How to Find and Engage a Great Artist: A Non-Artist Primer

[Music] thank you for joining me this is finding and engaging a great artist a non artist primer covering tons of info today getting your ducks in order before I even start searching where to search how to search reaching out paying giving feedback all kinds of stuff a little quick info about me before I start so you know where that info is coming from I am the co-founder and art director of chickadee which is a visual design and art production studio that I run with my wife Sarah I'm also an artist at spry Fox maker of Triple Town and alpha bear and other amazing happy games that help you fill your joy quota and finally I'm an educator at Maine College of Art which is a small fine arts school in Portland Maine which is

the original Portland except for probably at least one in the UK so I have a lot of jobs but just so the about Me section isn't just like the jobs I do that's sort of a shallow view of a human being here's like a little fun fact last year I gave a talk and I wore this exact same shirt today huh oh my god thank you so much I feel the same way and and it's but there's a reason it's not just like a stick like okay that's black shirt guy it's uh because this is the only shirt I own that doesn't make me look like a cartoon lumberjack and that is all of my other shirts are plaid flannel which is like a super common look in Maine but in the Bay Area you look like out-of-work l.l.bean model or like guy who knows a lot about World War two so let's dive in though well okay what you need to do before you start searching a prototype is just about the most valuable thing

you can have since I'm assuming you don't have an artist at this point don't worry about making it look pretty you know just use game jam rules gray box asset store stuff royalty free assets that's all good you'll also need an idea about the work you want done because that's gonna dictate the type of artists you need to look for you know a concept artist to help shape the vision or you know a modeler to model characters and props or a painter or an animator art director etc now this may be seems like a you know yeah no kind of point but it's it's actually a pretty fine point when chickity started working with spry Fox it was because we answered a help-wanted ad that said hey we need a modeler for our next project and bonus points if you can animate but what they actually needed was someone comfortable moving through the visual development process

someone who could do concept art who could plan pipelines who could do VFX who'd do a whole bunch of stuff it was their first 3d project and they sort of yet didn't know what they didn't know and so if you're if you're thinking like oh I thought I knew what I wanted but maybe I don't know I'm try searching for a generalist or just a game artist that's gonna be someone who's comfortable wearing a lot of hats reference of other work is also good to have reference that hits like close to the emotional marker or kind of like the vibe you're going for it's useful to have something to show like to get a potential artist in the same head space as you so go ahead and like make a Pinterest board just fill it up with stuff that like even if it's like oh this isn't the style of character we actually want this it fuels right right the it's it's okay to get emotional on that other media this kind of related to

the last point other media like music is sometimes really useful too because it's useful to kind of sometimes make a like a playlist and say hey this sounds the way the art should look right get them in the same head space as you if you have obviously soundtrack samples or something be ready to send those along that's all good stuff a list of verbs or adjectives is also good to have stuff that describe what the player should be you know feeling when they're playing the game or stuff or what they should be thinking when they look at a screen shot you know I think verbs and adjectives that's sort of like a common game design thing but it's also really good for visual design you know and finally you're going to need a sense of your budget and that is a big topic so let's dive down into compensation cha-ching come on that was better get a little more okay fine I'll move on thank you thank you thank you okay so the easiest

right the most straightforward way is like to pay an artist is just to have an art budget which is maybe not fair and an IGS talk but right like hey I need art and here is the money and then now I thank you for the art but again IGS talk let's talk about other stuff royalties profit sharing that kind of stuff that's also an option obviously that takes away you know the upfront burden of payment or at least eases it but there's something to consider if you're offering royalties without having proof that you've successfully shipped the game that's sort of gonna make that an unappealing payment scheme because there's it there's risk that that payment never comes right so there's a few points in this whole talk where you know your work history or your reputation in the community it's gonna add a lot of weight this is one of those points if people have good things to say about you or they have a positive

impression of the past games you've made that's going to take some that risk out of the prospect of royalties you know and and you shouldn't be afraid of of using that that's a tool in your tool kit again though if you're just maybe starting out you don't have that reputation yet you're still building up still there's other options you know if you don't mind going with someone who has maybe less experience than you'd like depending on the laws in your area you might be able to get an intern for free so long as they're doing it through their university they're getting credit you know they get experience you get art it probably will need to be touched up because again they're just starting out but you know it gets the ball rolling you have some art beyond that though this is such an important point offering credit or experience or exposure is like flagrantly shitty just you just don't do it don't be afraid to get creative with payment one option is working for trade

now the obvious thing is like oh hey maybe you both have side projects and like you trade code for art or something like that but I think you can get more creative than that I one time did this is true I once I'm did not a ton of work but a good amount of work for a bunch of super delicious home brewed beer and I personally think I got the better deal because I got drunk for like many days and they just got some assets but we're both happy the point is is that we were both happy with the arrangement right that's creative we felt good especially me so another option is to allow the artists who retain rights to the work they make when I was starting out I did a bunch of work for different studios with me retaining the rights to the assets I produced and then after the game shifter after the contract was over I you know would package up some of that art and I would sell it in asset stores and they got a lower cost or a lower

price because of that because I was able to like make up the difference you know selling to in you know third-party markets right so let's talk briefly about experience as it relates to budget an experienced artist someone with you know a bunch of ship titles they're gonna have a higher rate than someone who's more junior I think obviously but their experience can ultimately save you money because they're not going to be hating they'll be jumping over hurdles that someone more junior might hit and in that regard there's sort of getting more done in less time but you know going with someone more junior it actually might be the start of a really long and fruitful relationship junior people are going to cost less they're gonna make more mistakes but everybody gets better with time right so if you're talking to someone they don't quite have the experience to wish they did but you like really get along with

them on a personal level you consider putting that time and to help them grow okay let's keep moving ah where to search for your new artist so first in maybe most obvious your own network people you've worked with in the past people you've met at local media meetups or you know stuff like this these people are resources and you can mine that resource it's sort of the whole point of a network right sort of related to that recommendations right are they're sort of actually my favorite way of finding people you know if a friend or a dev I respect is you know singing the praises of someone they immediately get a million bonus to Grandda points when I'm weighing them against other people this is another place where having good reputation it can really help you out if one of my favorite people is looking for

someone I'll excitedly scan my own network to see if I can like find a match up just the thought of these two people working together it's like oh that's gonna be sweet good so social media another thing there's you know on Twitter obviously there's a ton of you know creative hashtags hashtag game art hashtag visible women you know use that stuff to send out your own help wanted ad you know chickadee like I said they we started working with spry Fox because of just a tweet and that was almost two years ago so it's it's a powerful tool and again this is a place where good reputation it's super useful right you know just like with recommendations you know if I see a friend's studio I was looking for people signal boost you know if I see a Studios looking for people and I don't know a soul there I just I'm a huge fan of their work signal boost

and so finally you know you can look through industry sites for work you like the look of you know it or maybe you know artists seeking work ads polycount if you're looking for like you know high res high fidelity 3d stuff poly count it kind of can't be be cartridge is sort of like social media site mixed with portfolios sort of weird one but you can look at stuff like that forums if you're using like unity your unreal you know forms usually have hey I'm looking for work or hey I need work it's a good place to to look okay keep it moving what are some other things just random extra stuff that needs to be considered so hey is this full-timers it's a contract and if it's a contract for how long personal connection is going to become way more important the longer you're gonna be working with someone you

know if you're looking for you know just a handful of models you can probably focus solely on skills you know if you're looking for something that's gonna take months or maybe years you're gonna want to like this person on a personal level another thing how specialized are your needs you know if you're making a pixel art roguelike game or something at this point there's a lot of people who can do that you know but if you're making something maybe more avant-garde like hey this is a video based narrative exploration game or something like that that's way more specialized you're gonna have a hard time finding someone to do that you will probably have to pay them more as well if your schedule is tight you're gonna want to find someone with experience again you'll pay more but the artist won't need as much guidance and you know as I stated before they're gonna avoid obstacles that someone more junior might hit they're gonna help you which obviously is gonna help you hit

that deadline and then how senior is the position you know a production artist with a couple years experience that's easier to find and pay for then you know hey I need an art director so if I sort of dive down into that you know if you're searching for like that someone with a lot of experience there's sort of no way to cut it you're gonna have to be prepared for a long search there are just like more boxes to check off you you need to find someone you know you enjoy working with who has the experience you need who you can compensate fairly who is willing to move to your area or if they're not already there and someone obviously who's interested in working on your game you know the rub here is that senior people like that you know are often already spoken for or they have roots planted someplace and they don't want to you know disrupt their family with a move you know or they're just more

expensive than you can pay for so long search but a few suggestions because that's the point of this first use every search method you have available you should be doing all of this stuff that I already said you know search your network and recommendations and put up ads everywhere you know social media etc etc again probably obvious but another thing to consider and you know I think this bears repeating I alluded to this before you know if there's a person that you really like working with but they're more junior than you'd like you know really consider giving them a chance to prove themselves progress on your game will be slower at least at the start but you know everybody gets better one important note on that though if you go this route be sure they have a firm grasp of visual design topics like color

theory or composition or wrestling with visual hierarchies these are all like fundamental art issues and I would say maybe additionally make sure they have a knack for problem solving and lateral thinking and stuff like that and so I sort of just alluded to this I I personally think really good art directors for games are basically really good traditional artists that have an understanding of Technology and while interactivity is pretty unique to games there are other mediums that you know have that mix of traditional art and technology you know graphic design animation - examples those fields require you to understand visual design you know they're multi-step processes that often involve you know various teams of specialists they require you to get X done and y time for Z budget right that

stuff is all very similar to games so besides asking you know your dev peers for recommendations you know consider asking friends from other related industries if you have them for recommendations there might be like a graphic designer out there that you know when paired with you know a lower experienced generalist or tech artist or something to help explain what can and can't be done in the realm of games you know that might be a really really great combination for you um so last point in this section in this is sort of like the most important whichever route you go whoever you go with generally I think you want to shoot for rapport you'll need to create critique this person's work and that is gonna be like way smoother you know if you both respect each other and you both enjoy each other's company okay let's keep going so let's say you have found a specific artist you want to work with you know and you need to reach out what do you do

if you know someone that knows both of you consider asking for an introduction it's super it's nice and easy right there is sort of an instant level of trust because of that shared connection again another benefit of having you know like a wide network and a good reputation regardless if that introduction can be set up I would say like just be professional but make your make sure your tone is still friendly the professional thing is maybe more a point for younger professionals right now I personally have gotten emails that have like lul OMG in them and it's like that's cool I hope your game does good that I think we're gonna work out so professional so here is like a big list and I'll be sharing my slides with this so take a picture if you want to but you can also probably download this later so write two or three paragraphs that include you know what you need done key

dates platform engine if there's an existing art team or art director or just like a loan artist even because it's good to let a new person know who they'd be working with you know if there is an absolutely like non-negotiable budget include that obviously info about your game this is a sales pitch right make that person interested and you know finally it's good to let them know if there's a specific problem you're trying to solve by bringing them on you know like Oh our characters need to feel more lifelike or oh we had a few interns and they got the ball rolling but we need someone now to kind of tie it together and form a stronger thread that runs between everything oh and prep if you have a press kit set up send that that usually includes a lot of that kind of baseline information you know and finally it's I think it's good to end with something like you know if you're interested you know I'd love to

send you more info or screenshots or video etc as well as answer any questions you may have it's it's inviting it's also maybe a little bit of a call to action okay what if you don't have someone specific you need to like blast the internet with I hope wanted add if you're casting that wide net you know create a page on your website with a job listing that includes all of that information that I just mentioned even even if you are using social media to like say hey we're looking for blah more information here link to the site so it's all that information you know what you need done key dates blah blah blah you can leave budget off this I know that that's maybe an uncomfortable thing to broadcast or maybe it even like messes up like a contract with a publisher or something like that but if that's the case it's still useful to to include

also include info about an art test if you're requesting one this is sort of like can be anyway a sticky point our tests are our tests can be considered brewed or even like insulting if a they're not paid or there's actually not a beat of that I just got sidetracked it can also sort of feel like being made to jump through hoops so I sort of think a good rule of thumb is to really only request one if it's like a uniquely technical gig or the artist would have to use like a special in-house toolkit or something like that otherwise I think that it's it's appreciated you know if you go just by portfolio and work history and recommendations and stuff and you know finally this is like a small point but it can save a ton of time request that all inquiry emails

have the same subject so like animation position or the artist wanted or something like that because it's just gonna make sifting through you know when you have like a hundred replies sifting through that's gonna be a lot easier okay boom homestretch you found your artist here are some tips for giving them feedback so be clear and direct polite and friendly you don't have to give to put ups for every put-down just clear and direct polite and friendly one thing we teach students when we when they're learning to critique is that the feedback they're giving is not about the person who made the work but the work itself you're not saying this work is bad and therefore you're a bad artist you're saying this work doesn't yet accomplish all that it needs to and so it just needs an iteration so don't be bashful I think

that's the point I think you can help yourself a little bit if you do a little research about art fundamentals so you know visual design basics the 12 principles of animation these are things that artists know that maybe you don't but there are countless resources on the internet that will quickly explain a lot of this stuff you can probably scale up in an afternoon for example you know the 12 principles of animation are in case you don't know sort of the guiding principles that were like formalized in the early 20th century and now if you are an animation student these are like this is like you know geometry and calculus and blah blah blah this is all like that kind of core math that you would learn as a computer science major right that's what artists learn and you can there's videos that explain all of this stuff in about 30 minutes so Internet do some research you know even

if you don't understand art don't be afraid of just trying to work through feedback don't worry about looking stupid or sounding stupid just sort of stumble through it because an artist is not really going to expect that you understand all that formal stuff you go to college to learn that very early in my career I got a piece of feedback that a powerup I made didn't feel pointy enough and I remember it made me so effing angry because what does that mean after I was I was an when I started my career so after I calmed down I started to dialogue with this particular programmer and we sort of figured out that what he was trying to say was it didn't feel fast it was a speed powerup and didn't feel pointy

enough was I don't get a sense of speed from that so again just stumble through it this shaper color or whatever reminds me of Doritos and it's not good that that's the first thing I think of when I look at this right or I stumble through it but I would say a really important point is try to avoid subjective language this isn't cool or this isn't edgy enough is not as informative or helpful as this doesn't feel imposing write something to consider and this is perhaps a little subjective but I feel the high level purpose of all art in games is to act as visual communication about the design and goals and rewards and threats and setting and all that kind of stuff so if

art looks bad it's often that it's not saying the right thing this art says X to me when really it should say Y this shape looks slow but it should it needs to look fast this posture looks threatening but it needs to be more passive these colors remind me of the fall which makes me feel cozy but we want the player to feel stressed here so it's worth asking yourself what the art in front of you is saying and then compare that to what the games design requires it to say and then finally if you find an artist that you really enjoy working with you know let them know mention them in your weekly blog or twitch stream or whatever should give them a shout-out on Twitter because it's it's always nice to know that their work is hitting the mark and that's it thank you so much questions

against adamant if you have a question for Adam please go to the mic so I know approximately how much are just works salary wise and how do you turn that into a budget for a contract that is an excellent question so what's the difference basically between an artist's salary and hey I'm contracting someone how much is all this stuff going to cost I that's an excellent question and it's actually very big with a potentially big answer what I there there are a few different ways to do it so what I often do when I'm I get an inquiry is we try to build sort of first try and find out what exactly this client is looking for the total scope and then sort of see how

far along and there are they're prod the project already is you know is this do they already have like an art style defined and like oh I'm just doing an environment set or something like that or is this like a total package if it is just assets I usually try and find a like a flat rate that is based on an hourly rate but like hey you know for this snowy mountain art set it's gonna cost blah and and this happens like in a dialogue between me and a client right if it's visual design across a whole project I try to figure out get a rough sense of like schedule and stuff like that there but in that regard it's really there's a lot more just like back and forth and it's just a discussion I think at that point and if it's something really really big I

I personally that's that's when like rev-share royalties I think really start to play in because otherwise it's not sustainable I know that there are artists out there try to extract as much money as possible right upfront but I would prefer not to do that because I want the game to ship as much as anybody so it's really I just try and work with with a client to you know figure out something that's fair and sustainable okay so I had a related question but and it's in a sense unfair I don't know how to put together a budget I don't know how much the work would be yet I still want to know well what should I pay a junior artist per hour or range what should I pay a senior just as information what what does that kind of stuff gonna cost as I try to put together the budget for the whole thing I've never shipped a game I'm just okay you know I I don't know what I've been

in indie games my whole career which i think is a little you know salaries and stuff are a little different in that space versus triple-a I feel like last time I saw the like game developer you know like hey here's the salary range of all these various disciplines in entry level artist was maybe 40 or 50 thousand but again that's like salary at like an established studio and it goes up from there [Music] so just to do that into the thank you so much just to do that in the microphone if you go to the polycount wiki there is all of that information there I'm now

forgetting just broke into free freelance freelance mounts so again that's another resource yeah is that her time thank you so much everybody [Applause] you