Market Study [Closed]

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Elsa Kisiel
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Market Study [Closed]

#1 Post by Elsa Kisiel »

The market study is finished. A lot of thanks to those who took the time to answer !

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Hello ! My name is Elsa, I'm an illustrator and animator from Belgium.

I need help to ascertain if there is a sustainable market when it comes to illustrations & animations commissions in VN. (Sustainable for someone living in my country.)

Therefore, I had a few questions for creators who hired illustrators and animators before, or who might do so in the future.

1) Did you need illustrations for one of your project ? If yes, for what purpose ? (Sprite/background/CG ? Merchandising ? Promotion of your VN on social networks/website /kickstarter ? Others ?) Did you need a specific style ?

2) Did you need animations for one of your project ? If yes, for what purpose ? (Animated sprite/background/CG ? A trailer ? An opening scene ? Others ?) Did you need a specific style ?

3) If you need one, where would you look for a freelancer ? On forums ? (Like in Lemmasoft's recruitment & services offered ?) IRL ? On social networks ? On specialized sites ?

4) What would make you choose a freelancer over another one ? What are your criterias ?

5) What would be your budget ?

6) What would make the commission process really perfect in your eyes ? What are the little details that would make it a good experience ?

7) If you had a magic wand/an unlimited budget, what kind of animations and illustrations would you want for your project ?

A lot of thanks to those who will take the time to answer me ! It would help me a lot !
Last edited by Elsa Kisiel on Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Illustrator • Commission open: viewtopic.php?f=62&t=59346 • My portfolio: https://elsakisiel.artstation.com/

Take a cup of tea and let yourself be charmed by my stories and my drawings. Here, everything is bewitched and bewitching!

Mutive
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Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2017 2:23 am
Completed: Eidolon, Minion!, Love Furever, Epilogue
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Re: Market Study : illustrations and animations commissions in VN

#2 Post by Mutive »

1) Did you need illustrations for one of your project ? If yes, for what purpose ? (Sprite/background/CG ? Merchandising ? Promotion of your VN on social networks/website /kickstarter ? Others ?) Did you need a specific style ?

Yes. I hired an artist to create sprites. Another one created some promotional material for me for free.

2) Did you need animations for one of your project ? If yes, for what purpose ? (Animated sprite/background/CG ? A trailer ? An opening scene ? Others ?) Did you need a specific style ?

I did and created them myself. (These included a trailer, some just fun background effects and expression changes.)

3) If you need one, where would you look for a freelancer ? On forums ? (Like in Lemmasoft's recruitment & services offered ?) IRL ? On social networks ? On specialized sites ?

I found mine on Lemmasort. I could also see using Deviant Art or working with a RL friend or friend of friend (probably through social media.)

4) What would make you choose a freelancer over another one ? What are your criterias ?

Art quality, art style (does it match my vision?), and cost.

5) What would be your budget ?

I spend a bit under $1000 for my project. It was for a free to play game, so I'm not intending to make it back. With that said, even for a commercial game, spending much more would be unlikely as VNs don't tend to make a huge amount. (And risking pouring tens of thousands into a game just to have it make back, oh, say, $500 isn't something I'm likely to do.) It sucks, but such is the way of things.

6) What would make the commission process really perfect in your eyes ? What are the little details that would make it a good experience ?

Delivering good quality art at the agreed upon time, for the agreed upon cost. Responsiveness. Willing to revise as needed.

7) If you had a magic wand/an unlimited budget, what kind of animations and illustrations would you want for your project ?

Heck, if I had a gazillion dollar budget, I'd have it as well animated as a classic Disney movie. :) Every last frame would be perfect and gorgeous and unique. With that said, for most projects I'd start with custom sprites, then move to poses + expressions + outfits for them...then move into custom backgrounds.
Enjoy Eidolon, my free to play game at: https://mutive.itch.io/eidolon, Minion! at: https://mutive.itch.io/minion or Epilogue at: https://mutive.itch.io/epilogue

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Elsa Kisiel
Regular
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 1:36 pm
Completed: Shieldlock Holmes
Projects: Home Spatial Home
Location: Belgium
Contact:

Re: Market Study : illustrations and animations commissions in VN

#3 Post by Elsa Kisiel »

Mutive : Thank you for answering ! Your answers are really helpful !

5)To be honest, this is the kind of budget I expected for a VN project. I also doubt there is a lot of projects who put tens of thousands into it. I'm still hoping that someone tell me I'm wrong and that they are, actually, VNs projects with bigger budget, but I guess that even when it's the case, it must be quite rare.

7) Fully animated Vn are pretty rare, but I know a few exist. (Like "the pillar of the earth") I can't begin to imagine how much it cost to produce one, though ! ^^' But I think it would be a really cool project !
Illustrator • Commission open: viewtopic.php?f=62&t=59346 • My portfolio: https://elsakisiel.artstation.com/

Take a cup of tea and let yourself be charmed by my stories and my drawings. Here, everything is bewitched and bewitching!

Mutive
Veteran
Posts: 344
Joined: Tue Nov 21, 2017 2:23 am
Completed: Eidolon, Minion!, Love Furever, Epilogue
Contact:

Re: Market Study : illustrations and animations commissions in VN

#4 Post by Mutive »

You're very welcome!

And yes, it would be awesome if they had larger budgets...but I think they lack the market for them, alas. :(

I will have to check out "Pillar of the Earth", though!
Enjoy Eidolon, my free to play game at: https://mutive.itch.io/eidolon, Minion! at: https://mutive.itch.io/minion or Epilogue at: https://mutive.itch.io/epilogue

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