I have 3 years of professional experience producing pixel art packages for customers via Fiverr. However, I have been making digital art since I was young. I always had an interest in game design so began by making concept art and simple graphics, expanding my knowledge and experience over the years and eventually specializing in pixel art.
I have a particular interest in 8-bit and 16-bit pixel art that emulates the the graphics from 80s and 90s gaming machines such as Sega Genesis, SNES, Commodore Amiga and C64. I grew up playing those machines so I have a special connection and love for them and still follow the retro gaming scene today. I have developed my own style which is heavily influenced by the Commodore Amiga and usually work with a 256 color palette.
Customers often require me to design in the same style as an existing game, usually providing reference images to follow. I have made graphics for platformers, top-down RPGs, isometric strategy games and shooters. Occasionally I am asked to create other styles of art such as avatars for social media, branding and logo design, poster art and even T-Shirt designs.
Yes of course. Although after completion, I state that customers take 100% ownership of my work, I still maintain copies of my best work for my personal portfolio. So here are some examples.
I use Aseprite for my pixel art as it combines old school methods of drawing with modern features like layer filters etc. It also supports animation which makes it very versatile and suits my needs perfectly. I also use BlastFX for making particle based animations such as fire and explosions. It has tools for reducing colors and pixelization so it mixes well with my other software.
I usually deliver my work in PNG and GIF formats, sometimes providing sprite sheets for animations. I use pixel perfect scaling when required and prefer to work in 'power of two' ratios as it gives the best results when scaling. Most pixel graphics I create are optimized for use in low resolution games so I generally design sprites in 16x16, 32x32 or 64x64 and a full screen background is typically 320x200 (similar resolutions to old computers and consoles)
I have lots of experience with animation and I am often asked to create animated characters for games. Animation can be very time consuming and sometimes monotonous but is a great skill to have and has allowed me to develop further as an artist. I have gathered lots of knowledge on anatomy and key framing over the years.
Yes I have created art for most game genres. I'm often requested to make repeatable elements for parallax scrolling, layered backgrounds and tile-sets that customers can use to design levels. It usually requires versatility, consistency and a good understanding of the customer's needs to provide the best results.
I provide solutions for most requests relating to game art and have packages for objects, backgrounds, tile-sets, characters, portraits and user-interface elements.
I keep my prices very competitive which is not always easy as some platforms take a hefty commission fee from the seller, but I don't believe it's fair to reflect that directly onto the customer. So pricing is often a case of balancing a typical estimate of my time to complete work (which comes with experience) Vs the size and complexity of the work. I try to work towards an hourly rate which sometimes works out lucrative and other times works out less than a typical minimum wage. I am happy to take the rough with the smooth regarding payments as I put the most value on having the luxury of being paid to do what I love.
I ensure customer satisfaction by offering quality work at a reasonable price. Customers are always entitled to revisions when needed although I am rarely asked to make any large-scale edits. This is because I have a great understanding of my subject and my customers appreciate that I take the time to discuss their project thoroughly before taking their order. I am also always happy to support them with any design ideas and help them to realize and clarify their vision.
I would suggest that they first research a few different art styles and try to chose an artist that can showcase similar work to guarantee the best aesthetic for their project. Communication is also very important in a collaboration so I would suggest to talk to several artists before making a decision and to chose someone they feel is easy to talk to and can discuss ideas with and will respond quickly to their correspondence. The cheapest, or highest rated is not always the best. Try to choose the artist that understands your vision, is happy to talk details and can provide relevant experience.