For artists
Artist Handbook
Welcome, and thanks for considering a spot in the GM Grimoire artist directory. This is everything you need to know before you apply and once you’re listed.
What GM Grimoire is — and why you’re here
GM Grimoire is an AI narrator that lives inside Foundry VTT and reacts to a game master’s session in real time — it narrates the combat blow, the scene reveal, the lore a party just uncovered.
It does not make art, and it never will. No AI tokens, no AI portraits, no AI maps — not even for our own brand. When a GM wants art for their table, we send them to a real person. You are that person. This directory is how game masters find human artists to commission, and you’re being invited in early to help seed it.
We host no gallery of your work — your portfolio stays on your own sites, and we link to it. Nothing you share with us is used to train any AI model. Full stop.
Where things stand (being clear-eyed about beta)
Right now the directory is an introduction service, not a storefront:
- GMs browse the directory, find you, and send you a commission brief.
- We pass that brief to you, and you and the GM arrange the work directly — price, payment, delivery, all between the two of you.
- We take 0%. During beta there’s no platform fee at all.
Coming in the full marketplace, and why it’ll be worth staying for:
- Escrow with auto-release — the buyer pays up front into escrow; funds release to you on delivery, or automatically after a week if the buyer goes quiet, so you’re never stranded by an unresponsive client.
- One-click delivery into Foundry — your finished token, portrait, or map drops straight onto the character or scene at the GM’s table.
- Revision and dispute tooling — included-rounds tracking and a clear, record-backed path if something goes sideways.
We’ll bring you into that with your listing intact. Getting in during beta means you’re already there when the buyers arrive.
How it works, step by step
- Apply — a short form: your name, contact, portfolio links, styles, the commission types you offer, and a signed human-made attestation.
- We review your portfolio by hand. Every listing is human-vetted (see the one hard rule below). This is also why the directory is a place GMs trust.
- Your profile goes up — your styles, commission types and indicative prices, license tiers, availability, and links to your real portfolio.
- GMs reach out with a brief through your profile. You reply directly and take it from there — or decline, no penalty.
Setting up a strong profile
Your profile is what a GM decides on. What makes a good one:
- Tagline — one line that captures your work. “Painterly character portraits with a warm, storybook light” beats “I draw stuff.”
- Style tags — how GMs filter. Be specific and honest: painterly, ink, cartography, grimdark, anime. Pick the ones you’d want to be hired for.
- Commission types — list what you actually offer, each with an indicative starting price and a turnaround. GMs self-select on these, so realistic numbers save everyone time: character portrait, round token, battle map, region map, item art.
- License tiers you offer — see below.
- Availability — Open / Waitlist / Closed. Keep it current.
- Portfolio links — ArtStation, Bluesky, Cara, your own site. This is your gallery; make the first link your strongest.
Money — how you get paid in beta
- You set your prices. GMs see your indicative starting prices; you give a final quote in conversation.
- Payment is arranged directly between you and the GM, however you already take commissions.
- GM Grimoire takes 0% during beta. You keep everything except whatever your own payment processor charges.
- When the escrow marketplace arrives, a small flat platform fee turns on (planned 5%, well under Fiverr or Etsy) — and at that point the platform can absorb card processing so you’re not double-charged. You’ll get clear notice before anything changes.
Licensing — you keep your copyright
You always retain copyright. The buyer receives a license, never a silent transfer of ownership. So GMs can compare at a glance, we use preset tiers — you price each one:
- Personal / table use — for their own game.
- Streaming & content — they can show it on stream or in videos.
- Commercial — they can publish it in a product for sale.
Offer the tiers you’re comfortable with. A one-off custom or exclusive buyout is always something you can negotiate directly.
The one hard rule: human-made only
The whole reason GMs trust this directory is that everything in it is made by people. So:
- You attest that your portfolio and your commissions are human-made, not AI-generated — once per account, and per commission. This is the line; a violation means removal from the directory.
- Process proof is your friend. WIP shots, layered source files, or timelapses are the strongest signal a GM can ask for. Sharing them isn’t required, but it’s a trust marker buyers increasingly look for.
- No traced or stolen work, and nothing infringing.
None of this is adversarial toward you — it’s what makes your listing worth something. It’s the same principle the engine itself follows.
Questions
Do I need to use Foundry VTT myself? No. In beta you deliver however you and the GM agree.
Can I turn down a commission? Yes, anytime, no penalty. Set your availability to Waitlist or Closed when you need to.
Is my art used to train AI? No. We host no gallery — we link to your own sites — and nothing you share is used to train any model. That’s the entire point.
What does being listed cost me? Nothing in beta. No listing fee, no platform fee.
What if a GM ghosts after I’ve started? In beta, handle it the way you would any direct commission — take a deposit if that’s your norm. The escrow + auto-release system exists specifically to remove this risk.
How do you decide who gets listed? Human review of your portfolio, cross-checked against your established presence. We’re curating for quality and the human-made guarantee, not gatekeeping style.
Still have a question? Reach us at [email protected], or just apply and ask in your application — we’d rather answer before you commit than have you guess.