So, I was browsing online the other day, just killing time, and I stumbled across the work of this artist, Johan Dominguez. Pretty impressive stuff, that dark, atmospheric vibe, you know? It really caught my eye.
And seeing that kind of art immediately threw me back to this one particular project I tried to get off the ground a while back. What a headache that turned into. I was trying to build a small indie game, nothing too ambitious, but I really wanted a specific look for the interface and some promotional art. Something moody, detailed, with that slightly gritty feel. Kind of like the vibe I got from Dominguez’s portfolio, but obviously tailored to my little project.
I figured, hey, I’m not an artist, let’s hire someone. So, I started looking around, put out some feelers. Found this one designer whose portfolio seemed to have a few pieces that leaned in that direction. We had a chat, I sent over a mood board, included some examples of the style I was after. I thought I was super clear. I remember specifically saying “think dark, think textured, think atmosphere.”
The Process Begins… And Quickly Goes Sideways
First off, getting the initial concepts took way longer than they said. Okay, fine, artists need their time, I get that. But when the first batch of designs landed in my inbox, my jaw just dropped. Not in a good way. It was like they hadn’t looked at any of the references.
Everything was:
- Too bright, almost cartoonish.
- Lacked any kind of depth or texture.
- The character sketches looked like something out of a kids’ coloring book.
I went back, super polite, you know? “Hey, thanks for these, but it’s not quite hitting the mark. Remember that dark, moody vibe we talked about?” Sent the references again. More explanations.
Round two. A little better, maybe? But still so far off. It was like they just slapped a dark filter on the previous stuff. No real understanding of the aesthetic. I started getting a bit frustrated. We went back and forth a few more times. Each revision felt like pulling teeth. Communication started breaking down. I’d send detailed feedback, and they’d come back with changes that barely addressed anything, or sometimes made it worse.
It felt like they just didn’t have the skill set for that particular style, but didn’t want to admit it. Or maybe I was just terrible at explaining what I wanted. But man, I really thought those visual references would do the talking.
In the end, after weeks of this, and a decent chunk of my budget gone, I just had to call it quits with that designer. The art was unusable. I ended up trying to cobble something together myself using pre-made assets and a lot of tutorials. It didn’t have that unique, custom feel I dreamed of, not even close to the kind of quality you see from artists like Johan Dominguez, obviously, but at least it was something. The game eventually fizzled out, partly because I got so demoralized by that whole design experience.
It was a tough lesson. Just because you see cool art and think “I want something like that!” doesn’t mean it’s easy to get, especially if you’re not careful about who you hire or how you communicate. Sometimes, what seems straightforward in your head is a whole different beast to actually create. And yeah, it made me appreciate the skill that goes into that really polished, atmospheric artwork a whole lot more.
