Every screenshot I've posted on this devlog has had the same look: the delightful work of PixelFrog. Their work has been the only way I've been able to move as fast as I did and it's proven extremely serviceable. But four dev logs in, the systems have caught up with the vision, and the art hasn't. That's the next thing to fix.
The game prototype is fully playable at dash-again-studios.itch.io/b-mob - but all the art is placeholder. This open call is the first step of replacing that with real art direction. Rather than quietly commissioning someone, I'm opening it up: I'm looking for 2–3 artists to each pitch an art direction for the game, and each selected artist gets a £100 commission, paid on delivery.
How it works
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Apply
Send a portfolio link and three lines on your take to lionel@dashagain.co.uk. Applications close 31 July 2026.
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2–3 artists are selected
Each receives the full brief and a £100 commission, paid on delivery; payment is not conditional on winning. The commissioned piece is a "proof panel": one mock screenshot of the game at real resolution, in your proposed style. It's about one day's work, due 1 September 2026.
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One direction is picked
The chosen concept guides the game's look going forward. If yours is picked: potential opportunities for follow-on work, and a named credit in the game.
Who I'm looking for
Students and emerging artists are welcome: the posters for this call are going up around Brighton's universities, where I'm based. You don't need shipped games in your portfolio. What I care about is whether your work shows a point of view that could carry a whole game's look, and a proof panel is a finished, real-world commission for your portfolio either way.
The details
- To apply
- Portfolio link + three lines on your take, emailed to lionel@dashagain.co.uk
- Deadline
- 31 July 2026; applications are judged the week after
- Selected artists
- 2–3, notified with the full brief around mid-August 2026
- Commission
- £100 per artist, paid on delivery of the proof panel
- Deliverable
- One mock screenshot at real resolution in your proposed style, due 1 September 2026
- If picked
- Potential opportunities for follow-on work + a named credit in the game
Rights and payment terms are spelled out upfront in the brief and a signed agreement; no surprises. Selected artists keep a permanent licence to show the work in their portfolio.
What happens after concept art
This call is about direction, not volume. Production art (the sprites, tiles, and UI the game actually ships with) is a later, separate phase. First I want to find the right look, and the right person to find it with. Once a direction is picked, you'll see it take shape here on the devlog, one floor at a time.
Questions before applying? Same address; I read everything.
— Lionel
Published: July 2026 · Open call closes 31 July 2026