How to find an artist for your indie game
Art is the first thing players see on your store page, so it's worth getting the right person. I'm making my own game too, and this is the process I'd follow to hire an artist, whether you need 2D, 3D, pixel art, concept art or UI.
- Pin down your style with a few references and write a full asset list.
- Find artists whose portfolios already look like your game, consistently.
- Put a candidate's work next to a screenshot of your game before you decide.
- Send one clear brief with sizes, formats, engine, deadline and budget.
- Agree on rights, source files, revisions and AI use in writing before work starts.
1. Define your style and write an asset list
"We need some art" is hard to quote. A short style note and a list is easy. Start with the look:
- The kind of art: 2D illustration, pixel art, 3D (low poly, stylized or realistic), concept art, or UI and icons
- Three to five reference images from games or artists with the feel you want, plus one or two you don't want
- Hard limits: your resolution or pixel grid (like 16x16 or 32x32 tiles), your color palette if you have one, the camera angle, and for 3D your poly budget and texture size
Then list every asset: characters (and how many views or directions), animations and their frame counts, tilesets, backgrounds, props, items and icons, UI screens, portraits, key art for your store page and capsule images. Mark what's needed now and what can wait. A list like this is the single best thing you can send an artist.
Tip: Concept art and production art are different jobs. A concept artist explores what things should look like. A production artist makes the final, game-ready assets. Some people do both, but if you only need one, say which.
2. Find artists whose work already looks like your game
Good places to look:
- Credits of games like yours. If a small game's art is close to what you want, its artist may be open to new work.
- Portfolio sites like ArtStation, itch.io pages and personal sites, where you can see a lot of someone's work in one place.
- Game dev communities, including Discord servers, forums and subreddits for game art, where you can also post a role.
- ComposerScout, where artist portfolios have pieces tagged by what they show (characters, environments, UI and so on) and how they look. You can paste your Steam page or name a game like yours in Find my match to get picks, and every artist confirms their work is human-made, no AI.
3. Read the portfolio like a dev, not a fan
A portfolio can be gorgeous and still be the wrong fit. Here's what I look for:
- Consistency. Can they hold one style across many pieces? A game needs fifty assets that belong together, not one amazing illustration.
- The asset types you need. Great character art doesn't mean great tilesets or UI. Look for real examples of what's on your list.
- Animation, if you need it. Ask to see sprite sheets or turntables, not just still frames.
- Game-ready work. Sprites on a grid, clean topology and UVs for 3D, assets shown in an engine or a real game. Shipped games are a good sign.
Then put their work next to your game. In ComposerScout's Gameplay studio, the art tab lets you put an artist's piece next to a screenshot of your game and flip between artists, so you can see what fits before you message anyone.
4. Ask good questions, then send one clear brief
Before you commit, it helps to ask a few things:
- Have you made assets for a game engine before? Which one?
- How do you usually work: sketches first, then a final pass?
- How many revision rounds do you include?
- Do you use AI tools anywhere in your process? (It's a fair thing to ask, and good to know up front.)
Then send the same brief to your short list so quotes are easy to compare:
- Game name, genre, screenshots or a gameplay clip
- Your style note, references, and the full asset list
- Sizes, views, directions and animation frame counts
- Engine and file formats, for example PNG sprite sheets with a set frame size, layered PSD or Aseprite source files, or FBX/glTF models with textures
- Your deadline, how revisions work, and your budget or rate
Artists price in different ways: per piece, per asset, per sprite or animation frame, per hour, or per project. What moves the price is mostly detail, the number of assets, animation, and how fast you need it. A clear list lets them quote honestly. If you're on a tight budget, say so. A good artist can often suggest a simpler style that still looks great.
Tip: Start with a small paid test, like one character or one tile set. It shows you how you work together before you commit to the whole game.
5. Agree on rights, files and revisions in writing
Before work starts, write down what is delivered, the price and payment schedule (many artists ask for part up front), the deadline, and how many revision rounds are included. Then spell out the rights: do you own the art outright or get a license? Can you use it in trailers, store pages, merch and sequels? Do you get the source files (layered PSDs, Aseprite files, Blender files)? Can the artist show the work in their portfolio, and when? Also agree on AI in writing: that the work is made by hand, and whether the art can be used to train AI.
Red flags
- A portfolio with no consistent style, or pieces that look like they came from very different artists.
- No game work at all, when you need engine-ready assets.
- Vague answers about AI or about where pieces came from.
- Full payment up front on a big job with no milestones.
- No written agreement about who owns what.
Common mistakes
- Hiring from one great piece without checking they can make the whole set.
- No asset list, which makes every quote a guess.
- Changing the style halfway, then redoing finished work.
- Forgetting store art, like capsule images and key art, until launch week.
- Leaving rights and source files unwritten, which can sour a good working relationship later.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find an artist for my indie game?
Look at the credits of games whose art you like, artist portfolios on sites like ArtStation and itch.io, game dev communities and Discord servers, and job boards where you can post a role. On ComposerScout, artist portfolios have pieces tagged by what they show and how they look, and Find my match (Art tab) gives you picks from your Steam page or a game like yours.
How much does a game artist cost?
It depends on the style, the detail, the number of assets, whether things need to be animated, and how fast you need them. Artists commonly charge per piece, per asset, per sprite or animation frame, per hour, or per project. A clear asset list with sizes and states lets an artist quote honestly. My guide on how much game art costs has sourced price ranges.
What should I send an artist in my first message?
Your game's name and genre, screenshots or a gameplay clip, a few reference images for the look you want, the asset list with sizes, views and animation states, the engine and file formats you need, your deadline, and your budget or rate.
Who owns the art when I hire an artist?
It depends on your agreement. Write down whether you are buying full ownership or a license, where the art can be used (the game, trailers, store pages, merch, sequels), whether you get the source files, and whether the artist can show the work in their portfolio.
Is ComposerScout free?
Yes. ComposerScout is free while in beta for developers, artists, VFX artists, composers, sound designers and voice actors. Payment and rights are agreed directly between you and the person you hire.
See the art next to your game before you hire
Browse human-made art portfolios, put a piece next to a screenshot of your game, and message the person who made it. Studios can also post an open role and name the art style they want.
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