Character Surfacing Artist - Netflix Animation Studios

Netflix; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 75,000 - 147,000; Full time

Job summary

Netflix Animation Studios is seeking a Character Surfacing / Look Development Artist to bring characters and creatures to life through textures, shading and grooming for our CG feature films.

You will interpret 2D designs, create stylized and physically plausible shaders, and collaborate with Surfacing Leadership and production to maintain consistency and quality within deadlines. Vancouver-based, hybrid role with 3 days in office per week.

Qualifications

• 3+ years' experience working on high-quality shading, surfacing, and texturing.
• 3+ years' experience in animated features, feature films (VFX), or high-end episodics.
• Proficiency with Mari and Maya.
• Strong communication, organisational, and time management skills.
• Excellent verbal, written, and e-social communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Work on all areas of surfacing, including texture painting, procedural texturing, shading and lookdev, grooming and UV layout, with a primary focus on characters, creatures, and their costumes.
• Create high-quality, stylized textures, either hand-painted or procedural, to a level of detail necessary for production assets.
• Create stylized and physically plausible shaders while strictly following department standards and conventions.
• Interpret 2D designs, reference material, and artistic direction, and translate them into our production surfacing while maintaining the original artistic intent.
• Assume responsibility for ensuring assigned work is produced to the expected standard of quality within the scheduled timeframe and deadline.
• Maintain good communication with the Surfacing Leadership, production, and the team.
• Help establish and maintain a consistent style for the project.
• Collaborate with grace, humility, inclusion, and open-mindedness.

Skills

Character texturing

Shading & surfacing

Color theory

Communication skills

Time management

Tools

Mari

Maya

Houdini

Job description

Netflix Animation Studios is on a mission to entertain the world with bold, immersive animated films that are timeless and impactful. We are paving the way for the future of animation by building a community of amazing artists and talent across three vibrant locations globally. Come join us!

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Character Surfacing / Look Development Artist to support our upcoming CG feature films! You will be responsible for bringing characters and creatures to life through high-quality texturing, shading, and grooming.

What You'll Do

• Work on all areas of surfacing, including texture painting, procedural texturing, shading and lookdev, grooming and UV layout, with a primary focus on characters, creatures, and their costumes.
• Create high-quality, stylized textures, either hand-painted or procedural, to a level of detail necessary for production assets.
• Create stylized and physically plausible shaders while strictly following department standards and conventions.
• Interpret 2D designs, reference material, and artistic direction, and translate them into our production surfacing while maintaining the original artistic intent.
• Assume responsibility for ensuring assigned work is produced to the expected standard of quality within the scheduled timeframe and deadline.
• Maintain good communication with the Surfacing Leadership, production, and the team.
• Help establish and maintain a consistent style for the project.
• Collaborate with grace, humility, inclusion, and open-mindedness.

What You'll Need

• A passion and an eye for making beautiful-looking CG characters and creatures.
• Proven technical and visual skills with an understanding of art and design within an animation environment.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to interpret design down to its fundamentals.
• 3+ years' experience working on high-quality shading, surfacing, and texturing.
• 3+ years' experience in animated features, feature films (VFX), or high-end episodics.
• Proficiency with Mari and Maya.
• An interest in problem-solving, a desire to work within a relatively technical pipeline, and a willingness to openly share knowledge.
• Strong communication, organisational, and time management skills.
• A good understanding of lighting and colour theory, industry standards, conventions, and formats, to enable successful completion of tasks.
• Excellent verbal, written, and e-social communication skills.

Bonus Skills

• Extensive knowledge of shader creation and implementation.
• Experience using Houdini, particularly for grooming or procedural workflows.

This role is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Hybrid Role (Minimum of 3 days a week in the office).

At NAS, we carefully consider a wide range of compensation factors to determine your compensation. We rely on market indicators and consider your specific job family, background, location, skills, and experience. The overall market range for this role is typically $75k - $147k CAD. This reflects total compensation; we do not have bonuses.

NAS benefits can include medical/dental/vision plans, mental health support, retirement programs, and family-forming benefits, paid leave of absence programs, and paid time away programs to be used for vacation and sick paid time off. See more detail about our benefits here.

Inclusion is a Netflix value and we strive to host a meaningful interview experience for all candidates. If you want an accommodation/adjustment for a disability or any other reason during the hiring process, please send a request to your recruiting partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.