Hey there, looks like you just wandered in. Why not have a look around and stay for a while, maybe even start your own adventure, if you're into that.

We're Hiring Artists!

HIRING STATUS: Closed

Hello everyone, our expansion of the Artist Team has officially begun!

We are looking for artists who are willing to join our creative team and take on a longterm position and on-site role. The position is paid for on a project by project basis, in which artists will be assigned work periodically to be completed by certain deadlines. The amount of assigned work depends on the site's needs, budget, as well as artist availability. Artists will have the option of being paid in Real Life Currency or Turnips (if a volunteer based position is preferred) at market rates based on their preferences.

The position of Site Artist entails:
  • Signing an NDA, contract, and using our Site Artist Discord server regularly to communicate
  • Hands-on training under our Head Artist for various areas of site development
  • Collaboration with the Head Artist as well as the rest of the team on various projects
  • Artwork created can include (Depending on artist strengths and project needs):
    • Pet Edits
    • Item recolours
    • Items, Clothing assets
    • Pet assets
    • Other Misc Artwork

A member of the Artist Team would be expected to:
  • Work well in a team setting, providing feedback and bringing creative ideas to the table
  • Be accountable, present, and communicative
  • Be proficient in Photoshop or another PSD-enabled program
  • Complete their assigned work within deadlines
  • Represent Dappervolk in a professional and welcoming manner

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APPLICATION FORM
If you're interested in this position, please fill out the application below and email it to [email protected] with your portfolio and resume attached.

Username and ID:
Pronouns:
You consent to providing your full name if accepted:
Type “Yes” to consent. This is required as you will be signing an artist contract and an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) in regards to any unreleased Dappervolk content you may see or create as an artist for Dappervolk. It is however fully confidential and will remain with the site owner only.
Confirm that you are over 18 years of age:
Type “Yes” here, only adults over 18 years of age are legally able to enter into a binding contract and receive payment.
Timezone:
We're looking for team members who can participate in active discussions regarding asset development and participate in the on-hands training process. 
Preferred rates:
Outline the general rate of pay you would like per piece completed. Examples of what you could use are per item, pet, or a general hourly rate.
Asset Preferences:
Let us know which area(s) of art development you're most interested in contributing to on Dappervolk. Ie. Items, clothing, pets, other?
Introduction:
Let us know a bit about yourself and what interests you about becoming an artist for Dappervolk. What qualities do you have that would make you a great addition to our team? Feel free to also include information about yourself outside of Dappervolk too, such as any hobbies/interests! 
Experience on Pet/Avatar Sites:

Please share any relevant experience you may have working as an artist for other sites, or otherwise playing a role as a community figure. 
Username(s) on Social Media: If applicable!
Username(s) on other Petsites/Communities: If applicable!
Any other Details/Information: Optional

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FAQ
Why not have a standardized payment rate?
There is too much variation in experience, skill, and preference in different artists for us to set a standard rate of payment here. Please list out payment preferences most suitable for you when applying. The preferred payment artists receive is at their comfort and discretion, and will not have any weight when reviewing applications.

How are artists selected?
We will be hiring applicants who seem like a good fit for the team based on art style, past experience and skill level. All artists will be joining our team of creatives and taking on work that fits into their own schedule. We're looking to create a great team environment that will boost the creativity and variety of future site content.

What kind of hours are artists expected to work each month?
This is flexible for each artist, we have no minimums for work taken on each month. Essentially, artists will claim what they have time for in each project and manage their time independantly around our planned deadlines.

Will hired artists be drawing turnip-based items such as monthly sets?
No. We will not be hiring artists to draw items or content that directly generate revenue. All site artists will be working on free-to-play content such as new permanent items/pets, assets, and free seasonal content.

Why ask for a timezone?
This is to best coordinate scheduled things like deadlines. If selected, we will be getting in touch to discuss everything in further detail, as not everyone in the same timezone has the same active schedule.

When will my application be replied to?
Due to the potential volume of applications, we may not be able to reply to every application, but thank everyone in advance for their interest in the available positions! We will be emailing with additional questions where applicable.
Applications will remain open indefinitely until we assemble a full team.

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Thank you for reading, and feel free to spread the word about hiring opportunities on Dappervolk! We look forward to hearing from you, and we're so excited to expand our creative team and get to know everyone in the process.

Comments


  • Villager brokkoligirl (#59162) 22 Jul 2021, 3:17 am
    There should definetly be an approximation on how many hours are expected and how much time is usually dedicated to communication/collaborations within the team. An approximation or example for the deadlines or working process would also be quite helpful to get an idea on what the job entails.
  • Villager arenic (#50676) 22 Jul 2021, 3:38 am
    Good luck to everyone who's applying
    Looking forward to whatever new content the team would produce ^^
  • Villager jos (#50292) 22 Jul 2021, 4:42 am
    hold up, theyre offering to pay employees in turnips?
  • Villager jos (#50292) 22 Jul 2021, 4:43 am
    also gl to anyone applying for this position!!
  • Villager Stigs (#4019) 22 Jul 2021, 5:05 am
    This whole over-reaction over the optional offering of turnips as payments makes me a little reluctant to be vocal of any kind in this type of hyper-reactive fanbase.. artists have a choice and if they're over 18, they have the legal right to make their distinction. Quis is from Aywas, I'm from Aywas. I see nothing wrong with this payment method because the culture centered around the payment is different.
  • Villager Kiiwi (#59349) 22 Jul 2021, 7:39 am
    imo its absolutely valid to pay artists in premium currency, some people who really enjoy a game might even prefer it a lot over rlc

    anyways, i am interested, but as many have asked already:
    how much time do you expect new artists to work / be available and whats the workload?
    also, i have absolutely no clue about commercial rates, whats fair and what isnt, as so far ive only been paid by friends and family for art and did everything else for premium currency on other games, so can anyone maybe give me an idea of how to price myself fairly?
  • Villager Gwennoryth (#42542) 22 Jul 2021, 7:57 am
    I also agree with Krissim, and I agree with WEN as well. They've said all that I would have said so I won't be an echo, but please consider their very valid concerns and constructive criticisms of this announcement. We all want to see Dappervolk flourish, but I also think everyone wants these artists to be compensated like they deserve to be.
  • Villager Jupiter (#189) 22 Jul 2021, 8:11 am
    I agree with precious sentiments, even offering to pay in turnips is a bit insulting. Artists should be paid in IRL money, not IGC.
  • Villager blithely (#42853) 22 Jul 2021, 8:27 am
    There’s a few notes along the lines of A. “Other pet sites do it, so it’s okay” and B. “Getting upset about this is an overreaction” here. I wanna make something clear: I’m not an artist. Maybe an amateur doodler, but not a professional, paid artist by any stretch of the word. But even I understand how much value artwork has, and how much time and effort goes into an artist’s mastery of their craft. Artists deserve to be compensated fairly for their work, just like everyone else. It would be really weird if someone paid, say, a programmer for the site in turnips, right? Even including the option for artists to be paid in turnips set’s the expectation that their art— their professional art, for a business— is only worth a pittance of online funny money.

    I understand that the turnip option may have been mentioned because the DV staff could use less strain on their budget. That’s understandable, especially considering how green DV is… but if you can’t pay employees or contractors, you shouldn’t be hiring them. This is true for not only all pet sites, but ALL BUSINESSES. Additionally, the actual job description here is so very vague and unhelpful. It’s important for artists to have a say in how much they get paid, but the business should still have an estimate of how much they’re willing to pay per piece or by the hour. I’d also like to echo the sentiments of a few other users in this thread— how many hours would each artist be expected to work per week, and at what rate should they be completing pieces?

    Seriously, though. DV has the opportunity to set a good example for pet sites. It’s disappointing that they don’t seem to have used it, but hey, c’est la vie.
  • Villager SeaBanshee (#43811) 22 Jul 2021, 8:37 am
    Hard agree with the fact that applicants should know the amount of work/hours/availability that is expected (even an approximation is better than nothing) and even more when they have the option to chose to be paid in Turnips.

    Also what's happening on another site (aka Aywas) doesn't makes it okay, especially when this site main artist left said site because she was underpayed for all the work she did.
  • Villager Stigs (#4019) 22 Jul 2021, 8:38 am
    blithely (#42853)
    I agree that artists should be paid their worth. I am an artist and many of my friends are artists. What bothers me is the fact this is an option and people are terming it as an end-all and be-all without any other valid choice, that artists are being manipulated, and that this wasn't just a mistake to include that can't be simply resolved.

    Every artist, I think, should get an estimate of the hours we're expected to work, the minimum wage stated upfront, and the marketization or privatization of work specified. That was never a question. This announcement is fundamentally flawed, but the flaw never hinted at any malice or manipulation of an artist to me.

    I'd sometimes prefer to be paid in IGC because I'm very faulty with my own finances. I'm neurodivergent, and less financial stressors or expectations (I have PDA, pathological demand avoidance from autism) mean I won't have near as many overstims. I also think that if I were someone who didn't have access to Paypal, such as being in another country or not having all the necessary identification to make a Paypal, I'd choose IGC.

    Artists are absolutely worth every penny, a tip, and so much more for their valid and hard contributions. That, to me, was never the heart of the argument.

    But acting as if the staff ruined someone's career over a fauxpas in a post that we grew up seeing numerously in our own childhoods and in our own adulthood is a bit odd. It's something we grew up with and got conditioned to seeing. Because we grew up with a different netculture, we grow accustomed to that culture. Is it time to change? Sure. But this wasn't an act of deliberate hate towards an artist.

    In closing, I agree with everything you're saying. The way it's being addressed is the only thing bothering me.

    P.S: I enjoyed the debate, wish you no ill will for any same or differing opinions, and hope you have a lovely day. <3
  • Villager Purrl (#38124) 22 Jul 2021, 9:02 am
    I really want to apply but I have no idea how to calculate preffered rates, I wish that kind of thing would have been included already as I've never really done artist work outside of the occasional commission which has wildly fluxuated in value based on what was asked of me and my skill level at the time
  • Villager SeaBanshee (#43811) 22 Jul 2021, 9:18 am
    Stigs (#4019) But if nobody say anything, how can we change a faulty system ?
    The culture of underpaying artist being so easily accepted and brushed off is a problem and people keeps saying "Other sites do it so it's okay". This argument just brush off the problem and hide it under a rug.
    But after reading your other posts it seems you didn't meant your first post like that, but more of "Staff did it out of habit but not out of malice" which I agree is highly likely what happened, though I don't really agree criticisms were "overreactions" or "acting as if the staff ruined someone's career over" because there were plenty politely said arguments. But I agree that people can chose to be paid in IGC or RLC, when they know exactly what the workload is (and aren't used to the idea that their work isn't worth RLC).
    I just wish the whole "Other sites/people do it so it's okay" stopped, cause it never is a good argument and can do more damage than good. It's just sad seeing it so often, exactly because this whole thing is so easily accepted, despite knowing it's bad.

    Basically, I'm just iffy about one sentence and saying criticisms are only overreaction, but I don't mean any ill towards you and am happy to see your other posts as they help understand better what you meant and we agree on a lot of things ! I really hope this response don't come off as mean or something. I promise that's not the intent (just trying to change this nonchalant response that can be a bit dangerous), but if it does somehow I'm very very sorry.
  • Villager Inhyeong (#8976) 22 Jul 2021, 10:17 am
    If you don't like the payment, don't apply. As simple as that.
  • Villager Calix (#5919) 22 Jul 2021, 11:51 am
    I think I'd feel differently about the whole turnips thing if DV was like other fresh petsites- broke and starting from very little and without reliable monetization methods. The reason sites like Aywas offer site currency is because they literally didn't have other options, money is so limited there because of old bad monetary choices that were made and a whole mess of other stuff.

    But DV didn't start out like most petsites. They started out with almost double the kickstarter funds that even Flight Rising started with- nearly 100k CAD by the end. They have reliable methods for monetization- premium shops pushing turnip sales every month, theater and page ads, etc. From my perspective, it seems like they should have plentiful funds to pay all artists fairly with IRC.

    It's insulting to me because of DV's history. If they were just a tiny project struggling to get off the ground, sure, try and mitigate some costs by offering site currency. But it's just blatantly not the case here.
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