[vincent_richter]

My position has changed considerably over the years. Currently, I believe that you can produce decent games as a form of primary revenue, or as a hobby with any residual income being an added bonus - you cannot do both.

Either way, 'tis a poor artist wot blames 'is tools; Coptics are no longer a requirement (get a Wacom, one time, for $100 and learn how to use the damned thing), GIMP can sub in for many of the Paint / PhotoShop requirements, and Daz and Bryce are available for model rigging - to say nothing of Blender. Sure, there's a learning curve - nobody starts out acing PhotoShop the first time through - but you can't beat the price.

Bottom line, prototyping is easier now than it's ever been - perhaps, even, too easy - and there's no reason to go bankrupt over a product that doesn't draw enough enthusiasm to make it to market.

EDIT: This is ignoring a key point, though: if your premise is functional, enjoyable, and detailed enough, you needn't worry about paying artists until your project is successful. Even if it's a commercial flop, I think you'll find many newcomers eager to prove themselves, if only to build a more marketable portfolio for a future lucrative position. The point here is that you build a functionally coordinated project team first and foremost, with any benefits being reaped from the whole of a successful venture. No business is without risks.