[Hiring] Character concept artist: fantasy species sheets + a modular portrait pilot, up to $3,000, no AI
I'm a solo developer making The Fourth Epoch, a fantasy wiki and weekly browser game set on the continent of Aropria. I'm looking for an illustrator for its first round of character art.
What I need
- Seven species concept sheets. Each has a main figure, 2–3 callouts showing how individuals vary, and a three-quarter head study. The peoples include telepathic Alium with star-speckled eyes, Synthoids whose limbs float, Ophidians made of about 200 small serpents, Primordials built from ice and stone, and the animal-folk Kin.
- A small paid pilot of modular portrait parts. That's 11 interchangeable Human face and hair parts for an in-game portrait builder.
Style: ink line work with flat, muted washes, like a naturalist's field sketchbook. The brief has references.
Budget: up to US$3,000, which includes a written transfer of copyright. You can show the work in your portfolio once it's published, and you're credited with a link. Payment is a deposit and then milestones, through VGen/Dribbble escrow or directly. If the pilot works there's a larger follow-up, and whoever does this round gets asked first.
No generative AI at any stage. Dated sketches and layered source files are part of the delivery, and I'll never train AI on your work.
Full brief (specs, species notes, references, milestones): https://www.fourthepochonline.com/commission/pFYieai9SyC0MQLDy1N2ig
The brief is a starting point, not a fixed spec. Scope, deliverables, schedule and price are all open to discussion. Everything gets settled together in a written contract before any work begins.
To apply, please use this form (about 10 minutes): https://forms.gle/FN42iDe71NjLSh8x7
I can't keep track of comments and DMs fairly, so I'll only review applications sent through the form. Questions in the comments are welcome. Applications close October 31, 2026, and I'll email the shortlist by November 7th, 2026.