FAQ

Hey there! My name is Kyle, and I am a professional pixel artist, animator, game designer, and writer from California. I make games for a living, and when it comes to my work, I am easily the most passionate person you've ever met; just ask me!

• Do you take commissions / are you available for hire?

Yes, you can commission or hire me, but my availability is always changing. Please use my contact info to get in touch about my current schedule, and include sufficient information about your project so I can estimate the work involved and decide if we'd be a good fit.

• How can I contact you?

You can use my contact form on this site, send me an email at TractorBeamTuesdays@gmail.com or message me on Discord at Calamity_Kyle

• What are your rates?

My standard rate for freelance work is $55/hr USD + any transfer fees if applicable. While I also can offer flat rates, this is not typical and is highly  contextual, thus I’ll need a full breakdown of the work you want done before I can give an estimate. I can work with most budgets, so in your first message, please let me know your ballpark budget for the project, and we can discuss what I recommend to make the most of it.

If you have further questions about my rates, please refer to this.

• Will you work for revshare?

In general, no. But when I believe a project is particularly promising, I may be willing to negotiate payment + revshare for compensation. This is the exception, not the rule. This is how I make my living, so I never accept fully revshare based compensation. I got bills to pay.

That said, I am almost always looking for people of comparable skill and experience to team up with and see if we work well together as partners. This does not mean I will just jump into making your game idea, but I am willing to discuss the possibility of a very small and quick project to start, and we'll see how things go before jumping into something more. Ideas are plentiful, but finding good partners that you gel with and can trust is more valuable than gold.

• What are your flat rates for characters, tiles, etc.?

Because every piece is different, the complexity and time it takes to complete them can vary dramatically. For that reason, I do not offer any broad flat rates based on category. My rates are always on a case by case basis, based on the work involved.

• How long would it take to make X? What would making Y cost?

I would love to be able to tell you, but the best I can do is give you an estimate based on being provided sufficient information. An estimate is exactly that; an estimate. It is not a guarantee. I'm only human, and both art and game development are iterative processes. It's not possible to know every factor that can come up, but I'll try my best.

• What is sufficient info for you to make an estimate?

Sufficient information for an estimate includes, but is not limited to: Description of assets, number of assets, sizes, perspective, style, art references, your timeline, your budget, and any gameplay considerations. More information may be required on a case by case basis.

• How is payment handled?

I only accept payment in USD (no crypto), and I don't accept Paypal, sorry. I am, however, open to many other options. If you're in the USA, I recommend using Google Pay or Chime. If you're in another location, I recommend Wise (formerly TransferWise), but I also accept Stripe. Other methods can be discussed if necessary. The client is responsible for any and all fees or costs involved in making payment.

• Will you do an art sample?

My portfolio should be more than sufficient for determining my ability, but yes I can do an art sample if it is paid at my regular rates. I don't do any free art samples under any circumstances; that's what my portfolio is for.

• Can I get a refund?

No. Under normal circumstances, I do not offer any refunds. Any refund offered would be incredibly rare and at my sole discretion. 

Please understand that making a deposit with me is just like booking an appointment; my time is already set aside for your commission, and I can't accept other work during that time slot. You are making a commitment to have this work done by me once you make payment.

I always strive to make sure the work I deliver is something I am proud to have my name attached to and is of the highest quality. If for any reason you are unhappy with the end result, I will always try my best (within reason) to figure out a solution with you. I want both of us to be thrilled with any work that I do.

• Will you make NFTs?

No. Stop asking. Seriously.

• Do you use AI to create any of your work?

No. I create everything by hand, from my own brain. At least currently, using AI is at worst completely disingenuous and blatant theft, and at best an attempt by people to take major shortcuts in the creative process due to inability, disinterest, or otherwise complete failure to actually learn how to make things. Well, the results show the folly. When I see legitimate and ethical uses for AI, maybe I'll change my tune on this, but for right now, that all belongs on the garbage heap. There's no quick-fix shortcuts to avoid practicing and learning; you have to put in the work if you want results.

• Can I use your work to train my AI?

No. You may not steal any of my work to feed to your glorified mash-up monster. Are you picking up on the trend yet? No capes! Er, robots!

• Where else can I find your work? Do you use social media?

My primary social media for all things related to my pixel art and game development are Twitter @Calamity_Kyle and ArtStation.

I technically have a Facebook and Instagram under the same name, but they are not active at this time. You may also find my work on Reddit under TractorBeamTuesdays and on PixelJoint under RollToNotDie. If you find my work other places, I'd love if you let me know, as it may be stolen.

• Do you stream? What's your streaming schedule?

I live stream my pixel art and game development on Twitch @Calamity_Kyle.

Schedules are for the weak. However, you can join my Discord server to know any time that I'm going live!

The Pixel Palace Discord server is open to the public! This is the official Discord server for the stream as well as a community of indie game devs, hobbyists, enthusiasts, and fans coming together to share what we know, support each other, and ultimately help our respective creative fields flourish! Join us here: https://discord.gg/xvtSm5V

• I love your work, but don't have a need to hire you. How else can I support you?

Thank you! You're too kind. There's a variety of methods to support me.

You can become my patron on Patreon starting as low as $2 per month, which includes articles I write on art and game development, as well as some perks for patrons, including the Legendary Tier ($15 per month) which comes with an emote of yourself to use however you want!

For one-time shows of support, you can buy me a coffee or two on Ko-fi.

You can also subscribe or donate to my Twitch channel and unlock some sweet pixel emotes created by me to use anywhere on the site. 

Finally, you can support me for free by following my Twitter, my Twitch, joining our Discord, and spreading the word about my work. Thank you so much to anyone who supports my work in any form; every bit counts more than you know for creators like me.

• Why should I hire you?

I'm just a delight.

• Who shot first?

Question is invalid; Han is the only one who shot.