 2d sprites and backgrounds for a game without animations.I think few hundred dollars would do.
But yes a AAA quality 3d model for a game can go 3k-4k.But you are also right but those are industry Rates.

LiquidGameworks

@mikelowe

The size of your images can dictate price as well. From my experience paying artists, your order would be around ~$100. However, here's another thing to consider. One of the biggest single things that can derail a game is continuity. I've seen people on here before who want to be cheap, so they pay for a main character, and build the rest of the art themselves. The problem is, the two art styles don't match, and it looks terrible. This goes foe EVERY aspect of the game, from Icons, Menus, to your sprites.

Mammoth is right about the logo rates, however, a logo is much different then typical art. A logo has to be timeless, all encompassing, and direct in its presentation. All other art is much simpler, and therefore cheaper.

For what you want, I would guess between 100-150, depending on what you think "few" and "minimal animations" means.

old_kipper

Expect to pay at an hourly rate or a fixed price based on the number of hours taken. What different artist charge is vast, and so is the quality of their output, but I doubt you will get much for less than $75 an hour. Some talented artist, early on in their career or with time on their hands might do something cheap for you, but mostly in life you get what you pay for. Define the job as tightly as you can and it will make things easier for both you and the artist. (provide art you have so far so they can match it if you want that to happen, give them all the sizes of the graphics you need and in what format, visual reference if you have something in mind and also let them know if you are going to give them freedom to do their thing, etc). And have a darn good look at their portfolio before you start. There is an element of taste involved, is the possibility for things the results to not be what you expect, but a tight brief and knowing what sort of thing they usually produce should easy things considerably. Also think of it as something that you have control over and can make a really difference to your game with. Getting art that is finished in the a professional way is one thing, but if you can get it right, you can get art that is interesting/funny/has heart/is cool/scary/you actually really, really like and it adds to your game.

just a waffle... kipper

p.s. I am not after work.

soulist

pay first or get the art first?

old_kipper

Split it in 3. a third on agreement of commission, a third on rough designs, and a third on completion.

mikelowe

Thanks for all the responses guys. I am not ready to actually look into hiring somebody yet. I have just never worked with anyone other than myself on building a game and wanted some information for the future. All of this was really helpful.

vectawr

@3d10

If you were an artist you would know that for professionally commissioned graphics that is cheap in some cases.
Generally when you have a lot of images you hire per hour or a certain price for a certain amount of images.
Couple sprites(2-3) + Background + Animation, if you actually want it to look good should be worth 600 - 1000.

3d10

@gripsocks

No i am not i don't know it.But you seem to be an artist i think you may be correct.