The Lead Character Artist will oversee character asset production, collaborate on visual style, mentor team members, and ensure high-quality character models are created for games.
Summary
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Character Artist to join our dynamic team. As Lead Character Artist, you will be responsible for creating and overseeing the production of high-quality character assets. You will have a direct impact on the visual identity of our games, bringing characters to life with stunning detail and artistic excellence.
Core Responsibilities
- Lead the character art team in the creation of high-quality character models.
- Collaborate with the Art Director to define the visual style of characters.
- Sculpt, model, and texture characters to meet the artistic and technical requirements of the project.
- Contribute in planning, organization and prioritization of tasks with Production for internal, OS, and co dev partners.
- Create and maintain character pipeline documentation for training and onboarding
- Proactively identify risks in character art production timelines and effectively communicate risks to Production and Directors.
- Mentor and provide feedback to other character artists.
- Ensure character assets are optimized for performance and memory usage.
- Work closely with rigging, animation, and technical art teams to ensure characters are ready for implementation.
- Stay current with industry trends and techniques in character art.
Core Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Game Art, or related field.
- 7+ years of experience in character art within the video game industry.
- Strong proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter.
- Significant experience in Unreal Engine
- Excellent understanding of anatomy, form, and silhouette.
- Experience with PBR and hand-painted texturing workflows.
- Proven track record of creating high-quality character models for AAA titles.
- Ability to lead a team and work collaboratively across departments.
Plus if...
- Experience with character rigging and skinning.
- Knowledge of Marvelous Designer or similar tools for clothing simulation.
- Experience with rigid body dynamics and cloth simulation in Unreal Engine
- Previous work in a leadership role on a major game title.
Description
- Full-time job with benefits.
- Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.
- Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeway.
The base pay range for this position is $170,000 to $200,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.
Absurd Ventures Santa Monica, California, USA Office
Santa Monica, California, United States
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