Dorian Artists Posting
Welcome to the postings board! Here you can find profiles of artists offering commissions/requests for artwork for use in your games. You can select a style choice below or just begin scrolling to look through their profiles.
If you're an artist and would like to be posted, you can DM @pianobelt in the discord server with your info to be added.
This site is best viewed on desktop.
Manga/Anime
Mariaoglesbyart
Stylized | Reallistic | Cartoon
Status: Open
Pricing: $60+
Offers: Sprites, Backgrounds, Full scenes, Covers, Character Design
Discord: Maria Oglesby (She/Her)#4402
Lilith Lee Lynn
Stylized | Cartoon
Status: Open
Pricing: Open to discussion and/or heart percentage
Offers: Sprites, Backgrounds, Full scenes, Covers, Character Design
Discord: Borealis#4239
Realistic
Mariaoglesbyart
Stylized | Reallistic | Cartoon
Status: Open
Pricing: $60+
Offers: Sprites, Backgrounds, Full scenes, Covers, Character Design
Discord: Maria Oglesby (She/Her)#4402
Resources
If you're looking to learn to draw or improve your skills, or if you're looking for helpful guides about commissioning, scamming, etc, then this is a hub of links on the various topics. Most of these have been shared in the server, and some others have been added independently.
Learning To Draw or Improve
What programs/tools/etc should I get?
*These lists will be updated periodically as new resources are learned of.
Drawing Yourself
Programs Free: Krita, Gimp, Photopea
Programs Paid: Procreate (Ipad only, 10$), ClipStudio Paint (both computer/ipad, can be one price for computer or monthly sub for comp and iPad), AdobeSuite (ipad/comp though vary in tools, monthly subscription)
Tools: Basic Pen & Paper + Scanner, Ipad Pro + Apple Pencil, Drawing tablet (XpPen or Huion offer tablets that can connect to mobile devices, Wacom is a more expensive computer tablet brand), Surface Pro (laptop + touchscreen drawing tablet)
Outside Resources
Online Courses: You can learn an array of skills and styles by taking online courses. Skillshare, Class101, and many others offer courses from real working artists in industries like comics, animation, gaming, and more for you to learn from. There are different asking prices for these courses, and they will vary in skill level expectancy.
Purchasing/Acquiring Assets
If you don't draw nor have the desire to learn, there are several different methods to get assets for your game. These options can be free or moderately priced, and it comes down to what you want to get.
Premade Assets
Many sites have premade assets from various artists that you can download and use. Be sure to look at the commercial rights information on these assets, as not all of them will allow you to use them for paid projects.
| Where | Info |
|---|---|
| Dorian Prompts | Dorian prompts are built in the Dorian engine, where artists put together sets of assets for both sprites and backgrounds that you can use to create stories. |
| Itch.io | A marketplace for games, programs, and art. You can find assets made for VN here by various artists. |
| Cloudnovel | Cloudnovel has an asset database and character creators which all can be used for VNs |
| Lemmasoft | Lemmasoft forum for VNs has a Creative Commons topic |
| BOOTH | BOOTH is Pixiv’s storefront that has lots of free and paid sprites |
| Pixiv | Pixiv itself has lots of uploaded sprites, just be careful to check what’s available for download |
| Opengameart | Opengameart is completely dedicated to game assets in general and has a good amount of VN sprites too |
| Wataokiba | Wataokiba is a single artist but has plenty of sprites for download |
*Thank you to KharmaKhay for the website recommendations
Custom Assets
Commissions: Commissioning an artist to create assets for you guarantees work custom made for your story that fits your design wants. The price will vary from artist to artist, as well as the commercial usage of the work. You can find artists through the discord server/this site, social media, or work posting websites.
Fiverr or Upwork: These sites are labeled as "freelancing marketplaces" where artists or creators can advertise their custom products for a set price. Like buying product, you simply select what you want, add your details, and purchase. However, it is very common to be scammed on these websites or get very low quality work, so please use these sites with caution.
AI Art: There are generator companies that produce AI art for either free or monthly subscriptions. You can get a moderately customized asset using the engines. Warning: the legality of using AI art for commercial purposes is under dispute, with many of these companies leaving the responsibility to their users if they should face legal trouble. Also, many artists frown upon the usage of these engines and will likely deny working with you if you have used these engines before.
Commissioning Etiquette
Want to commission someone for custom work but not sure where to start or what to say? Hopefully this will give you some guidance in what to provide, how to ask, and what to expect.
| What | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Asking for prices | Each artist will price their work differently and advertise differently. Many artists will have set prices on portfolios or price sheets for you to look at. Others may be flexible and want to know your budget/price point in order to work with you on what they can offer. Asking for price information is fine to do! We understand if you can't afford the prices given, but please refrain from stating it's "too expensive" or "not worth it". |
| References | Many artists require references in order to do a commission. Though a few can work from written descriptions, the commission has a higher chance of going smoothly if visual references are provided. These can be anywhere between photo references you've gathered from other sites, to a drawing you made yourself or commissioned from someone else. You can provide written information with the visual references to specify changes or small details (i.e. "Her hair is this brown shade in the photo, but I would like her to have a blue ombre at the tips.") Note: it is better to use photographic reference if you did not create or commission the drawn reference. Using drawn refs from other sources can lead to potential copying of someone else's creation. |
| Thumbnails | Most artists know the practice of 'thumbnailing' ideas, which is making small drawings to map out the overall look/composition of the piece. You can also provide thumbnails to the artist to start from if you have a clear idea! Requesting thumbnails from the artist at the start of the commission should be fine, but please refer to the artist's TOS to know for sure. |
| Edits & WIPs | It is normal for the commissioner to want edits/changes made to a commission during the process since it's the first time seeing the ideas coming to life. You should be upfront with the artist about wanting to see WIPs during the commission process if you would like to see it in progress to make corrections. Different artists will have different edit and WIP policies, so please refer to their TOS or ask directly. |
| Professionalism | Please remember that by commissioning an artist, you are ordering a service/product. This transaction is a business transaction and therefore should be treated as such. Comments or conversations asking for personal details from the artist, making comments on others' artworks or styles, and so on should be avoided. |
| Payment | Payment options will vary depending on the artist. The most common options are Paypal, Venmo, Square, or Ko-fi but other methods exist. Depending on your location and the artist's location, there may be discrepancies in price conversion or fees that the artist cannot account for. Using physical payment like checks is discouraged, as this is a common option for scamming. There is no buyer protection, nor is the artist guaranteed their payment if something is wrong with the postal system. |
Scamming
Unfortunately, it is common for scammers to exist in commissioning communities. Sites like Fiverr are rampant with scammers and can be dangerous to pursue. When looking to commission someone, pay attention to these points to try and avoid being scammed:
| What | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Extremely Low Price Point | While a very cheap price can be enticing, it is a common sign that the artist is a scammer when the prices are very low in comparison to the quality of their examples. Charging $5 for a fully custom sprite, or $50 for a fully custom cover is pretty uncommon for a practiced artist with experience in commissions. Not all cheap-prices are scams, but it is advised to be wary of them. |
| Inconsistent Art Styles | If an artist's commission examples are extremely varied, it's less likely they're a savant and more likely that they have stolen or traced their examples. Most artists have style consistencies, despite varying the subject matter or style inspiration in their art. Pay attention to if the pieces seem to be rendered in the same way, if the faces of their figures share similar qualities, and if they show proof of creation (i.e. sketches, wips, etc). Some artists can vary their style quite a bit, but it is more common for artists to have their style or a style they specifically thrive in. |
| Lack of Communication | While everyone struggles with communicating, when doing commissions a lot of the process is speaking with the buyer/client. If an artist is lacking in response or communication, can't answer direct questions, or answers them in a seemingly rehearsed manner, they could be trying to scam you. The scammer will either stop communication after payment is made, even going as far as to block you or will use grandiose terms when trying to convince you to buy. If you're unsure, or unable to read tone well, share the messages with a friend or trusted outside source to help determine legitimacy. |
| WIPs and Speed | Most artists if asked to show WIPs during the process of the commission will gladly do so. Scammers, however, can struggle with offering WIPs because they're not the actual artist of what they'll be delivering. They may refuse to show WIPs, or what they show may be wildly different from the end product. It should also be concerning if the artist's turnaround is a few minutes to hours, as its not often that most artists can create anything in that amount of time. It is not to say that all artists who proclaim fast turnaround are scammers, but it is something to be wary of. |
| AI Usage | With the rise of AI art engines, a common scamming tactic is to offer AI-generated images as legitimate hand-drawn commissions. These are usually hard to spot for most commissioners, and without a keen eye and knowing what to look for, you may not know you've purchased or are negotiating with an AI user. Despite your feelings on AI art, advertising the work as 'hand drawn' or 'handmade' is false advertising and could also get you in hot water given the legal limbo that AI-generated art is under right now. When looking at someone's examples, look for strange places in the rendering (Does the hair morph into the eyes? Are the proportions eerily off? Does text in the image not make any sense?) If you're not certain, you can ask to see sketch examples of the artist's work, as most AI-generators don't sketch anything out. You can also show the work to others, including artists, to help determine the legitimacy of the pieces. |