Senior Environment Artist

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Toronto; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Pitch Black is seeking a highly skilled Senior Environment Artist to create exceptional environment assets, set dressing, and scatter setups for our VFX productions. You will own complex environment work across modeling, texturing, look development, procedural scattering, and set dressing, mentoring others along the way.

You will collaborate with DMP, Lighting, Layout, Modeling, Production, Pipeline, and Environment teams across multiple locations, ensuring work meets creative, technical, and

Qualifications

• Significant professional experience in VFX production with focus on environment work.
• Expert-level proficiency in Maya and Houdini.
• Extensive experience in environment modeling, texturing, look development, scattering, and set dressing.
• Strong scripting skills in VEX, Python, and MEL for tools and workflow automation.
• Proven ability to work autonomously on complex shots, assets, or environment builds.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical direction and mentoring other artists.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality environment assets, including hero assets and large-scale set builds.
• Deliver advanced environment modeling, texturing, look development, scatter, and set-dressing work.
• Develop procedural modeling, texturing, shader, and scatter systems that improve efficiency and consistency.
• Build complex scatter setups with effective zoning, art direction, and optimisation.
• Establish the creative direction for environment research, look development, large set builds, and scatter work.
• Create reusable lookdev templates and robust shader networks independently.
• Deliver assigned work on schedule while maintaining a high standard of quality.
• Mentor artists, share knowledge, and help raise technical and creative standards.

Job description

We don't just build worlds. We build the teams that build better worlds.

From Montreal to Mumbai, London to Los Angeles, we unite diverse talent and experienceacross 10 global studios, delivering stronger, simpler, smarter VFX for episodic television and feature films.
For well over a decade, FOLKS artists have come together to create ambitious workwith human-focused collaboration. As part of the Pitch Black network, our teams contribute their distinct creative strengths to a broader community of talent, technology, and expertise around the world.

Join us and find your FOLKS.

Job Description

We are looking for a highly skilled Senior Environment Artist to create exceptional environment assets, set dressing, and scatter setups for our VFX productions.

You will take ownership of complex environment work across modeling, texturing, look development, procedural scattering, and set dressing. This is a senior-level role for someone who combines strong artistic judgment with technical expertise, enjoys solving production challenges, and is comfortable mentoring others.

Working closely with DMP, Lighting, Layout, Modeling, Production, Pipeline, and Environment teams across multiple locations, you will ensure work meets creative, technical, and schedule requirements.

What you'll do

• Create high-quality environment assets, including hero assets and large-scale set builds.
• Deliver advanced environment modeling, texturing, look development, scatter, and set-dressing work.
• Develop procedural modeling, texturing, shader, and scatter systems that improve efficiency and consistency.
• Build complex scatter setups with effective zoning, art direction, and optimisation.
• Establish the creative direction for environment research, look development, large set builds, and scatter work.
• Create reusable lookdev templates and robust shader networks independently.
• Deliver assigned work on schedule while maintaining a consistently high standard of quality.
• Maintain clean, reproducible scene files and publishes, and support best practices across the team.
• Anticipate downstream needs and prepare clear handoffs, including notes, IDs, versions, and references.
• Troubleshoot complex publishing and export issues in collaboration with Pipeline and TD teams.
• Help develop and improve environment publishing standards, QC checklists, documentation, and workflow templates.
• Identify quality, continuity, and integration issues early, proposing practical solutions and clear trade-offs.
• Contribute to workflow and tool improvements through technical problem-solving and scripting.
• Participate in—and where appropriate, lead—dailies, presenting work clearly and responding constructively to feedback.
• Communicate proactively with Supervisors, HoDs, and Production about risks, dependencies, schedules, and technical constraints.
• Mentor artists, share knowledge, and help raise technical and creative standards across local and global teams.

Qualifications

What you bring

• Significant professional experience in VFX production, with a strong focus on environment work.
• Expert-level proficiency in Maya and Houdini.
• Extensive experience in environment modeling, texturing, look development, scattering, and set dressing.
• Strong scripting skills in VEX, Python, and MEL for tools and workflow automation.
• Proven ability to work autonomously on complex shots, assets, or environment builds.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical direction and mentoring other artists.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work effectively under production pressure.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills across disciplines, locations, and time zones.
• A proactive, organised, and detail-oriented approach with a strong commitment to quality.

Nice to have

• Experience leading sequences or small teams.
• Experience collaborating across multiple studios or global sites.
• Experience contributing to R&D, pipeline, or tool-development initiatives.
• Advanced proficiency in Nuke and/or Unreal Engine.
• Experience with Katana and Substance.

Additional Information

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Pitch Black is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Pitch Black, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, skills, experience, and business needs. We provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, colour, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital or family status, pregnancy, veteran or military status, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, provincial, or local law.

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