How to Find Game Artists for Hire? HR Tips [Updated 2024]

How can you find game artists for hire today? It is as easy as one-two-three – just go where there are a lot of specialists! There are hundreds of talented and skilled game artists out there waiting for your job offer. The only thing is to find the best ones and start collaborating with them for the benefit of your business project. No idea where the artists hang out?

Let’s figure it out together.

3 Common Ways to Hire Game Artists Today

1. Freelancing Platforms Like Upwork or Freelancer

Many professionals are ready to connect and collaborate remotely. Affordability, flexible schedule, freedom, and independence are just several advantages of hiring freelancers. On top of all that, you have the chance to shortlist specialists based on your own needs – all you need to do is to try your luck. Don’t hope that the first available freelancer is your dream worker.

Finding freelancers is easy – in addition to well-known platforms, they often hang out on social networks, bulletin boards, thematic forums, and job search channels in messengers.

Pros of Freelance Employees

Huge selection of specialists	UpWork, Freelancer, Fiverr, Toptal and other platforms are filled with experts from different fields with different backgrounds and skills. So here you will probably find the one you need
Free hire	There is no need to sign contracts and provide the employee with equipment and software. You pay for the work on a specific project, you can interrupt cooperation at any time and decide for yourself whether to cooperate with this expert again
Fast adaptation	Freelancers are constantly working on different projects, so they are especially good at adapting to new conditions and features without the downtime and unnecessary questions
Cost-effectiveness	Freelance collaborations are more affordable than hiring in-house employees, because you only pay for the deliverables, avoiding overheads, insurance and sick leave. In addition, there is a wide range of specialist rates, and you can always choose an option within your budget
Flexibility	Employees hired through freelance platforms are usually very flexible in collaboration. You can contact them at any time when an unforeseen urgent task appears and agree on its completion at the time you need. If one specialist cannot take on the task, you can easily choose another

Cons of Freelance Employees

One at a time hiring	UpWork, Freelancer, Fiverr, Toptal and other platforms are filled with experts from different fields with different backgrounds and skills. So here you will probably find the one you need
No quality guarantees	There is no need to sign contracts and provide the employee with equipment and software. You pay for the work on a specific project, you can interrupt cooperation at any time and decide for yourself whether to cooperate with this expert again
Communication problems	If employees are located in a different time zone, then they will not be able to provide you with an instant answer to your question, request or message. This can greatly delay the work on the project
Style inconsistency	Every freelancer has a different drawing style, which may not match the company’s overall artistic approach to work. This can result in inconsistent projects that do not fit each other in style
Privacy concerns	If you need to hand over confidential materials, drawings, or models to freelancers to work on an assignment, you have no guarantee that they will not use them for their personal purposes for other projects

When is hiring a freelancer a good option? Working with a freelancer can pay off if you need to complete one specific task that is unlikely to be repeated in the future and does not require the involvement of a large team or hiring an in-house employee.

2. In-House Employees Working on the Company Premises

In this case, take into account the expenses of this employment – the price of hiring each specialist (there should be a recruiter who you need to pay for searching the necessary worker quickly), the cost of office services, including rentals (if the office premises aren’t bought out) and many others. You or your accountants will only find time to settle accounts for everything in brick-and-mortar offices and outside (various team-building activities and parties). But there is another side of the story – you’re guaranteed that your team will be physically present in a company. The constant face-to-face communication will contribute to the final results enormously.

You can find in-house employees on LinkedIn, on job boards, in recruiting agencies, in thematic groups of social networks and messenger channels, on hiring marketplaces, etc. Remember that recruiting, onboarding, and training employees will take time, so don’t expect them to be immediately useful.

Pros of In-House Employees

Live communication	Working in the office, you have the opportunity to communicate face-to-face with each employee, ensuring the fast transmission of the necessary information and instant feedback
High motivation	Some workers find it difficult to adjust to remote work and establish the necessary discipline. The business atmosphere of the office encourages many to work much better, positively affecting efficiency
Deep understanding	In-house employees work on a project from the moment the idea appears so that they understand its ins and outs best of all. They do not need additional time to delve into it
Professional development	In-house hiring allows you to grow talents from junior to senior levels and instill in them the skills you need. Career growth will increase employee loyalty, and the company will have a unique customized specialist
Fast problem solving	Offline work mode and the presence of all employees in one place allows solving any technical or project issue much faster than if the team worked remotely

Cons of In-House Employees

Additional expenses	Office maintenance will cost you a pretty penny: you have to think about renting, equipping workers and buying software, office supplies, products, onboarding and training of new specialists and so on
Location limitation	You can recruit employees only from your city or offer additional relocation bonuses for those who are ready to relocate: this significantly narrows the range of search for specialists
Time spent	Finding specialists, interviewing and hiring takes a lot of time. After that, a certain period is required for onboarding and adaptation, only after which employees can fully immerse themselves in projects
Dependence on employees	If one of the experts falls ill or goes on vacation, this can negatively affect the project or slow down the work on specific tasks. You will also have to think about the replacement and familiarization of the new expert with the tasks and spend additional resources on it
Unstable retention rate	Other companies often try to lure qualified specialists with more favorable conditions and higher salaries. There is always a risk that your lead specialist will decide to change jobs at the most inopportune moment

When is hiring an in-house team a good option? Working with an in-house team and all the associated costs are relevant if you want to start developing a complex and resource-intensive product that requires high concentration and increased attention. Then the team at your side will provide a much better understanding of the nuances and a quick response to changes.

3. Outsourcing Services

This is a rapidly growing trend, and it is not surprising – a professional team of workers is gathered and ready to work on the tasks they specialize in. Many large organizations of various activities from around the world appreciated the convenience of this hiring method: software development companies, customer service firms, travel and hospitality studios, and this is far from the limit.

So what is offered in particular for this type of hiring game artists? For example, our company Kevuru Games has all the necessary specialists of all levels and skills to deal with gaming projects. You as a client can hire us to help with your specific needs. All the requirements, terms and conditions, guarantees of cooperation are put in a contract so that you and we can be sure of the effective work later on down the line. Contact us anytime.

If you are looking for an outsourcing company, pay attention to authoritative ratings and reviews of platforms like DesignRush, Clutch or GoodFirms: qualified studios must have accounts there. There you can also read customer reviews and see a portfolio, a more detailed version of which can be found on the studio’s website.

Pros of Outsourcing Employees

Flexible cooperation models	An outsourcing company forms a team depending on your needs and can easily change its composition during the work on a project if someone’s services are no longer needed
High qualifications and QA	The staff of such studios consists of highly qualified experts with extensive experience who can immediately take on the most complex projects. Also, the team adheres to clear quality criteria, which guarantees an excellent result
Affordability	You save resources on interviews, training, workplace equipment and other nuances inevitable when hiring in-house  employees. The budget is agreed upon, and the work on the project is adjusted to it based on your financial capabilities and expectations
A large pool of experts	Outsourcing companies have many departments including specialists in art, animation, programming, testing and more. You get instant access to all of them without the need for an additional search of the necessary experts
High speed of work	Employees of outsourcing companies are experienced professionals who have faced tasks of varying complexity and who know how to work under tight deadlines without affecting quality. A large number of employees allows assigning them several tasks at the same time

Cons of Outsourcing Employees

The difficulty of choice	There are many outsourcing companies and it is often difficult to choose the optimal option. We encourage you to read our guide on this topic, which will help shed light on the nuances of choosing a partner
Remote communication	Some may consider this a disadvantage, it is difficult for someone to cooperate without even seeing their partner in person. However, modern realities rather speak in favor of this type of work
Management issues	There is a possibility that the project management on the outsourcing company’s side is far from perfect, and the team needs your constant control
Hidden costs	It is necessary to thoroughly agree on all financial issues before proceeding to cooperation. Sometimes testing, management or marketing services are not included in the price and are calculated separately, which results in unplanned expenses
Privacy disclosure	Outsourcing tasks often require coverage of IP details and secret nuances of the project. To avoid problems of possible leakage of valuable information, it is necessary to take care of a non-disclosure agreement drawn up in accordance with the legislation of the country where the outsourcing studio is located

When is hiring an outsourcing company a good option? This is almost always a good option. The outsourcing model of team building is very flexible: the studio can select either one or dozens of experts to complete your tasks. Moreover, they are all highly qualified and ready to start work immediately. You can cooperate both one-time and permanently, depending on your satisfaction with the results of the studio.

Average Salaries of Game Artists

If you’ve never hired a game artist before or have no slightest idea about the cost of their work, the next information is for you.

According to Glassdoor, game artist salaries start from $53,000 annually when it comes to entry-level art positions. This number can increase to $133,000 per year for senior and lead positions. The average salary for a game artist is around $99,000, but it’s not limited to only this number. The rule that more experience a specialist has, the more they’re likely to get paid doesn’t always work well.

Outside the expertise level, many other factors are affecting the final cost of a game artist’s job:

• A particular game style and genre may affect how much an artist is paid.
• The scope of work also determines a game artist salary.

The salary of game artists depends on the country where they work. For example, artists have higher salaries in the USA than in Ukraine. ZipRecruiter offers some numbers for consideration.

Average Rates Per Hour for Game Art Studios

If you don’t want to hire full-time employees for game art development, there’s ‘s always an outsourcing option. Globalized world give you a choice of game art studios all around the world which you can hire to get the work done faster and possibly cheaper.

Art Services	US	UK	Germany	Eastern Europe
2D art	$50-120	$45-120	$35-100	$25-70
3D art	$70-150	$65-150	$60-140	$30-90
2D animation	$65-160	$60-150	$50-140	$35-120
3D animation	$80-190	$70-160	$60-140	$40-120
Concept art	$45-120	$40-110	$35-110	$30-90
Game design	$45-130	$40-110	$35-110	$25-90

The data on rates per hour is calculated based on the average studio rates, taken from clutch.co and similar platforms.

Key Requirements for Game Artists

To be a well-paid game artist, a person must fulfill certain requirements set by the customer or employer. Having experience in creating games and art is usually enough to be hired as a game artist, especially if a candidate has an impressive portfolio with artworks. Most employers prefer those with experience and excellent work samples over those with advanced degrees. Well, what is required to get a job offer?

2D Art

1. Completed course in 2D game art, game design, or related fields.
2. Experience with 2D illustration programs (Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, SketchBook Pro, etc.)
3. Complete understanding of 2D art mechanics and art production processes.

Are you looking for proficient 2D artists to hire? Read more information about it in the article. Just for the record – we provide full-cycle services in 2D art. You can see 2D artworks in our portfolio. So, you can find it very useful at the moment.

3D Art

1. Degree in Art or relevant experience.
2. Complete understanding of 3D art techniques and art production cycle.
3. High knowledge of all modern 3D illustration programs such as 3DsMax, Maya, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer, etc.

Working in 3D art requires creativity and technological skills. We offer full-cycle 3D art services and focus on long-term collaboration. Check out our 3D art creative baggage by yourself. If you have a great project idea but experience troubles with implementation, be sure our skilled professionals will select the most optimal solution in each case.

2D Animation

1. Completion of the animation training program.
2. Good drawing and sculpting skills backed by extensive experience in the field.
3. Ability to create 2D animation and graphics using programs (Spine, After Effects, Moho (Anime Studio), Toon Boom, Adobe Animate).

Work experience plays a crucial role in an animator’s career. Our experts in 2D animation can provide high-quality services based on their valuable experience of working with state-of-the-art tools. We worked on large animation projects for Socialpoint, GoodGame and Kongregate and know what a top-class 2D animation should be.

3D Animation

1. Deep understanding of 3D animation production.
2. Hands-on experience in 3D modeling and animation.
3. Deep knowledge of computer software such as Maya, Moho, 3DsMax, MotionBuilder, etc.

In general, the animation is extensive to learn and practice, but 3D is a fast-growing field to start progressing today. That’s what our team is concerned with when offering 3D animation services to many projects.

Concept Art

1. Education in visual arts or game arts.
2. Proficiency in drawing, painting, and 3D modeling demonstrated in a portfolio acknowledging these skills.
3. Ability to work with Maya, 3DsMax, Painter, ZBrush, etc.

Talent, creativity and exceptional taste are the primary job requirements for concept artists. But most employers look for original art with a unique style. When you come to selecting the right concept artist for your project, strive to find the right balance of soft and hard skills. We have a rich concept portfolio that will give you food for thought.

Wrapping Up About Hiring Game Artists

To wrap it up, hiring a good game designer is half the battle you can win. All you have to do is determine the best way to hire professionals for yourself. Remember freelancing or outsourcing? You can collaborate with artists on an hourly basis or for a fixed price. You can hire a whole team of 2D/3D artists, animators, and game designers. Alternatively, you can use the services of only one professional from the team. It’s up to you, but keep in mind the specifics of each hiring model.

Are you going to work with game designers in the office? Include all the expenses required to build a team up front to ultimately become profitable. Your team must be motivated enough to go to work every day. Do you want to work with freelancers? Evaluate all possible risks – the incompetence of the person on the other side of the screen, poor performance, significant delays in the delivery of goods, and so on. Avoid these risks early on by carefully conducting your Skype or face-to-face interviews. Sometimes you can’t do without the help of recruiters. In this case, you need to pay for this work as well.

Are you still thinking about hiring our dedicated team of game artists? All costs, risks and benefits are taken into account. The benefits outweigh the risks as real experts work on your project. They do what is required of them – they create attractive illustrations for any individual project.