Need Artist for Indiecade Submission: Courtship Cannons!

I'm looking for an artist with a love of chivalry, the Victorian Era and shooting ladies with cannons to provide polished art for my Indiecade submission, Courtship Cannons: Fire The Pleasantries!. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, my artist had to bow out.

The game is in a very playable state, and is currently undergoing playtesting. (You can grab the latest build here [XNA 4.0]).

Game Description

In Courtship Cannons: Fire The Pleasantries!, you play as a gentleman cannoneer who attempts to woo upstanding ladies by firing complements at them out of cannons. It's a two-player dueling game that plays a bit like tug-of-war mixed with Worms (check the videos in the media section for more information).

Players can obtain different power-ups to turn the tides (or screw their chances with ladies). It is a two-player competitive-only game that, upon completion, will contain a quick-duel mode, a tournament mode, and a power-up modification menu (Fox-only, no items, Final Destination).

Job Description

I'll need an artist to create a backdrop, animated cannoneers (proper gentlemen, no doubt Gentleman

), cannons, cannonballs, varying fine ladies, a slick-ass menu, powerup icons, and particle effects (as well as a bunch of stuff that I'm probably forgetting) in a style that reeks Victorian. I'll be acting as Art Director, but as long as the style is slick and consistent with the theme, you'll be free to extend your creative tentacles.

You should be familiar with organizing spritesheets and the goings on with game-related art (which I'm sure is a non-issue for most of you).

Payment!?

Alright, this is where I'm not sure what forum this thread should live in. Please delete this if I've posted this in the wrong location.

You'll be working under an alternative payment system. I want to pay you for your art! You'll receive full credit of all the art you create for the game, but it will be owned by The Game Studio.

The ideal payment would be a round-trip ticket to Indiecade on October 6-9 in Los Angeles, CA, should we be nominated. Should we not be nominated or a plane ticket for you would be hella-spensive, I can pay an agreed upon amount upon completion of work. I'm not trying to rob you, and I definitely want to compensate you for your time, I'm just not made of money. I'm a reasonable gentleman, so we can discuss further if need be.

Timeline

Unfortunately, the deadline looms. The game will need to be submitted by June 15th, so art should be finished by June 9th at the latest. I don't make the rules. Sad

Media

Here's some media. Make sure you enjoy the game (or are at least on-board with the concept) before applying. I want someone who's as passionate about this idea as I am.

Play the game! [XNA4.0])

Here's a video of the most recent build.

Here's a longer video with more gameplay.

Contact Information

If you're interested in this opportunity, you may either email me at contact at thegamestudio dot net, or send me a PM on the forum. Either way, it would be great to hear what you've worked on previously and a link to some of your more recent (or most applicable) work.