Digital Illustrator Wanted (No AI Artwork) – Board Game Environment Art

Hi,

I'm looking for a talented digital illustrator to work with on a new board game called APOC: Prepare to Survive.

This is a paid test project that could lead to illustrations in the game.

About the Project

I've already built the entire town in 3D.

The perspective, lighting, roads, buildings and layout are already complete.

I am NOT looking for the town to be redesigned.

Instead, I need an illustrator who can paint over and enhance my existing renders, adding atmosphere, destruction, environmental storytelling and detail while preserving my original layout and style.

Think of it as creating a highly polished illustrated version of an existing 3D render.

The final colour grading and finishing touches will be completed by me in Photoshop, so I'm primarily looking for beautifully illustrated overlays and environmental details.

Test Project

Using my supplied town render, I'd like three illustrated versions of the same map.

Every road, building, park and landmark must remain in exactly the same position as the supplied render.

The board is used for gameplay, so nothing can move.

1. Hope Falls (Pre-Apocalypse)

The normal town before disaster strikes. (this is a fun game honest with lots of ironic humour)

Enhance the existing render with more life and detail while keeping it looking like a functioning modern town.

Examples:

Roof details
Air conditioning units
Street furniture
Park equipment
Vehicles
Street signs
Road markings
Better landscaping
More realistic textures
Small environmental props
Fences
Garden detail
Utility poles
Bins
Subtle weathering

The town should feel lived in without becoming cluttered.

2. AI Apocalypse

Using the identical town layout, create an AI invasion.

Examples:

Giant robotic tentacles moving through streets
AI drones
Patrol robots
Mechanical walkers
A crashed AI control pod in the central park
Smoke
Scorch marks
Destroyed vehicles
Mechanical debris
Broken walls
Damaged roads
Sparks
Power failures
Signs of an active AI takeover

The town should look under attack rather than completely destroyed.

3. Nuclear Apocalypse

Using exactly the same town layout, create a post-nuclear version.

Possible additions:

Collapsed buildings
Rubble
Craters
Burned vehicles
Broken roads
Fallout damage
Fires
Destroyed bridges
Sandbags
Military checkpoints
Makeshift barricades
Abandoned cars
Debris
Radiation warning signs
Overgrown vegetation
Dust and ash

The buildings should be heavily damaged but still recognisable, as players use them as navigation landmarks during the game but burnt and apocolyptic (see example attached) it's a bit bleak.

Important

The layout must not change.

Every road, junction, building and park must remain exactly where it is.

You're enhancing the town—not redesigning it.

Style

I really like the lighting and style of my current renders, so I'd like the illustrations to build on them rather than replace them.

The look I'm aiming for is somewhere between:

GTA artwork
PlayStation strategy games
Modern board game illustration

The artwork should feel:

Semi-realistic
Stylised
Detailed
Atmospheric
Easy to read from a top-down view
Suitable for commercial board game production
Files I'll Supply
High-resolution Cinema 4D renders
Building references
Board layout
Print dimensions
Component guide
Style reference images
Deliverables

Please provide:

Layered PSD (or Photoshop-compatible files)
High-resolution print-ready artwork
Editable source files
Full commercial rights for the commissioned artwork
No AI Artwork

This project requires original illustration.

Please do not apply if your workflow primarily relies on AI image generators.

Minor AI-assisted Photoshop tools (such as Object Removal or Generative Fill) are acceptable, but the artwork itself must be created by you.

Applications containing AI-generated portfolio pieces, or portfolios where ownership of the artwork cannot be demonstrated, will not be considered.

When Applying

Please include:

Examples of environment illustrations
Top-down artwork or maps (if available)
Board game artwork (if available)
Your price for creating the three board illustrations
Estimated delivery time
Your location and time zone
Future Work

This is only the beginning.

The successful artist will have the opportunity to work on the complete APOC: Prepare to Survive project, including:

Character illustrations
Cards
Box artwork
Rulebooks
Mission packs
Icons
Tokens
Promotional artwork
Additional environments

I'm looking for someone who enjoys world-building and would like to become the lead illustrator for the project.