Dev Diary# 4

In the last diary I said I would explain how we came upon our artist, and so I shall tell the tale.

Early in the project I had zero expectations for artwork. I was creating an interactive fiction, not a visual novel, so I didn't think much of it past a title card. However, as time went on and I was basing the writing off photos of web models, I decided maybe it was time to start searching for an artist who could draw a rendition of the models in such a way to give them their own look and reference, so I set out to DeviantArt for some artists. I was looking for cheap because I did not have allocated funds for this (everything would be out-of-pocket costs). I searched for about a month or so and contacted 5 artists, 2 of which said 'no', 2 of which didn't respond, and one who joined the team as a writer.

Though I wasn't having any luck I continued to search and finally happened upon GentleGolem's comic, Amber's Advices. I looked upon his artwork and warmed up to the colors and style and decided to reach out; afterall, why not? I left a very descriptive telling of my project and what I was looking for in an artist.

To my surprise, he answered! He was humbled by my words and impressed at my project and told me that his native language is French, so my next long message to him was translated into French, which I spent some time making sure that every word was translated in a way that makes sense to him for clarity. He thanked me for that and said it is not necessary for me to translate. Furthermore, after I had sent him the Discord invite, he joined the Discord and we began talking on that platform. He informed me that he was willing to do the commission: 14 characters and 1 cover image. I was ecstatic, but then came the next problem: payment. I discussed with him that I can't pay up front and would need to work out a payment plan with him and that maybe I could pay a low monthly payment. I made sure to note that I was good to my word, which I am.

With one message he told me that he would do this for free.

I couldn't accept that. How could I? An artist working FOR FREE? I insisted that he be compensated in some way and he insisted that he wouldn't. He said he believes in the project, he likes my work ethic and friendly personality, and the way I approached him was mature. He has told me that people often come to him with commission requests in such a format as "can you draw princess Leia fat?". No courtesys, nor formalities, just cut-and-dry demands/questions. I, on the other hand, wrote a letter to him (via DA) and made sure to be polite, forward, and complimentary of his artwork. Reluctant, I obliged and allowed him to work for free on the project, if he so wished, but I asked numerous times to make sure that is what he wanted.

The project has grown tremendously and he is now doing many pieces of artwork for us, and now that we have a Patreon I am forcing him to accept payments. He deserves a fair share of compensation.

GentleGolem, you are a great friend and a wonderful artist. Thank you for your contribution to the project.