Every now and then, you see a newcomer trying to make their way into the indie gaming industry. They want to create the next big thing that blows players away with its art, script, characters, and the like. It's only natural for them to be part of something that makes 31% of all Steam revenues.
Game art is an integral part of any indie game that helps it succeed in a crowded market. Finding the best 3D artists is critical to ensure that your game art is actually appealing to the gaming community and delivers quality results.
But where can you find the best 3D artists to elevate your indie game? Let's explore this question in detail below.
The first place to find the best 3D artists we will discuss is Cominted Labs.
When it comes to 3D game art outsourcing, Cominted Labs is a leading name that has collaborated with over 50 major companies. Their highly capable and dedicated design team has produced hundreds and thousands of 3D assets over the years and continues to produce quality gaming art for multiple clients.
Indie game developers do not have the extensive budgets of AAA studios, which makes outsourcing game art an ideal choice. Cominted Labs assists them by offering a smooth and affordable art outsourcing program that doesn't stretch their budgets and gives them high-quality art.
The best 3D artists at Cominted Labs are proficient in various aspects of game art, such as animation, 3D environments, 3D characters, texturing, skinning, and much more to give your title a life-like touch.
Cominted Labs has a simple process that any indie game developer can follow to deliver their art within tight deadlines.
The first step is to simply subscribe to Cominted Labs and add more people to your game development team. The 3D game artists at Cominted Labs are an extension of your main team, always in touch with you and collaborating in every aspect of game art development.
Next, log in to a dedicated dashboard and upload project briefs with premade templates from Cominted Labs.
Your project manager shares the estimated completion time (ETC) with Cominted Labs, and their team immediately starts working on the project.
During this process, you're informed about the progress, various iterations, and possible changes so the project runs according to your goals. After completing everything, Cominted Labs sends you the finished product that is ready to be implemented in your indie game.
Here are a few factors that make Cominted Labs an ideal outsourcing partner:
ArtStation is a portfolio website where artists can share their work and get noticed by people looking for quality gaming art. From HD images to videos to 3D scenes, artists share everything on ArtStation and let others watch their creative prowesses.
Artists have their own portfolio websites on this platform, updated automatically whenever they add new content. A Blog section allows artists to write articles on their art process and share progress in various projects.
Here is a list of professionals you'll find at ArtStation:
Opening ArtStation instantly shows you everything the platform has to offer. It has a recruiter-friendly philosophy, meaning you don't need to spend money or even create an account to start exploring profiles. They offer multiple services to make things easier for recruiters and designers, such as:
The ArtStation search option is user-friendly, allowing recruiters to find profiles swiftly. You don't have to create a new account or pay anything to look up profiles. You can search based on various metrics, such as City, Country, Software, Skills, Availability, and more.
Here is an example:
Write "3D artist" or any other keyword in the search box, which will show you the best 3D artists on the platform. Clicking on a profile will open up a detailed portfolio with all of the projects that have been completed. You'll also see a menu at the bottom with three lines. If you click on it, you'll see the following options:
Behance is another popular platform for hiring the best 3D artists. Its dedicated "Hire" page has thousands of portfolios you can filter by tools, location, and more.
After you find an artist who fits the job well, you can send them an inquiry with work details. The artists will review your proposal and, if they are interested, send an official proposal.
You can also review the proposal and check all the details once the artist gets back to you. The next step is to make the payment, after which the artist starts working on the project.
Whenever you see an artwork on Behance, the artist's name is displayed under that art piece's name. Clicking on the artist's name will take you to their page, where you'll find four options:
Here is how these four sections play out on Behance:
Dribbble is another design destination used by the best 3D designers and agencies worldwide. It has two options to search for a designer:
Clicking on Designer Search will take you to a new page to explore a wide range of the best 3D game artists. Clicking on their names opens their profiles, which show their Work, Projects, Collections, and Likes.
Work shows their previous work regardless of the platforms or clients. On the other hand, the Projects section is all about the projects completed through Dribbble.
Collections show all the work that the artist has collected under a single theme or banner, and Likes tell you how many people have appreciated the artist's work.
Beneath the artist's name, you can click the Follow button to stay updated about their latest projects. If you like the artist's work, click the Get in Touch button to start direct communication with them.
Dribbble currently has two packages based on the user's budget and preferences:
This package costs $5/month and comes with the following features:
This package comes with extra features and costs $10/month. Here's what it offers:
You can cancel these subscriptions anytime without any extra charges.
Fiverr and Upwork are two of the most popular platforms for hiring freelancers. They have thousands of artists you can hire after an extensive search. Let's understand how both platforms work for hiring the best 3D artists.
Fiverr's homepage has a search box. In it, you can type the keyword "3D artist" to get a list of the platform's best 3D artists.
When you click on a profile, you'll find their ratings just below their names, locations, and languages. Below is the About Me section with a detailed bio, Skills, and My Gigs sections. Fiverr shows you whether an artist is Fiverr's Choice, Top Rated, or any other level without clicking on their profile.
Upwork's search functionality is pretty similar to Fiverr's. You can write the keyword in the Search box and apply the relevant filters. The platform provides several filters, such as Top Rated, Talent Type, Category, Hourly Rate, English Level, Job Success, and more.
Clicking on the artist's name opens their profile, where you can check their job success percentage, total jobs, and total hours just below their profile picture. Below are their hourly rate and a detailed description of their capabilities.
The Work History section contains both Completed jobs and In progress. Below are the Portfolio, Skills, and Project catalog sections.
Indie game development can be complex, not least because of strained budgets. That's why outsourcing is the best way forward for 3D game art. It helps you hire the right talent and save significant amounts of money.
While there are several platforms to get 3D art services, Cominted Labs takes the lead with its talented team and professionalism. We have the best 3D artists in the game who have worked on hundreds of successful projects and continue collaborating with the industry's biggest names. With a fast and reliable development process and affordable pricing, you're definitely getting the best of both worlds with Cominted Labs.
So, book a demo today to experience how we take your indie games to the next level.
