[Question] How do I go about selecting a background artist?

[GammaBreak]

I'm fairly new to the visual novel creation process, but am working on my first project. Right now, I'm in the phase of trying to find artists I like to eventually go to once my script is done and ready for assets, which isn't going to be a for a whie.

But a question crossed my mind: let's say an artist does great sprites I like, but not backgrounds. What's the general consensus on picking a background artist to go with sprites?

[Elsa Kisiel]

I'm not sure I understand the question. Are you asking where to look for a background artist, or what kind of criteria you should take into account when recruiting?

[GammaBreak]

Let's say I find an artist I really like that does sprites, but absolutely 100% will not do backgrounds. So I would need to go to a different artist for backgrounds.

My question is overall, what am I looking for when pairing sprites with backgrounds if they are from different artists? Like for example, I've seen an artist I really like that is within my budget that does backgrounds, but not sprites. So is it smart to just get him to do the backgrounds if I like them, or should I wait until the character sprites are done?

[Elsa Kisiel]

Well... If you have a sprite artist but the sprites aren't done yet, I see three way to proceed:

-If the sprites are going to be in the usual style of the sprite artist, the price artist's portfolio should be enough reference.

-You can also contact the background artist and ask if they will be available later, when the sprites will be finished.

-If you have the budget for it, you can also ask for stylistic research from both artists. A few variant of concept art, coloring style, lightning style... But research often cost a lot because it takes a lot of time, and can't be used directly in the game. I would advice it for bigger productions only.

[GammaBreak]

Okay, thanks. My biggest fear is that I'm going to get some sprites that I really like, then be at a loss for a background artist because I don't know what I'm doing.