Illusorium Studios hiring Senior Matte Painter, spain, 2026

Festybay; Madrid; Presencial; EUR 30.000 - 50.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Competitive salary

Flexible working hours

Supportive team environment

Descripción de la vacante

Illusorium Studios is looking for a Senior Matte Painter to enhance our Madrid-based team. This full-time role involves creating photorealistic digital environments and executing complex projection workflows. The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in 3D animation and proficiency in tools like Autodesk Maya and Adobe Photoshop.

Join us to craft high-quality visuals that push the boundaries of digital media, while working collaboratively with a dedicated team.

Formación

• Proven professional experience working specifically as a Matte Painter within high-end 3D animation or VFX studio environments.
• Expert-level command of Autodesk Maya and Adobe Photoshop with a robust portfolio.
• Exceptional skills in traditional or digital painting, drawing, perspective, color theory, value balance, and spatial composition.

Responsabilidades

• Create sprawling, photorealistic or highly stylized digital environments.
• Execute advanced camera projection workflows in Maya.
• Collaborate with Environment Leads, Technical Directors, and Layout Supervisors on pipeline bottlenecks.

Conocimientos

Production Longevity

Software Mastery

Artistic Foundation

Distinct Style

Language Proficiency

Geographic Availability

Educación

Experience as a Matte Painter in a VFX studio

Herramientas

Autodesk Maya

Adobe Photoshop

Descripción del empleo

Illusorium Studios is expanding its core environment team in Madrid. We are actively seeking a talented, highly resourceful Senior Matte Painter specializing in 3D animation productions to join our studio. Your core mission in this role will transcend basic asset creation; you are here to design, paint, and project expansive digital backgrounds for both 2D and 3D scenes that establish the scale, atmosphere, and emotional depth of our worlds.

As a Senior Matte Painter, you will be trusted to safeguard the fragile equilibrium between high-end artistic quality, technical layout efficiency, and grounded common sense. When a complicated production deadline rolls around and environment layers aren’t projecting cleanly onto shifting 3D geometry, you quickly realize just how vital common sense truly is.

This is a highly collaborative, production-hardened role suited for an experienced veteran who is technically self-sufficient, naturally curious, and determined to lift the capabilities of the entire environment and layout group. We want someone who is decisive in real‑world production setups and eager to build tools, processes, or solutions that make the work better for the whole team.

Job Detail Information

Company Illusorium Studios

Department Environment & Concept Art Department

Role Senior Matte Painter

Location Madrid, Madrid, Spain (On-site / Studio-based)

Employment Type Full-time, Permanent Contract (Indefinite / Contrato Indefinido)

Core Software Autodesk Maya, Adobe Photoshop, & Digital Painting Suites

Language Requirement English (B2 level or higher)

Reference Code ART

Company Overview

At Illusorium Studios, we don’t just build pixels; we craft visual narratives driven by two uncompromising pillars: creative ambition and technical excellence. We operate as a high-performance visual effects and animation hub where artists gather to push the envelope of what digital media can achieve. We don’t believe in cutting corners or coasting on “good enough.” Our studio is a collaborative playground built for seasoned professionals who take profound pride in their craftsmanship and genuinely enjoy the process of doing things exceptionally well.

We recognize that the ultimate success of an animation pipeline depends on the sanity, stability, and intelligence of the team operating it. That is why we purposefully design an environment that balances intense, high-end production with operational maturity. We prioritize working with individuals who exhibit sound professional judgment, an innate attention to detail, and a structured ability to solve complex production problems without escalating every creative bottleneck into a high-risk crisis.

At Illusorium Studios, your ideas are not just welcomed—they are actively sought out. We value innovators who look at a broken pipeline, an unstable projection setup, or a repetitive asset workflow and propose a systematic way to improve it for everyone. We want you to build a body of work here that you will proudly showcase the moment the project premieres.

Key Responsibilities as Matte Painter

Your day-to-day contributions at Illusorium Studios will balance high-fidelity digital painting with complex 3D projection setups and cross-departmental alignment:

• Create sprawling, photorealistic, or highly stylized digital environments, landscapes, skyboxes, and vistas that blend seamlessly with live-action or stylized 3D foreground elements.
• Execute advanced camera projection workflows, mapping 2D painted assets, textures, and clean plates onto complex 3D geometry in Maya while maintaining consistent perspective and lighting alignment.
• Manipulate, clone, and integrate photographic reference material into digital mattes, ensuring flawless continuity regarding grain, exposure, and lens characteristics.
• Ensure that all digital paintings perfectly match the established concept art, color scripts, and visual direction of the specific project sequence.

2. Pipeline Integration & Workflow Optimization

• Partner proactively with Environment Leads, Technical Directors, and Layout Supervisors to identify structural bottlenecks within the matte painting and environment pipeline.
• Contribute to the conceptualization, testing, and implementation of new internal tools, scripts, and asset management procedures designed to streamline environment projection workflows.
• Maintain clean, systematically organized, and non-destructive file architectures across Photoshop, Nuke, and Maya to ensure other department artists can easily scale or modify your files.

3. Cross-Departmental Troubleshooting

• Collaborate intimately with the Lighting and Compositing teams to evaluate how environmental lighting keys, atmospheric haze, and depth passes interact with your background plates.
• Coordinate directly with the Asset and Rigging teams to resolve geometry anomalies or tracking errors prior to finalizing complex background projections.
• Take personal ownership of assigned sequences, verifying that matte paints are perfectly optimized for downstream rendering and final compositing passes.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Production Longevity: Proven professional experience working specifically as a Matte Painter within high-end 3D animation or VFX studio environments.
• Software Mastery: Advanced, expert-level command of Autodesk Maya and Adobe Photoshop (or equivalent industry-standard digital painting software), with a robust portfolio demonstrating flawless 2.5D and 3D projection workflows.
• Artistic Foundation: Exceptional, highly developed fundamental skills in traditional or digital painting, drawing, perspective, color theory, value balance, and spatial composition.
• Distinct Style: A highly developed artistic eye accompanied by a versatile aesthetic style capable of pivoting between photorealism and stylized animated worlds.
• Language Proficiency: English language skills at a B2 level or higher to ensure clear, precise communication with global teams and supervisors.
• Geographic Availability: Absolute availability and willingness to work in person / on-site at our studio located in Madrid, Spain.
• Clear, articulate, and empathetic communication habits, with the capacity to explain complex environmental or projection layout challenges to upstream and downstream teams.
• A mature approach to receiving creative critiques and a natural willingness to refine, alter, or rethink an environmental asset to achieve the studio’s ultimate narrative goals.
• An innate sense of discipline and time management, enabling you to estimate turnaround times accurately and hit production milestones consistently.

What We Offer & Studio Culture

• Ambitious Project Roster: The chance to embed yourself within challenging, highly creative projects alongside a team of elite, international VFX and animation professionals.
• Long-Term Stability: A full-time, permanent contract (Contrato Indefinido) paired with a highly competitive salary that is directly commensurate with your professional production history and technical responsibilities.
• Flexible Operational Hours: Core working hours built with reasonable flexibility to respect your life outside the studio walls while ensuring production targets remain secure.
• Flexible Compensation Options: Access to tax-optimized financial benefits tailored to help you manage your income and lifestyle efficiently in Madrid.
• A Paranormal-Free Workplace: A comfortable, heavily optimized, state-of-the-art physical studio setup engineered specifically for intense production cycles… but designed carefully so it doesn’t feel like a grueling, sanity-testing ordeal.
• Recharge & Support Stations: Our studio features vibrant common areas, an outdoor terrace, and dedicated rest zones. When you’ve been wrestling with an intricate scene or a stubborn perspective projection for hours, we provide the ultimate decompression toolkit: freshly brewed coffee, fresh fruit, snacks, and a brilliant, supportive team ready to step in, look at your monitor, and help you crack the problem.

Application and Selection Process

To apply, please submit your application directly to our HR & Talent acquisition team.

Your submission must include:

1. An updated, comprehensive professional CV outlining your studio production history.
2. A direct link to your latest Matte Painting Portfolio or Demo Reel accompanied by a detailed shot breakdown sheet explaining your exact technical steps (e.g., source photography used, digital paint layers, and 3D projection geometry setups).

We look forward to analyzing your portfolio, discussing your artistic perspective, and welcoming you into the creative family at Illusorium Studios!