Estimates for Art Costs (2022/2023)


Planning an art budget for your board game? Here are average estimates I'm seeing lately, as of the end of 2022. But first, a caveat: Quotes vary by many factors, including but not limited to the following:

  • Dimensions: The bigger the art, the more expensive it is.
  • Medium: Traditional paints and inks cost more than digital.
  • Style: The more you make an artist work outside their expertise, the more it will cost.
  • Complexity: A shot of a superhero flying in the open air is cheaper than the full super-team defending a city. 
  • Color/Ink: Some artists will cut you a deal if you only need linework.
  • Terms & rights: If you want full work-for-hire rights to the art, expect to pay for it.
  • Size of cast: Each character multiplies the complexity of the scene. If you want a big battle, it'll cost more depending on how many participants there are.
  • Detail: Photorealists charge more than cartoonists, typically. That's not always the case though.
  • Timeline: The sooner you need it, the more expensive it will be.
  • Planning: If you can provide plenty of visual references, photobashes, sketches, composition notes, and other prep materials, that may reduce your costs. The more mind-reading you make an artist do, the more it will cost.

All that said, here are the quote ranges I'm seeing for these typical game art specs:

  • Isolated Characters (Full-body, no background): $100—$250
  • Isolated Objects and Items (Weapons, Vehicles, Tech, Clothes): $50—$200
  • Any of the above set in a full scene or backgrounds: Add $100—$300
  • Game Cover or Game Board: $1k—$4k
  • Card Art (like in a CCG): $150—$550

This is the average I'm seeing for board games. Different industries charge and pay their own rates. Even within the tabletop game industry, there's huge variance. For example, one CCG card illo can equal an entire board game's budget, whereas most RPGs barely pay a fraction of that.

As always, approach an artist respectfully, as a professional, and be honest about your expectations. Even if that particular negotiation doesn't work out, that artist may be able to recommend another artist who is a better fit for your project. 

As always, pay artists promptly and well. Good luck in the new year! 

Comments

  1. MarcJanuary 8, 2023 at 11:39 PM

    "one CCG card illo can equal an entire board game's budget"

    Wow! I had no idea. I would have thought a game like MtG might actually pay less than other gigs. Glad those folks are getting paid!

    How about something like the blue and red demon shots on this page, which were real miniature shots "arted up" for the rulebook?

    https://www.beastsofwar.com/news/snarling-badger-new-skirmish-game-reign-in-hell/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Daniel SolisJanuary 9, 2023 at 6:59 PM

      That's good question! They might have an inhouse team of photographers and Photoshop specialists who can arrange those scenes.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Graphic Design and Typography Tips for your Card Game

Image
Chris Farrell of Illuminating Games just wrote a thorough critique of card games setting their body text to be so small that they cannot be read at arm's length, let alone across the table. Here's an excerpt, but the whole thing is worth a read for any would-be card game designers out there. (Myself included.) Break out your copy of the base set of Dominion, and look at the Chapel. This has a text box roughly 3.5cm by 4.5cm. It's got a single line of text. That line of text is 1 (one) millimeter high. 1mm! For me, it's only clearly readable at half an arm's length even in the bright light of day. (...) Compare this to a more sane game like Glory to Rome, where the font size is 2-3 times as large (text is 2mm high, keywords 3mm and usually highlighted). I can generally read Glory to Rome cards across the table, and can certainly see the important keywords. To heap insult upon injury, not only does Glory to Rome have far more legible text than Dominion it also has
Read more

Low-High Dice Game

Image
A dice game inspired by the stock market (and playing lots of Martian Dice). Roll a bunch of dice and choose which sets to keep. Choose your strategy wisely! Stuff You Need Two-to-Six PLAYERS A PENCIL and PAPER to keep score Thirteen standard six-sided DICE How to Play The shortest player takes the first turn. On your turn, first roll all thirteen dice. Several dice will have matching results. These are called SETS. (A single die result is a set, too.) You must choose a set to keep. For example, your first roll results are 111124445555 . The sets are four 1 s, one 2 , three 4 s, and four 5 s. After keeping a set of dice, lock them up in a row. This is called the GOOD TRACK. For example,  you could keep the set of four 1 s, one 2 , three 4 s, or four 5 s . You decide to keep the four 1 s and line them up in your good track. After keeping a set, you may end your turn or re-roll the remaining unlocked dice. When you re-roll, immediately set aside any results that ar
Read more

The Thousand-Year Game Design Challenge

Image
UPDATE: The submission period has closed and here are the entries. If you're an entrant, continue sending pics or vids of people playing your game. The first step to a game lasting a thousand years is for people to play it today. UPDATE 2: And here's the winner! To support games designed for longevity – that can be learned, played and shared for hundreds of years – we offer this challenge to any game designers, artists and imaginative people who also share this desire. Challenge Create a game. The game can be of any theme or genre you desire, but there is one restriction: You're creating a "new classic," like Chess, Tag or card games. So, create a game to be enjoyed by generations of players for a thousand years. Prize $1,000 to the winning entrant, to be announced and awarded January 1, 2012. Entry Deadline Entries must be submitted before midnight July August 31st, 2011. ( Update ) Entry Guidelines Enter by posting a comment below with a link
Read more