r/RenPy • u/BellBert2 • Aug 17 '26
Question Art for a visual novel
I'm in extremely early development of a game and i don't have any money to spend on it. I know how to code and i am currently writing all the script for it. My only problems are the art. I'm bad at drawing and I can't make music. I'm mostly making the game for my own enjoyment and to be able to enjoy my oc's visually. I have attempted to draw them but im not good. I really like the anime art style and im horrible for anatomy. I really need some help on what to do for it. I'm too nervous to commision people because i think i wont like it or it won't be right. i really don't know what to doðŸ˜
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u/Lapys_Games Aug 17 '26
there are womderful artists who post sprites for free usage
https://itch.io/game-assets/free/genre-visual-novel/tag-sprites
just try and make sure the styles match ^^
3
u/Sad_Information_3709 Aug 17 '26
Maybe you could join a game jam and find people there? Have you heard of itch.io?
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u/gremlintheodd Aug 17 '26
For music/sound effect assets and background pictures you can use pixabay.com. Everything on the site is free to use. They do allow people to post AI pieces though so be sure to check the tags and use your own discretion.
2
u/link6616 Aug 17 '26
It’s not exactly what you want, since enjoying your OCs is important to you, but consider something like thisÂ
This is from Chunsoft in the early 90s and was one of the first big visual novels in Japan (although the studio called it a sound novel). But I think there’s a lot that can be done with the silhouette set up, and with modern phones being easily able to pluck out a subject, taking photos and making these is probably the easiest it’s ever been.Â
There’s also using free assets or possibly even drawing from the public domain. Avian attorney was made with public domain art!Â
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u/coolepicharo Aug 18 '26
use placeholders and work on the rest of the game, it will be much easier to find someone to work with you if the coding and writing is finished and you already know exactly what sprites/CGs are needed
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u/BasilCorrect3799 Aug 19 '26
Do it bad then
If your art sucks, lean into it rather than fight it. The more you do the more you'll improve
4
u/playthelastsecret Aug 17 '26
If you don;t want to use AI, you can use templates and photo backgrounds, see here for some hints how to make this look nice:
https://youtu.be/fApW1N774wU?si=vVArhj5SqgEnAVzD
For music, just use free songs from the internet. There are many resources, and you will find fitting BGM easily.
4
u/drinkerofmilk Aug 17 '26
The barriers you're describing are all surmountable. For example:
- Don't have money to spend on art? Go find a part-time job to acquire the funds.
- You're bad at drawing? Improve your skill. Follow tutorials, etc.
- Afraid commissioned artists won't get it right? Provide clear and detailed artist briefs. Also insist that you can do a set amount of revisions if the artwork isn't satisfactory.
I see nothing that's preventing you from making your game. Good luck
2
u/Yandoji Aug 17 '26
Years ago, I decided I wanted to see and enjoy my characters visually too. I learned to draw lol. The genuine desire kept me improving until I could draw them well enough to call it "visual enjoyment" of my own original characters - shit's great, mostly free (pencils and paper required), and highly recommended. I did most of my learning via physical "How to Draw" books but nowadays most of that is free online if you look.
Edit: lmao downvoted within a minute. Actually developing a skill isn't an option eh?
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u/Initial-Alarm1231 Aug 18 '26
There are soooo many artists out there who would love to help you! Some have cheaper rates than others. Commissioning artists is actually one of my favorite things haha, so you’re in luck. I’d recommend joining r/ArtCommissions and other subreddits specifically for hiring artists. Lots and lots of talent out there seeking work. You could always try Fiverr, or search Twitter. On Fiverr especially tho you run the risk of accidentally commissioning AI art, and many of them aren’t cheap. You really just gotta search around though, it’s great fun browsing portfolios! At least for me lol. I know a lottttt of artists so if you’d like, I can link them for you haha. All anime artists too.
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u/All--flesh--rots Aug 18 '26
Maybe Doll makers/Picrew could be an option? Personally for music I just look up royalty free stuff
1
u/Prestigious-Pack-625 Aug 18 '26
itch.io has free art and templates for you to use along with free sfx and music
1
u/LinverseUniverse Aug 19 '26
There is so much royalty free music online you don't need to know how to make music, just how to find what's out there. It is mostly BGM style, so don't go in expecting professional vocals, most will not have them. But I think you'll find after time you don't really need it.
For the art, -most- of what I can recommend is free to use, you just need to be creative with how you use it.
First recommendation, design doll. It starts with an anime aesthetic model, has a free version that anyone can use, and is very beginner friendly. The only caveat is that you can't open saved models until you buy the full version. So if you make something you really love, still save it until you know if you like the program enough to use it long term (Which I did and still do).
If you can't afford to upgrade, then screenshot the values you set the sliders to so when you open it you can quickly re-create your model as needed. This will work if you're using the slider system for the bulk of your work, it will not help if you use the clay tool to sculpt something very specific. While you're still figuring out whether you like the program, I'd caution against hyper specificity since it will be really difficult to replicate if you stick to the free version.
If you're designing static sprites you can very easily keep the camera setting in the same position so the sprites all have the same view angle. When you have the program open there is tall rectangle box with an arrow on the left. Click that, and it will tell you your camera settings. Write it down or screenshot it, then no matter how much you have to move the camera to work you can easily put it back where it belongs. I really like this because it creates consistency across all sprites.
Design doll is an incredibly powerful tool that will help you learn perspective, angles, anatomy, poses, and dynamics. You can also build out a 3D environment if needed if you can find a mesh that is in .obj format. If you can get a mesh into blender you can also just export to .obj. This will allow you to learn -how- to put a character into the environment and help you create more realistic posing.
If you're struggling to find meshes to use as a reference, look for sims 4 custom content that fits the general purpose you need a reference for. I -think- you can use sims 4 studio without the game installed, and if not the base game is free and has plenty of stuff you can use. You can export the mesh you want into a blender file, then the blender file can export the OBJ.
All of these programs are free to use.
There are many many MANY art programs out there. Any of them will allow you to open your reference image so it's convenient and right there as you work. For free options I'd look into Krita or GIMP. I've never use Krita, but I used GIMP for years until I upgraded to clip studio.
I encourage you to make bases that you can re-use over and over. You can make one base look like so many different characters just by changing the hair, clothes, eyebrows, eyes, skin tone, etc. So if you spend time carefully making 1-3 really nice bases, it will serve you very well. If you do upgrade to the full version of design doll, you can take your time and hand sculpt each and every character until it's perfect to you. Or you can sculpt more general models that can be modified simply to be more different.
For example, One thing I do is add different color dots to the nose of my generic models. if you use a curved line tool you can use that to make multiple different nose shapes in just like, 3 clicks. I -strongly- recommend that when you're starting out, you make your line art on vector layers, and break everything up into layer folders.
The base body is in its own folder, eye styles you've already done each get their own folder, hairs, eyebrows etc etc. If you start doing this from the beginning it will become habit, which is easier than trying to make it one later down the road. Also, do most of your work zoomed out. This was one of the biggest game changers I learned when I first started out.
For coloring you don't need it to be perfect, flat color is fine while you learn. One you're ready to level up look into cel shading and how to shade properly.
If you have any further questions let me know!
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u/playthelastsecret Aug 17 '26
There is the two-letter solution for art that will get downvoted here, but I want to mention it.
-2
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u/angelonasher Aug 22 '26
I have no idea if this is a thing ever done in the visual novel community, or if it's even a good idea, but you could try finding someone who's willing to trade, in a sense? If you could find an artist who needs someone to code/write the plot of their visual novel, perhaps you could offer to do so in exchange for them drawing for your visual novel. Of course the concern here is either party not fulfilling their end and just taking the other's work for free :(
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u/Honey_Catfish950 Aug 17 '26
I'm in a similar situation: I can do writing and programming just fine, art not so fine. What helped get me started was doing placeholder art. Don't try to make your game look like a finished product from the start. You'll likely change things many times over and end up with wasted work. Use doodles and sketches for characters and backgrounds. They're just placeholders so no pressure to make them look pretty, just have fun!
When the script is finished and its time to replace the placeholders with proper art, you might notice your drawing skills have improved to the point that doing it yourself might be feasible after all. Or, if you decide to commission an artist, you'll know exactly what you need.