Ever want to hire an artist, voice actors, or writer but have no idea where to find them? I’ve worked with a lot of freelance artists working on Legions of Kadmon. When I first started, I wasn’t exactly sure where to go to find the perfect artist for my project. I am writing this blog to share my experience. Hopefully, it’ll help jump-start the process for fellow designers / creatives who wish to go the ‘hiring freelancers’ route.

I’ll mostly use Illustrators as an example here because they are the people I worked the most with. But it should work similarly to most fields.

Job Posts

Job posts are probably one of the most effective methods to find a freelancer who might be interested in working on your project. If you would use this method, make sure the job post is clear and have a nice infographics which would attract attention. You also should post it on focused groups. Here are some places you can try:

• BGG Forums for Art & Graphic Designer. Lots of artists here, and they should have some experience working on prints.
• Facebook: Art & Graphic Design for Tabletop Games. Similar to the BGG Forums. I found Gaston—who worked for the 3D model of Kadmon’s Sigil—through this group.
• SGGA Discord Server. So this one’s very specific, but the Singapore Games Association has a Discord server which allows you to put up a job post there. And there are quite a number of artists (Local & Abroad) who are looking for jobs.

If your idea is popular enough, you may even receive messages from freelancers without even putting up a job post. I was quite surprised with the amount of email and DMs I received in the first month I revealed Legions of Kadmon. I really did not expect it and had a really hard time turning down talents (at that point I was no longer looking for one).

Aha! That’s the caveat, isn’t it? What if you’re just starting out, and all you have is an idea in your head? How are you supposed to attract with nothing to show?

Well, unfortunately for you (and me when I first started), the responsibility of pitching a working relationship falls down to you… the designer. After all, you are the only person who clearly knows what’s in your head. You have to get into the weed.

Headhunting (At the Right Place)

When you headhunt for freelancers, the goal here is not only to find someone suitable for your vision. So, before you begin your headhunting process, figure out what you want with your project. This is extremely important, because in order to look for something, you need to know what you’re looking for.

Here are some places to look:

1. Fiverr and Other Freelance for Hires Website

This might be the most obvious method to go to. It’s a hub where talents looking for a job congregate. It is also where I started. But I’ve got to say… it is by far the most ineffective in my experience.

I found it very difficult to identify creatives which suit the kind of direction I wanted Legions of Kadmon to follow. In fact, I was extremely turned off by this website’s UI which made it hard to observe portfolios.

2. Friends and Families

Notice that I didn’t specify friends and families who are freelancers. Ask your friends and families regardless of their background. Ask “Do you know someone who is a…?” You’d be surprised! It is also a good opportunity for you to share your project with them. However, sometimes their recommendations would be limited to amateurs or people who were only starting out. Depending on the project scale, it might be a good thing OR it might be wiser to decline and find a more experienced person.

I am actually quite lucky in the sense that I used to work in the video game industry. So I personally know Illustrators, UI Artists, Sound Designers, Animators and even Lead Artists (like Jim).

My only suggestion would be: don’t force yourself to work with your connections if they don’t suit your directions. This simply just means that you have to headhunt more. Out of the many people I know, I only managed to work with 3 of them. The remainder? While I did spend some time talking to them—sharing ideas, etc—we never really get past the discussion phase. So keep your heads up and continue to look.

3. Artstation (Prev). Cara App (Now) for Illustrators

My tip:

1. Start with Artstation.
2. Go to the Search Bar and click “Search Artwork”.
3. It will open a big search engine where you can apply a “Subject Matter” filter to find the kind of art you are looking for.
4. From there, backtrack to the artists who drew the piece.

This site just shows the portfolio in a spread. Makes it really easy to study and discern if their style suits your needs. However, due to Artstation’s stand on AI art, a lot of artists had left this platform. Please take note. They had migrated to Cara, which display wise works in a similar way. I would suggest installing the app on your phone and start scrolling. But Cara does not currently have the search filter feature. However, what it does have are Reposts which is one of the best methods there is for headhunting.

4. X / Twitter (Prev). Bluesky & Instagram (Now) for Illustrators

Actually this is where I found the biggest chunk of my artist. Search up the hashtag: #PortfolioDay and start searching. If you find a good prospect, make sure to give them a follow. This is VERY important and not because “oh I must support an artist”. Sure it is always a good reason to, but practically speaking: artists use this platform a lot to promote their work and their industry. Which means they may repost other artist’s work. Sometimes those reposted artists are the perfect fit for you! I could never have found Marco González if Andrea Corsini didn’t actively post his amazing artwork.

Recently, there is also a mass exodus of artists on Twitter. You might want to try Bluesky! Instagram might work too but due to the nature of the platform, it’s harder to catch reposts.

5. Magic the Gathering Cards for Illustrators

No seriously. Though, bear in mind that they could be more premium. But not everyone! I’ll cover pricing in the future.

6. Goodreads for Beta Readers / Editors

This is more for the book industry. But there are groups where you can request for Beta Readers (who may also be a less established editor too).

7. Conventions & Job Fair (mostly Artists in Singapore’s case)

Gamescom, Anime Festival Asia, Doujima. You gotta be a little more outspoken though. The best memory I have was Gamescom 2024 where an artist was handing out her resume to Indie game studios. I happened to be there and asked for one. Sometimes, Polytechnics might conduct public job fairs. You can also drop by and ask for resumes / portfolios. Take note, usually there is an expectation that these individuals are looking for a full-time job and not as a freelancer. But hey, you can still ask them if they’d be willing to work as a freelancer instead.

Where do you look for talents?