When it comes to showing off game prototypes, there are two schools of thought about art.

1. Leave it as blank and unthemed as possible so that the publisher can envision their own theme and art on it.
2. Polish that thing up with good concept art so it looks immersive and conveys your vision quickly.

When I was at The Op, there were a number of people who advocated for point number one. If a game platform was going to be a good fit for us, we probably needed it to be pretty universal. A vanilla base that we could add other distinct flavors to in different cartons was good for us.

Point for option one.

Which is not to say there weren’t exceptions there. When Ammon Anderson brought Gnome Hollow to The Op, it came very nearly finished as art goes. Ammon is an illustrator in addition to being a fantastic game designer, and while the game prototype would have been great without really appealing art, it definitely stood out that much more for having it. It made the game visually memorable, and it set the scene for who it was for in a fraction of a second.

That’s a point for option two. Tie game.

Sometimes the universe helps you make a call. That was last Friday and the following Monday for me.

Last week, I started posting the TILT articles on this site. A friend that my wife and I had gone to college with had read them, and replied to one of my social media posts that he’d be interested in creating art for it. Dan’s an illustrator (and a teacher), and a really good one at that. Universe whisper.

Then, Monday, veteran game designer Scott Brady told me he felt that my Disco Candybar prototype needed some concept art to really push the vision into focus for publishers and eventual players seeing it on shelves. He recommended a specific style — “something almost chibi; playful and adventurous, unlike ‘epic’ high-fantasy art”. I think he’s right. Universe starts poking me.

Guess who’s got a playful style that can also nail exciting adventures and the occasional thrilling-but-not-totally-terrifying monster? That’s Dan.

Not long after the call with Scott, I sent Dan a message to see when he might have time to chat and see the game prototype. He responded quickly. “I’m actually home from teaching all this week.” Universe shaking my shoulders ferociously to get my attention.

Yesterday morning, Dan and I met up through a video call. I started off giving him a very strong warning about it all.

“Absolute truth, I kind of don’t want you to take this project. You would be amazing for it, your work is a dead-on match for the vibe of the game, but I have no budget. Zero. No way to pay you for anything, and that’s not fair to you.” I’ve been in the art field myself, and I know that “working for exposure” is the biggest scam on the planet. I refuse to take advantage of a friend that way.

“I don’t get to illustrate as often as I’d love to,” responds Dan. “I just want a project to put some illustrations on. And I like what you’re doing, so it would just be fun.”

Hearing: Dan needs a hobby project.

Hearing: UNIVERSE SHOUTING IN MY FACE.

Let me show you what Dan can do. Here’s some of his portfolio. Not quite Chibi, but that’s literally what Scott Brady had pictured and described. Fun and whimsical, and capable of setting up a clear story. That’s what sounded right to me. This could be a great match. Plus, Dan’s into this kind of game already. After showing Dan Disco Candybar, he immediately understood who this was all for and why it would be appealing to that audience.

We agreed that this is at a stage where the art needed to be on the loose side. Pencil sketch-type stuff. Light lifts, and for whatever components he gets the urge to embellish. We’ll probably put together some tone-setting concept art for a box top at some point, but frankly, the game doesn’t even have a real name yet. The last thing I want to do is drag Dan into heavy lifts that, as debate point one at the top of this post argues, could just get thrown away by a publisher with a different vision or preferred in-house artists.

But he’s excited about making some art, and I’m thrilled to have him riding shotgun on the metaphorical road trip.

If you want to support this project, support Dan. Go check out his Etsy shop and buy some of his prints or a tiki mug. I have several of the latter, and they’re really cool. Consider that a whisper from the universe.

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