That's a great idea for a post! I'll try to give you a short answer here so you don't have to entirely wait until I write a full post about it!
In short, for pamphlets and other projects that feel like I can't realistically recoup that much money, I try to use as much public domain or stock art as possible. Sites like wikipedia commons, pixabay, and unsplash are all great for finding public domain images. Depending on my needs, I might use an image "as-is", edit them, or collage multiple images together. Stock art primarily comes from DriveThruRPG, itch.io, or Patreon.
For projects that are more likely to be profitable, I'm reaching out to artists and commissioning original pieces. I've found artists from a variety of places (reddit, discord, twitter), but another way is to grab a ttrpg book you already own and look at the art credits. Google the name of the artist(s) you like. Most will have a personal website or an Instagram with some contact info so you can get in touch with them.
Nov 2, 2023·edited Nov 2, 2023Liked by Stefan Surratt
That is solid info! I think what I am missing is the actual exchange with artists when commissioning custom work. So many panels I have watched are from them complaining about people commissioning art that I feel like I would benefit from more detail about the "right" way. :) I never thought to look at itch.io for stock TTRPG art!
I like this idea! DCC itself has taught me a lot about leaving things unexplained. 😬
I would love a post about your art procurement process!
That's a great idea for a post! I'll try to give you a short answer here so you don't have to entirely wait until I write a full post about it!
In short, for pamphlets and other projects that feel like I can't realistically recoup that much money, I try to use as much public domain or stock art as possible. Sites like wikipedia commons, pixabay, and unsplash are all great for finding public domain images. Depending on my needs, I might use an image "as-is", edit them, or collage multiple images together. Stock art primarily comes from DriveThruRPG, itch.io, or Patreon.
For projects that are more likely to be profitable, I'm reaching out to artists and commissioning original pieces. I've found artists from a variety of places (reddit, discord, twitter), but another way is to grab a ttrpg book you already own and look at the art credits. Google the name of the artist(s) you like. Most will have a personal website or an Instagram with some contact info so you can get in touch with them.
That is solid info! I think what I am missing is the actual exchange with artists when commissioning custom work. So many panels I have watched are from them complaining about people commissioning art that I feel like I would benefit from more detail about the "right" way. :) I never thought to look at itch.io for stock TTRPG art!
You read my mind. I was just reading over your pamphlet adventures to get a better idea of how to write my own.