I have just abandoned my first game after a few months of development. It was because it was a learning experience. Over the past few months I have become fairly proficient in the engine I use and I have realized that I can do better.

I don't know if it will be commercially viable, I don't even have concept art or anything like that. Just an engine that I've built within another engine and an idea for a difficult platformer.

I am not an artist. I used what I expected to be 'placeholder sketches' in my first game and eventually settled on keeping the art as I made it. I have been taking drawing classes and pixel art classes but I am ready to start development now.

For the past 2 weeks I have cut out some sprites from a game that I truly love and is a huge source of inspiration for me. After doing so, I have the physics where I want them and the controls fine tuned. I am ready to start level design- but I don't have a protagonist yet.

I want an original female protagonist in the style of Wings of Vi, Momodora, Rabi-Ribi or even They Bleed Pixels. Something SNES-y but I don't possess the skillset necessary to create and animate the human form in pixel art to my liking. I am thinking I'd be best off to commission the art.

I am trying to find someone who would be willing to create a female protagonist in SNES style pixel art?

What should I expect it to cost me to find someone to create an original character spritesheet with basic animations?

If I pay someone to do this, do I now own the character? Would I add them in the credits?

Would it be casual or would I have to draw up a contract?

What if I never complete the game? What if it never makes it to a commercial platform? Is that too disappointing for an artist to accept?

I just want some insight on this. I am stuck right now. I want to be coding my game but I don't want to proceed until I have a character in the works. I'm looking for potential artists to reach out to me if they are interested and let me know how the process would work.

I can be emailed at bbass9490@gmail.com