This expense wasn’t a lump sum payment, but about 10 payments made over the course of a few months. I’m at the end of my original contract with an illustrator, and so far he’s delivered:

• The world map and multiple animations to bring the world map to life
• 18 original characters
• 21 battlefield maps

I’m extremely happy with the illustrations I’ve received and am extending the contract by another $4000. I thought the original 10k budget would be enough for all of the game’s illustrations, but I was definitely a little bit naive about how much artwork my game needs and how long it takes to create artwork. This extra expense alone will probably put my over the competition’s 25k budget, but I’d rather be over budget than have a 75% completed game.