Looking for a dedicated Artist for a VN project (will pay)

[krystallinity]

Please note: the following information is tentative. Anything about this project is liable to change or to be modified as necessary.

tl;dr version of my proposal:

* Looking for an artist to create sprites, backgrounds, and CGs for my Visual Novel project
* Will pay $250+ (negotiable) every month for 8 months ($2000 in total), and 50 percent of profits generated if commercialized (but I retain distribution rights)
* Want anime-esque, feminine style for the characters, although open to all styles
* The characters should be detailed, but the backgrounds should be relatively simplistic (not flat colors, but not complex either)
* Will give reference images for some of the backgrounds to model after
* Expect to draw 20 RELATIVELY SIMPLE backgrounds, 6 DETAILED sprites (with numerous expressions and multiple costumes), 6 DETAILED CGs, and various DETAILED static characters needed for the story to work (simple expressions and one costume)
* There may be more work as necessary to finish the project, but I will NOT give an unrealistic amount of work
* Need to produce results on a fairly consistent basis (you must be able to submit substantial amount of work every month)
* The amount paid equals around $62.5 per background / character / CG (+ various other images to complete the project)
* This is a romance adventure story set in Hell with five different characters to romance (BoyxBoy and BoyxGirl)
* The VN will be around 20-40 hours in length
* Programmed in Ren’Py, a Visual Novel Scripting Language

And most important of all:

* You must be engaged with the plot and the characters...this must be a project you would want to do if you were unpaid

-

Full proposal:

I’m here today to propose my interest in looking to craft my vision of a project that I have been ruminating about since 2007.

I will handle all of the writing, programming, UI design, sound design, and the soundtrack for the project, and I’m looking for one talented CG / Background / Sprite artist to create the art for the visual novel.

If you’ve ever heard the expression “Too many cooks spoil the broth,” then you’ll know my philosophy.

Coherence is a very important part of this project.

I’m looking for the unique style of one artist to really shine through with this project.

This will be a showcase of the artist’s talent.

For the prospective artist, this job will be more of a labor of love. However, I am willing to provide a $250 stipend over a period of 8 months to the artist ($2,000 in total) for his/her effort.

That equals around $63 per background, character (with poses) or CG (not including various extras I may want).

I am willing to negotiate the exact stipend with the artist, but it should be somewhere in that range.

It’s not enough to live on...the artist has to want to do this as a side project or for experience, but I guarantee that the end result will showcase the artist’s work in an incredible way.

You will be required to make as many sprites / backgrounds / CGs as I desire, however, I know the limitations of artists, and I will not expect anything of the artist that’s anywhere near unrealistic.

Expect to create at least six detailed sprites (six main characters featuring numerous expressions and multiple costumes), various other non-detailed sprites (a couple of expressions and one costume), twenty relatively simplistic backgrounds in multiple locales, and six detailed CGs.

I expect the characters to be relatively detailed, the backgrounds to be relatively simplistic, and (if you like) you will have reference images for some of the backgrounds to craft them in your own style.

If this is the original reference image:

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6146/6038 ... 8f31_z.jpg

I expect a background to have about this level of detail:

http://i.imgur.com/xXndD.png

Basically, I don’t want it to be so simplistic that it’s flat color images, but I don’t want it to be so complex that every background takes longer than a couple of hours to complete.

Of course, you don’t have to use reference images if you want, and you’re free to develop it in your own style. Just please give the backgrounds a little more detail then just flat colors (a slight amount of texture, a little bit of shading, etc.)

$2,000 for that workload is very reasonable, and I should attract some attention through this ad.

In addition, this project may become a commercial venture. If it does then the artist will receive 50 percent of all the revenue generated from this project, but I will retain distribution rights of the final product.

-

While I have had lots of experience playing visual novels before and crafting creative pieces, I haven’t had any experience coding with Ren’Py.

I will learn how to properly code the visual novel, but if there are any Ren'Py programmers out there who would like to help me (unpaid), please speak up.

The project will begin when I have completed enough of the transcript for the project to be viable.

I expect the Visual Novel to last around 20 to 40 hours.

Now without further ado, here is my proposal for the story:

-

Title:

The Ritual

-

Plot Synopsis:

Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? Stories throughout the millennia have grappled with this subject, but few have properly confronted it.

James Reynolds (tentative name) is a high school teenager (around 16-17 years old) currently attending The King’s School in Canterbury (Kent, United Kingdom), and he’s depressed.

He has a tough time making friends, he never goes to any of the events at his school, and he mainly spends all of this time back at in the boarding house, reading books from the library.

But one day, a new transfer student gets introduced into his classes. He immediately takes notice of her, as she seems to be just like him--shy, reserved, really quiet.

James tries to make an attempt to get to know her, but something about her seems...a bit off. She always picks out the strange books in the library...books that speak of occult processes and grim fairy tales.

Her oddities just seem to excite James, as he spends more and more time with the girl. The two eventually become friends.

After a month or so he sees the girl talking to a strange man with long silver hair, in plain view. Nobody else seemed to notice the strange man but James, and the man only appeared when the girl was away from James. To everyone else, it just looked like the girl was talking to herself. The girl’s erratic behavior alerted the school, and the girl was soon removed.

James wasn’t satisfied with that ending. He did his homework and traced the girl down to the local hospital. He visits her in the hospital, and she seems obviously delusional.

She keeps telling James about “The Ritual,” some kind of weird sacrifice the “Watchers” give to “Join the army against the Demons.”

She pleads with James to commit suicide with her and join him. James, as he’s just a teenager, refuses, for even though he’s depressed, he still values his own life.

Something happens, and everything goes black.

Time passes, and the two end up in a large, dark cave. The strange, silver-haired man approaches the two of them, and asks them to follow.

They end up in a big chamber, with white-haired adults in the middle and teenagers all about James’s age circled around them.

In the back of the room is a large mirror with a faint, purple glow.

The white-haired man turns and smiles at them.

“Welcome to the Ritual.”

-

Where the visual novel comes in:

This is a story set in a school, and then in Hell.

The main characters are “Watchers in Training,” (tentative title). Watchers are a independent organization of Angels intended to protect Earth from invading demons.

Three “Watchers in Training” get assigned to one Watcher, who takes them through Hell and trains them to be Watchers.

This is a romance adventure game, and you have the opportunity of romancing five characters:

* The weird friend from your school
* The girl on your team
* The boy on your team
* An angel that you meet
* A devil that you meet

-

Character Design:

* I prefer an Anime-style with a deliberately effeminate look.

* However, I am open to any style. Please show me examples of your art.

Examples of what I prefer:

http://images2.fanpop.com/image/polls/4 ... 4_full.jpg

http://howtobeheian.files.wordpress.com ... -anime.jpg

http://images.wikia.com/castlevania/ima ... rd_002.jpg

* You have to be comfortable drawing angel wings, demon wings, tails, and haloes on people’s heads

* You have to be comfortable drawing male bodies, female bodies, school uniforms, and angelic/demonic costumes

* You have to be comfortable drawing monsters (non-phallic)

-

List of main characters (that require quite a few poses and maybe a couple of different costumes):

* Weird girl in your school (your friend)
* The silver-haired man (who becomes your Watcher)
* A girl on your team (Hell)
* A boy on your team (Hell)
* A demon that you meet (Hell)
* An angel that you meet (Hell)

-

List of secondary characters (who only need one static image with a couple of poses):

* The librarian
* Your roommates
* The teacher
* The principal
* Other Watchers
* Other “Watchers in Training”
* Other Angels
* Other Demons
* Monsters

-

Background Design:

* You have to be able to draw scenes from Hell
* You have to be able to draw scenes from Purgatory
* You have to be able to draw scenes from Heaven
* You have to be able to draw scenes at a school in Great Britain (that looks very medieval-ish)
* You have to be able to draw scenes inside a hospital

-

CG Design:

* You have to be comfortable drawing romantic (not sexually explicit) CGs

-

The reason I am posting this now before a lot of the script is done...is to make sure that there is an artist interested in this project.

If no-one is interested in this project, then I won’t spend all kinds of time writing the script and learning how to program with Ren’Py.

If you are interested, please reply here, message me or send an email to krystallinity@gmail.com

I won’t be making any decisions right away, but if I find someone well to work with, I’ll get this project started.

-

Payment method:

I will give you $250 at the start of every month for your work, for 8 months ($2,000 in total).

If you complete your work early, I will still pay you $250 every month, for 8 months.

If you go a month without submitting any kind of substantial amount of work to me, I will no longer pay you $250 every month.

You must finish the project within 8 months...if I feel like in any way that you are trying to rob me, I will suspend any future payments.

You must provide me with your full name, your email address, and your contact information, for this project might become commercialized.

-

And most importantly of all, you must LOVE my proposal.

You must WANT to create this project.

It can't just be about the money.

You should want to create this project as if you were unpaid and I was proposing this as a volunteer-only project.

-

Thank you for your attention,

~krystallinity~

[Kaorien]

I'm interested but I'm not sure if I could handle that sort of workload (what would be the quota of art done in a month?). But angels/demons and some BL = totally ♥ for me.

However I wish you the best of luck and hope someone can do this with you!

[Kingv]

This sounds like a really interesting project and I hope you're able to get the help you need with it. Im loving the art style you are looking for for the vn.
I'd love to offer my assistance but I prefer to work on a per image basis rather than having a large quota to complete every month. It might be best to assemble a team to tackle the amount of art you'd like done. Perhaps an artist and colorist?

[Widget]

I don't mind giving a lot of details and Castlevania~ish type of art...
But I prefer being payed per amount of work done than a monthly workload.

[Demongodloki]

Yeah Hun... No artist will take on that much of a workload for that little pay. Especially if you're looking for really good art like the references that you've posted. At the cheapest an artist like you're looking for will go for 20$ an hour... Less if they really like you or they are really really bored with their time and want to do something else but they won't be fully dedicated to it especially since this really doesn't help with portfolios. You are going to have to lower your standards on this project and I realize you want it to be the best of the best but work on a smaller project then go up from there.

I'm not trying to burst your bubble I'm just saying realistically it's going to be really hard for you to find anyone that's ok with that much money at the level of ability you want.

[Endorphin]

But I prefer being payed per amount of work done than a monthly workload.

Totally.
I think that if you change this point you'll probably find somebody.

Also, how many poses do you want for each sprite?
Are they completly different from the base sprite or is it something you can edit?
(Editing stuff like arm positions etc. would be easier or do you want a new sprite for every pose?)

- R.

[Graph]

Well, krystallinity did mention an estimate of the total workload, and doing the math, even if 8 or so minor characters are added to the 6 sprites/ 6 CGs / 20 BGs, it's still about $50 per resource, which looks decent stacked up with what artists on this forum are asking from what I've seen. (Though maybe the pricier ones prefer to negotiate prices privately? Not sure) I'd be willing to take on it at least, and I'll be updating the samples of my work within the next few days.

However, there's something I wanted to clarify. Is the reason you've spread this out over 8 months because you expect to finish the script in 8 months, or because you don't have enough money on hand to pay up front, or what?

[lilangelmamimi]

Can you give an example of how much you would want every month? Like 2 characters (poses, expressions) 1 monster, 3 bgs...ect.