Saturday, April 22, 2006

Where can I get Art for my Game?

Heya,

One of the things I’m working on right now is getting art together for the games I’m about to release. I’m on a pretty tight budget at the moment, so economical art is really what I’m after. I imagine you are too. So to help out, here’s a list of links I’ve been using to fill in the spaces for my games:

Ed Heil’s Art Trove:
Ed has done the RPG world a favor here. He’s got a collection very good art and an equally generous offer. You get access to all the drawings on this website for only 25 bucks! Not only that, he’ll draw another picture for you according to your specifications. If you’re new to RPG design, let me let you in on something- this is a steal! Take Ed up on it.

Dover Art:
For years Dover Publishing has been releasing “clip art” type books. You can use up to 10 images per book without violating any copyright laws. If you want to use more, just write them and ask. You can find books on almost any subject here. I own over twenty at the moment. This is another high recommend. Oh, and I recommend that you order the books that come with CDs if you can. They’re a little more expensive, but scanning art is a pain and can have certain complications as far as fuzziness and resolution scale of the images.

MSN Clip Art:
Clip art can serve a purpose to help break up a page or add in small designs for stuff like page numbers and backgrounds. I don’t recommend making a whole book out of clip art, but you should be able to find some useful images here. They are free to download, so help yourself!

Wikimedia:
As much as I loathe and despise Wikipedia for academic reasons, I hail Wikimedia as a gift from heaven. There are tons of free pictures here that are very applicable to RPG designs. Make sure you read the warnings at the bottom of each picture. Some require accreditation and some aren’t actually free. But if you’re working on your game setting, especially if it’s based on a real place (like London or New York for instance), then this website is an answer to your prayers.

RPGNow Stock Art:
RPGNow has several pieces and collections of Stock Art for sale. It can really vary in price and usefulness, but if you’re in a pinch, you might be able to find something here. Of all the options I’m mentioning, this will be the most expensive. But remember, these guys are just trying to make a buck just like you. They should charge whatever they feel they can get for their product.

So anyway, I hope that helps some of you out. I know from experience how much of a pain getting art can be. Good luck to you guys :)

Peace,

-Troy

6 comments:

Ed H said...

Hey Troy -- thanks for the plug. I really need to put some finishing touches on your dwarf -- I'm not *quite* happy with the way he is yet.

Troy_Costisick said...

Heya,

No prob, Ed. You're doing me a great favor, IMO, and just anouncing that fact on my blog is the least I can do. I really hope people take advantage of your offer, because chances like this don't come up very often. One of the biggest pains in publishing RPGs is getting a stockpile of art. You've got one ready made.

Peace,

-Troy

Guy said...

It'd be nice to note that while Ed's trove offer is very nice, it requires your content to be used under Creative Commons while using the art.

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