Good art is not cheap at all when factoring in opportunity cost of time. Not to mention if you wanted something decent, you're going to be paying a decent sticker price as well.
Before AI, I saw people selling $30-50 avatar commissions that should've been worth $10. Full portraits for mediocre artists were running into $80-120 range, plus surcharges for novel elements. Then you have to find someone whose art you can put up with, get in line for a slot, which may take weeks, communicate everything to the artist (not easy!), deal with delays and sensitive communication etiquette, and go back and forth for revisions - IF they're responsible.
In the end, after several weeks, you will hopefully get a picture you like. These are mediocre artists, though, so you won't get a picture you love. For that you have to shell out $$$, and I honestly don't know how you get a slot without being a mobile game developer.
There are exceptions, and I would shell out the cash for any art I would consider important. But for a portrait for D&D? Lol.
Good art is not cheap at all when factoring in opportunity cost of time. Not to mention if you wanted something decent, you're going to be paying a decent sticker price as well.
Before AI, I saw people selling $30-50 avatar commissions that should've been worth $10. Full portraits for mediocre artists were running into $80-120 range, plus surcharges for novel elements. Then you have to find someone whose art you can put up with, get in line for a slot, which may take weeks, communicate everything to the artist (not easy!), deal with delays and sensitive communication etiquette, and go back and forth for revisions - IF they're responsible.
In the end, after several weeks, you will hopefully get a picture you like. These are mediocre artists, though, so you won't get a picture you love. For that you have to shell out $$$, and I honestly don't know how you get a slot without being a mobile game developer.
There are exceptions, and I would shell out the cash for any art I would consider important. But for a portrait for D&D? Lol.