Soapbox time again kids...

For those who care, the sKetch artists at companies such as Raven Software, spend all day quickly whipping up concept are as fast as they can to keep up.... this usually ends up as much less than an hour per sketch (depending on the subject) and half hour sketches are far from unheard of. Keep in mind a starting position of that nature is around $30,000 / year, which can roughly equate to about $15 / hour.

Keep in mind the scetches are also VERY good. Beyond what many of us would need for concept art.

I had a guy in my art class who did 5 alien humanoid concept sketches for me for $40.

He did them overnight, probably longer than 20 minutes each obviously, but to him, a fine artist, it wasnt so much work. He didnt think he should make a fortune off it! he didnt even think he deserved the $40! Now THAT'S an artist!

Besides, even if an industry standard would be like $500 or more for a model, that doesnt mean you'll get it, and it doesnt mean you should ask for it anyway. Why be so damn greedy? What kind of kind contribution is that to the community? If I wanted to get bent over i'd go get an exam done.

And though the 'pay after publish' thing isnt such a hot idea, I submit that people are just too stuck on themselves. If you got people beating down your door to do work for them, more power to ya.

But anyone who expects to be paid royally as an indie, well, don't expect to accomplish any completed titles either. Pay after publishing is pretty much the norm around these parts. These nay-sayers are people who obviously won't take any risks, and you want to start at the top of the ladder. That to me sounds more unrealistic than hoping someone will make some scetches for $50.

Heck, I'll do a few sketches for $50, and you can wait for your pot of gold by doing no work. And the results would be worth more than they paid. Why? Because I also have pride in my work. I often am underpaid for my results. I could make more, but then i wouldnt get the work either.

Greed Greed Greed. The only people who deserve such high pay for their work are people who are presently working for some firm, or run one themselves. If you're an indie looking to suck the meager earnings from an indie developer because you think you're so good, ask yourself why you aren't working for a company making the big bucks.

Take what you can get, even if it's just practice :P

Don't anyone be scared to ask for something with little or no pay up front. That's normal for indie development, and there's true artists out there who will do it. Not everyone will, obviously, but it's the only way as an indie. I'm betting a lot of the people wanting the big bucks also go online to find free resources! Hypocrites.


Jason