Game Developers Can't Find Decent Art or Fonts
10 posts across 4 communities in the last 30 days; 40% from r/gamedev.
“So, i cant draw for shit. Plus, my characters tend to be inspired by some element of another character or show, so i often use faceclaims. It’ll just be an actor or a character with a few changes. Like, one of my character’s faceclaim is younger Mckenna Grace, but with white…”
“Hey guys, I'm developing a game and I'm mainly a programmer and writer. Haven't found someone for the art and since I am a fresh unemployed grad, I can't afford to hire. Ideally, I think the visual direction of the game Stray would be most suitable, however, I'm starting to…”
“Hey everyone Art and mechanics, both at an ok level, but only time to really push one. Which one would it be for you ? Everyone says mechanics, obviously. But every screenshot thread I see is just people going "wow gorgeous art" and nobody's talking about the systems, because…”
Many game developers are expressing frustration and dissatisfaction with the quality of art, design choices, and overall creative direction in their games. Concerns range from cliche character designs to technical challenges like shipping large image files and a lack of fresh ideas.
SOURCES (60)
“Don't know if I post it here or if there's an entirely separate sub reddit for this but how would I go about designing this armor set. Are there any specific guides on YouTube I could watch? Total newbie to 3d printing submitted by /u/ozone_enjoyer…”
“https://preview.redd.it/ewoi4np8vtuh1.jpg?width=2560&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b24af83bfa2605a1119a47b6caf3e050fa675c0 From the start, we wanted to create a dark, oppressive world-one you could feel from a single glance. We just hadn’t figured out what it looked like yet. We gathered references, discussed the lore, and experimented with silhouettes and designs. Slowly, those experiments started to resemble the world we’d been imagining. Then one drawing made us stop and say, “Yeah. Th”
“Hi! I was just wondering if y'all have any tips or tricks to make text more visually appealing in your game. I'm currently making a game with heavy comic book/punk subculture reference and something I've struggled a lot with is making text look nice with the rest of the game. Simple text looks so jarring next to animated assets and finding good fonts always feels imposible to me. How do you guys go about making text (regular text, not titles) look alive and coherent with the rest of”
“Im struggling to find my style, mostly the f-ing (sorry) rainbow , sometimes only dark fantasy. Is there any tips and tricks to find my style submitted by /u/IfiGabor [link] [comments]”
“Hi. It is me again. Today I'm asking something much more simple. Color. I know that there are a lot of the card games out there have different color theme and what not. But I'm wondering about something, like, am i allowed to use a similar color theme for my backround for text, just like Yu-gi-oh? I don't mean exact copy, a different color shades and i don't really mean like i will be coppying spell, traps and what not color cards themes. I'm not planning to do that. Just ask”
“I recently got an email from an Australian studio looking for "game-ready" AI characters for just 10 AUD each. It's an absolute joke compared to the work of an actual character artist who hand-sculpts every detail—work that rightfully costs thousands of dollars. Honestly, the people enabling these AI pipelines are just digging a massive pit for everyone else in the industry. submitted by /u/shagil_zaka [link] [comments]”
“Were some of you also stuck at this point? I am a software engineer and hobby gamedev (as most of you as i have noticed) and kinda suck at visuals. You see where this is going: For the last year i crafted a solid fps with fun and quiet unique mechanics. Multiplayer and gamemodes where implemented and the game is nearly feature-complete for the demo. I also white-boxed 3 levels with level-desgin which work with my mechanics. I played them with my friends and they were fun and working. Now the big”
“I recently made a post asking why my game Enrooted wasn't getting wishlists. The most frequent comment I got was "looks like it was made in ms paint". I have now come here to ask if anyone has tips on how to improve the art. Thank you! Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5134100/Enrooted/?beta=0 submitted by /u/Comfortable-Buy-9569 [link] [comments]”
“So, i cant draw for shit. Plus, my characters tend to be inspired by some element of another character or show, so i often use faceclaims. It’ll just be an actor or a character with a few changes. Like, one of my character’s faceclaim is younger Mckenna Grace, but with white hair. Its just the best way for me to visualise it. I genuinenly have no idea what the opinion on it is, so i’d just like to know! submitted by /u/Odysseus_of_Ithaca1 [link] [comments]”
“Hey all, just looking for some feedback on some character art, my main concern is the face. Faces are difficult, does its level of detail match the rest of the art? Always open to any constructive criticism from the wealth on knowledge here on anything. I posted as apart of my game scene so you can get an idea of its size compared to the full screen. Thanks to all who take the time to take a look, appreciate it as always! submitted by /u/DreamingDarkerGame [link] [comments]”
“Hey guys, I'm developing a game and I'm mainly a programmer and writer. Haven't found someone for the art and since I am a fresh unemployed grad, I can't afford to hire. Ideally, I think the visual direction of the game Stray would be most suitable, however, I'm starting to thing that maybe that's impossible. Lets say the game is set in a very small world. Say, a school. A bunch of buildings, NPCs, and school related assets. Genre would be cyberpunk-style so post humanism”
“Looking to finally getting my splash screens and logos done. Does any have any recommendations for UK based artists? No AI stuff submitted by /u/mit74 [link] [comments]”
“I want to start working on a game, the only thing stopping me is I have no experience with art and not really sure where to start learning. I'm leaning most towards a pixel art style. Does anyone have any good recommendations for tutorials, videos, or any other resources that would be helpful for getting started? submitted by /u/alexrm12 [link] [comments]”
“Title says it all, I'd love opinions. We were developing a futuristic aesthetic, but I feel like a photorealistic art style is a nono. After analyzing several posts on X, I feel like some retro style suits much better, but this is just my opinion, I don't have any data to support that perception. submitted by /u/GSalmao [link] [comments]”
“I've gone through many different styles, but landed on something between Kpop Demon Hunters, Fortnite, and some Pixar films, in my opinion. My current plans are: eye size, eye position, nose size, nose position, mouth size, jaw shape, eyebrow shape, eyebrow size, hairstyle, body size, body type A/B, hat, outfit, color palette for clothing, skin tone, eye color, hair color, piercings, nail color I want to prioritize options, so I'm looking for hairstyles, clothing, or options that feel ot”
“Starting off with a disclaimer that this is not a post looking to hire anyone in any way for any task/job. I'm currently working on a game that will have a dozen characters, with different abilities, and multiple appearances for each character. I will need all of these to of course be modelled, rigged, and animated. These skills, as well as 3D visual effects (particle effects?), any necessary 2d art, and sound effects are the only skills I do not have and will have to outsource for. I can do”
“Quick question about 3D art. Are there spots in game developing teams where i ONLY make art? That's what I want to know because thats the skill I am sharpening. Alot of teams require their 3D artist to be mult-skilled and retopology and rigging and animating. Im nkt doing that. Im only going to get good at 3D modeling itself. submitted by /u/DeliveryAromatic2007 [link] [comments]”
“If you don’t mind, could you tell me what kind of impression or associations this character gives you? I’m trying to figure out whether she fits the heroine’s personality. The game will be a visual novel if that information is important. submitted by /u/Forgewabbit [link] [comments]”
“In my post last weekend, a lot of y'all suggested adding a texture overlay to help sell the "living painting" look for my game. I made 3 options based on the most popular/frequent suggestions from my last post, but I'm struggling to pick which one actually looks the best. The first picture is my original look from last time (our baseline). The second picture is a Canvas Texture Overlay across the cameraspace. The third picture is a Crinkled Texture Overlay across the cameraspac”
“Hey everyone Art and mechanics, both at an ok level, but only time to really push one. Which one would it be for you ? Everyone says mechanics, obviously. But every screenshot thread I see is just people going "wow gorgeous art" and nobody's talking about the systems, because they can't, they haven't played it. Art is what gets you seen. So do you make the good-looking one that people click on, or the good one that nobody finds? I'm really thinking about that this past”
“Genuinely not trying to complain here. Pixel art and art in general is truly the bane of my existence, and my life really is too busy to sit down and learn it, or maybe I just find it too frustrating, especially after all these years. I love working on WoW2D; coding and designing, conceptualizing, etc. But when I even begin to think about implementing even rudimentary art, my concentration pretty much falters and basically disappears. I have a few systems designed (yet to be coded) and the only”
“I thought everybody just agreed that everything should look like Thomas Kinkade painted the backgrounds. Don't we all love "Fire & Ice"?”
“Before: an in-game mockup I sent to the artist. Super happy with the result! Looking at this capsule, can you tell what the game is about? submitted by /u/m_brudi [link] [comments]”
“We are working on a 2d metroidvania game, and recently we launched our first demo. Using feedbacks from the first demo, we are working on updating and changing our art style. What do you guys think about this new art direction? https://preview.redd.it/a5cxruqjlvkh1.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=59cfb52ad24e08735d7fe93e6d490809dfab4c45 https://preview.redd.it/c42oawqjlvkh1.jpg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=737f371634bbc7a36ca2fc875db818b6c125ad44 https://prev”
“genuinely asking, what does a game dev actually look for in a character artist? trying to figure out if my style has a place here. Also curious, what kind of genre should my art be in? submitted by /u/Euphoric_Spread_3293 [link] [comments]”
“It's me again, and I'm still chasing that "Bob Ross" painted look! I included some screenshots of how this look has progressed over the last few weeks. In my last post (the second screenshot), I made a basic kuwahara post-processor for my Unity game, but the lines were too perfect, and the character was all blurry. Since then, to fix my character being too blurry, I went ahead and dropped a toon shader on my main character and learned about Unity's URP to order my Rendering”
“Hi everyone! I've been working on and off on a prototype for a while and people seem to like it. For now I've only worked with placeholder 2D art or in some cases with Kenney's assets (thanks Kenney!). However, now that I've done a little bit of playtesting I'd like to try to get to a "vertical slice" with a more decent UX/UI design, better art and maybe a little bit of music. How can someone with almost no artistic skills do that? While my game is a very simple, ab”
“I'm trying to achieve a simple art style using mostly basic, solid colors, but the result currently feels too flat and lacking in visual depth. What techniques could I use to make the style look more polished and visually interesting without making it significantly more complex? submitted by /u/Noobye1 [link] [comments]”
“Some playtesters suggested improving the visuals, while others said the hand-drawn style is fine. I'm curious what other people think Here's the itch page if anyone wants to examine it in more detail: Birdlike submitted by /u/llmaandme [link] [comments]”
“While we currently have a core art style for the game, we want to introduce more visual variety that evolves alongside the storyline and chapter progression submitted by /u/ON-ANY-JOURNEY [link] [comments]”
“Hi guys I am new to gamedev and I am developing a game, it's in a very early stage so I don't want to spoil anything just yet, anyways I've browsed sites like itch.io for assets but I just can't find the right assets for my game, hiring someone isn't out of the question but I just don't know if that's the right call, any tips? submitted by /u/Chokorrol_3000 [link] [comments]”
“Hey everyone! I'm Trent, a 2D illustrator. I wanted to share some original concept art I’ve been working on, focused on dark fantasy, soulslike, and cosmic horror atmospheres. This piece is called "Red Oculus." My goal was to create a very aggressive, unsettling vibe using heavy reds and deep blacks. For fellow devs making horror or dark RPG titles, do you prefer this kind of highly detailed, surreal art for capsules/key art, or do you lean towards more minimalist psychological hor”
“I would like to ask how do YOU go with the process? Are you just in one field or do you jump across art and something eg. I wanna see if you do it like me submitted by /u/PresidentEvil1997 [link] [comments]”
“Hi guys! Excited to finally share some of my pixel art work here. This is the main banner for a game I'm developing. I've been tweaking the shading on the background trees and clouds to make the farmer and creatures pop out more. Let me know what you think or if there's anything I should improve! submitted by /u/SaphirineFinrod [link] [comments]”
“Heyy thanks for the feedback! That's an interesting point. Do you think the issue is specifically with pixel art, or would you feel the same about 2D or 3D animation too? I'm trying to figure out which style feels respectful while still helping viewers follow the story.”
“You all helped me choose the winning design for my last character, so I would love your input again. My sketch artist spends a week or two researching each character before delivering a huge collection of silhouettes. This is the first stage of our design process, and somehow I always end up liking six to eight of them. This character is the kingpin’s right hand. She is not the traditional Asian ninja-assassin archetype. She is a Living Quantum Prediction Cyborg. She does not see the future. She”
“1st picture is New, 2nd picture is old Making new Artstyle for Game development isn't exactly the most efficient thing to do but like I prefer animating in vector... So I was kinda forced to draw with Vector... (The character design still suck ass but I cannot bring myself to change my old ass design that doesn't even understand concept of "looking natural") submitted by /u/cpiyaphum [link] [comments]”
“Which color palette fits this ruined environment best? 👀 And did you catch the inspiration behind it? (Hint: it’s from a certain game 👀) Let us know what you think in the comments! 💬 Huge thanks to Tamago for creating this beautiful concept! 💛 #IndieGame #GameDev #PixelArt #ConceptArt #EnvironmentArt #GameArt submitted by /u/SacredFlameStudio [link] [comments]”
“i'm having a hard time finding non ai artists for overlays, alerts, banners etc. i'm looking right now for full packs for stream, and sub badges. my theming is dark purple and green, forest fairy vibes with a hint of moon/celestial stuff. any suggestions would be very helpful! submitted by /u/anon00033 [link] [comments]”
“Never thought that the main menu could have this much impact in our game. Want to show off new features as the Demo grows in it too now. submitted by /u/RamblingHaggis [link] [comments]”
“so we've been updating our bosses and i stumbled on the early concept art. and honestly? i started wondering did it look better before? what do you think? submitted by /u/user_48736353001 [link] [comments]”
“I'm trying to find 3d model creators for an FPS military style game. https://www.behance.net/hire/browse?search=3d+models+game&tool=6072 what filters should I use?? submitted by /u/Minimum_Hour519 [link] [comments]”
“Np! I think it's just the sheer amount of content in the hero, all fighting for my attention. And maybe the colours(?) I do like the logo but using that many colours in the hero might be too much”
“I'm making a game with a lot of characters onscreen (not as large as in this picture - it's just an example - but from this asset pack). But I don't have any pixelated UI elements or backgrounds among my assets. Furthermore, I'm looking at the pixel art games I'm inspired by and I realize I don't like pixelated interfaces or fonts at all. At the same time, I have UI and scene elements done in a more traditional style (not pixel art), and I like them. I also like the combi”
“i found Polygon Military Park but it stills looks lego-ish. I want something high qualtiy for mitlary type FPS. submitted by /u/Minimum_Hour519 [link] [comments]”
“Hello! My sister and I are currently planning to build a 2D game. She's good at art but hasn't worked on a video game before and I only know how to code. If I tried to draw, it would be indistinguishable from a toddlers' drawing. Anyways, I was wondering if there are any resources to doing video game art as someone who already knows how to draw as a lot of what I can find seem to be for beginners. Also, any tips on good practices for video game artists and artstyles that would be man”
Disclosure: Card art is unfortunately generated AI at this time. We started development using AI for character art so we could move forward designing and creating systems by hand without AI, but…
“Desgning a prototype card for a digital tcg I want to make. Anyone know if it's a big difference to make it vectored or rastered? submitted by /u/GyroShade [link] [comments]”
“We’re a small student-led team working on a D&D-inspired tower defense game called Abyssfall: The Black Citadel. (Available on Steam) After getting feedback on our current visuals, we decided to rework the art direction before moving forward. We’re currently deciding between these two styles. Which one would you rather see in the actual game — A or B? Why? submitted by /u/Dry-Invite2201 [link] [comments]”
“We’re a small student-led team working on a D&D-inspired tower defense game called Abyssfall: The Black Citadel. (Available on Steam) After getting feedback on our current visuals, we decided to rework the art direction before moving forward. We’re currently deciding between these two styles. Which one would you rather see in the actual game — A or B? Why? Would love some honest feedback from fellow Tritons! submitted by /u/Dry-Invite2201 [link] [comments]”
“Solo devs have to wear all the hats. So you have to somehow split your time between modeling, programming, etc. I feel like between programming and the art style of the game, the one that can still turn out good, but also be made easier, is the art. And by that I mean, low poly can look great. And it definitely takes less time than realism When you were brainstorming your ideas, how did you settle on the art style you decided to learn? I’ve been battling with myself on what I want to start learn”
“"Create a modernized depiction of a [Night Elf Huntress, holding her bow], from the Warcraft III Legacy using this classic model as an example. It's important to maintain [her proportions, armor and clothing, particularly her hair length and color, and eye color], etc. The result should be a realistic yet stylized depiction of the character. It is important not to add anything to the image or to cancel it out - the transfer should be as close as possible to its intended model. Pay atten”
“I dont have any experience in draw, I'm 23 years old, and this game I'm developing is a tile-matching game , But I want an epic story....But I'm not entirely sure this character design will appeal. submitted by /u/Forgotten_Gate [link] [comments]”
“I'm our 2d artist posting what our 3d artist wrote under a threat of corporal punishment: A look at how we make hair cards for our game. I suggest opening the images up in a separate window to follow along if the topic interests you. The 3D stuff is made in Blender, for use in Godot. You can also read the article with nicer formatting at https://murska.digital/blog.html In the world of She Hunts, a multitude of furry creatures roam the tainted wilderness. In order to properly dress them in w”
“My close friend works at a AAA gaming company as a 3D artist. A concept artist comes up with the overall look and feel of the character, and he models it and rigs it in Maya. That is the extent of his role in the creation of the game he's working on. But as an indie developer, if I want to create a game, I need to do and be good at literally everything. That has been extremely challenging, as there is so much to do in making a decent game that it becomes overwhelming. Here is a non-exhaustiv”