Typical rates for a sprite artist Thread

I want to hire or contract a 2D artist for the game I am working on. I am just a programmer, and while I scoped my game such that I can handle that part by myself, I would like to take this project to a level above any of my previous work. Programmer art is not going to cut it and I want to have someone else do art. I understand that expecting anyone to work for free is asking a lot, but I can't pay anyone for full time work. Heck I cant work on my game full time myself. So only part-time or a limited contract is possible. Does this kind of deal happen or is this unusual? If I were to put out an offer to have an artist work, lets say 6-8 hours a week on my project, what would a reasonable pay rate look like? Do artists work hourly like that? I don't want to stiff anybody but I have a full-time job and I can't afford to pay a full time employee. Any advice is appreciated.

I am also seeking a musician, but getting contracted music work is more straightforward although if you have any input on that I would

I have looked very little into this but I saw that when artists say "indie prices" they mean within a range (15-25) dollah/hour. Yes, that would make a big difference to me too but what I am more concerned about is how much time is averagely required to do something I would need, for instance a tileset of 20 tiles 100x100.

Any artist has anything to say?

You might want to consider the artist skill level when coming up with a pay rate. Commercial quality work deserves better pay than someone who's going to provide pixel art. Being honest... Given where games stand today with graphics...pixel art is dead. I know graphics don't make a game but they sure do lock eyes on that game and make playing a game so much more enjoyable.

I see a lot of projects online with bad visuals but decline to comment for the sake of not upsetting the developer. If you're going to compete in today's gaming market you have to bring it to the table. I'm thankful I have all the skill sets you'll find in a team of developers but most people aren't gifted like that. Graphics and programming for me is easy. I would say marketing will be the biggest challenge for me and not creating a hit game.

Before you hire any artist, make sure she or he show you some kind of proof they have good skills....like screenshots of their current/past work.

Edited by: mrjohnson78

Thanks for the responses. It seems like the one consensus is that better artist == higher pay in general, but what "better" and "higher" mean is something I have to shop around for.