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[Shadowspaz]

I'm definitely in agreement with the "work within your skills" advice.

My very first game started with one idea: "I want to make games, and I'm going to do it right now." I pounded it out in two weeks, and spent one more making the music and sounds for it. The game revolved around the idea of jumping from dream to dream, so each area was vastly different- Meaning a whole new tileset. Never since then have I worked on any game with as much art as that, and I still have no freaking idea how I even managed that.

Since then, I've just been completely burned out with art, because my level of expectation for it far surpassed my skill, and I would spend HOURS on a couple 16x16 pieces. The result was a horribly short, painfully linear game.

All the games I've made since then have been very minimalist, and the latest one was exclusively procedurally-drawn circles (Which are fantastic for any kinds of collision detection, by the way. I recommend it). I can put WAY more focus into getting the game to feel just how I want it to, and any design or story I end up building around it becomes much more developed. The result is a much more polished game, and it just feels way more professional because I didn't sink weeks of work into something that wasn't really vital.

Hell, another idea of mine revolves around the life of a pixel, so that's what you are: A white box. Keep the art simple and you'll be much happier with your end result.

[srslypretentious]

I am of the belief that, even though some developers specialise in specific fields (art, programming, music etc.) it is always good to experience the development of other aspects of the game i.e. An artist should learn programming, a programmer should learn to make graphic assets, and it can be to a very small degree, but will atleast give you perspective on the development of the game as a whole, since ALL of those aspects contribute to the whole experience. Ex. It is very useful for the concept artist to know what can be done with the game engine, and design for the limitations.

[Shadowspaz]

I am of the belief that, even though some developers specialise in specific fields (art, programming, music etc.) it is always good to experience the development of other aspects of the game i.e. An artist should learn programming, a programmer should learn to make graphic assets, and it can be to a very small degree, but will atleast give you perspective on the development of the game as a whole, since ALL of those aspects contribute to the whole experience. Ex. It is very useful for the concept artist to know what can be done with the game engine, and design for the limitations.

Oh, absolutely. It's great to know what other people are working with. But, coming from my own experience, it is VERY easy to underestimate the other side's job. For my current project, I was just thinking "Oh, I'll just use pixel art, kinda style it after Pokemon. Keeping it low-res will make it pretty easy." And I'm having one hell of a time. It'll be an awesome project to finish, though, and I'm sure I'll get pretty solid at art, but yeah, that's another thing:

Don't underestimate.

[srslypretentious]

Which is exactly why expanding your horisons is a good thing 

[ryansumo]

I think it really matters what your personality is. I'm terrible at doing multiple things at the same time so I'm happy I have a small team working with me on my current game.  But i die game dev is chockful of one man teams.

More people also means more ideas, and I'm always interested in the ideas that come out of a conversation, as opposed to just talking to myself all the time.

[Neeko]

I personally have no choice but to wear multiple hats right now. I can't afford to contract anything out, nor have I found any artists or composers willing to work for profit share (though to be fair, I haven't really networked with anyone yet).

I'm currently learning how to do pixel art, and I'm making some really good progress; I'm a programmer and never really attempted to do my own art before. Sure, my overall progress will be slower doing everything myself, but I argue not having a team will ultimately benefit me. I can quickly iterate on an idea without having to worry about the democracy. I can always bounce ideas off of friends and get feedback from here and other places, but the ultimate decision is mine.

That said, I still wish I had at least an artist working with me!

[Julien]

You should try deviant art or a topic here to find an artist. Maybe I was lucky but it was surprisingly easy to find one (more than one actually) interested in partnership and willing to work with shared revenues.

[anthnich]

If art is going to be a huge focus of the game you are making, then it might be in your best interest to seek out an artist to work with.

If you think you can make passable art, then take a shot at making something decent. Most everyone here has it right when they say "you need to work at it", because you do. You're going to grind a lot, but if you want to make decent art, you kind of have to just go for it and put in the work.

I've found that if your game is fun, players can be very forgiving with bugs, art, etc (within reason).

To answer your question specifically, if you want to just code, code and find an artist. If you want to do both, you're going to have to put in the work.

[Wilson Saunders]

I find that doing art is a nice way to take a break from coding. Communication between programmer and artist is very important to ensure the results turn our properly. There is no better communication than the one that goes on inside your head. Even if you are going to have an outside person do the art it helps the communication to have a little experience in their field.