Hey all, sorry for putting this up, but I get several requests to do freelance artwork every couple of weeks. I'm hoping that this will save me some time by notifying people that I am not available for hire, why not, and where they can look for good artists. I've done journals like this before, but it's been awhile, and people can't be expected to look through my old journal postings before sending me a note, so hopefully a front page posting will catch the eye.

I do not freelance work, take requests, or do commissions of any kind

Why?

You'll notice there are a couple pixel art submissions in my gallery where I will note that they were done for somebody as a request or paid commission. I tried doing paid work for others a bit back in college, but the experiences did not go well. I am not particularly good at budgeting my time to make art for other people, and I'm notorious for starting and abandoning pieces, doubly so when its something I'm not personally invested in.

You'll notice I haven't been submitting to this gallery very frequently for a few years now. I did the majority of my artwork back in college, when I had a lot of free time. Most of my artwork was doodled up during classes. Now I'm out of school, working a fairly mentally involved job for 45 to 50 hours a week, and I very rarely get around to doing artwork, even for fun. I've also been lacking any sort of real ability to motivate myself to start new pieces. I would honestly like to get back into doing artwork, but it's just something I rarely find the time or drive to do anymore.

For these reasons, I've decided to turn down all requests for commissions, trades, freelance work on games, etc.. This is very unlikely ever to change, unless I suddenly find myself out of a job, desperate for money, and with a whole lot of free time on my hand.

Where can I look for freelance pixel artists?

If you're working on a game, and looking for reliable, professional pixel artists that are willing to work on a freelance basis for money, I typically refer people to the following two sites:

• Pixeljoint
• Way of the Pixel

These sites are home to some of the more active pixel artist communities that I'm aware of, both hobbyists (like me), and professionals who have done work for album covers, games, and advertisements. Check the Monthly Top and Hall of Fame sections on Pixeljoint to see some of the best that the members of the site have to offer. Both sites have a forum with a Job Posting section. If you want to attract a freelancer, it's worth putting up a paid job posting. You should put some effort into making your project sound attractive and interesting, and formatting your post in a professionally.

Be aware that professional pixel art is not necessarily cheap. It's a niche medium that doesn't have a wealth of great artists, so getting somebody who is very good is likely to cost you. That being said, I'm sure those who have worked as professional freelancers have a good idea about how to budget their time and rates much better than I would. If you want your game to look good, it probably is worth shelling out the money for a good artist. There are a lot of games out on markets like Steam Greenlight with poor quality pixel art; They look generally unappealing and unprofessional. By contrast, a game with well crafted artwork really stands out.

I hope this is some help. I'm sure there are other places you can look to hire good artists as well, but these are the two I'm familiar with (for pixel art specifically).

Thanks,
- Kevin Chaloux