Senior Blender 3D FX Artist

Blue Zoo; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Profit share

Online wellbeing programme

Discounts and offers

Job summary

Blue Zoo, based in the UK, is seeking a Blender FX and procedural artist to design reusable, hybrid FX pipelines using Geometry Nodes and Grease Pencil. You’ll deliver stylised effects across episodes, collaborating with 2D, lighting and compositing teams to maintain a cohesive look.

The role supports flexible, hybrid and remote options and requires UK regional availability. A strong portfolio demonstrating procedural FX and dynamic simulations is essential.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in Blender including Geometry Nodes and Grease Pencil.
• Experience delivering stylised FX across multiple sequences or episodes.
• Strong working knowledge of simulation and procedural workflows.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across Animation, Lighting, and Compositing departments.
• Clear communication skills and ability to interpret creative direction.
• Calm, practical approach to problem-solving under production pressure.
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload across multiple sequences.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creative and technical direction of all FX across the production with your fellow Senior 2D (Grease Pencil) FX artist.
• Design and develop a reusable, procedural FX toolkit for use across episodes (e.g. magic, environment FX, impacts, atmosphere, stylised simulation).
• Define and maintain a hybrid FX workflow combining: Procedural systems (e.g. Geometry Nodes), Simulation-based FX (smoke, particles, dynamics), 2D animation and embellishment (Grease Pencil)
• Produce flexible, high-quality assets, ensuring lighting and shading align with artistic concepts, and maintaining efficient cache workflows for seamless integration with Maya.
• Ensure FX outputs are consistent with the show’s stylised art direction and visual language.
• Collaborate closely with the Art Director, CG Supervisor, Animation, Lighting, and Compositing supervisors to ensure seamless integration of FX into shots.
• Translate director and client feedback into clear, actionable FX solutions for the team.
• Solve creative and technical challenges in a way that prioritises efficiency and visual storytelling.
• Oversee FX shot delivery, ensuring quality, performance, and consistency across the production.
• Develop templates, systems, and workflows that reduce shot-by-shot rebuilding and increase scalability.
• Provide day-to-day support and guidance to FX artists across the production.
• Contribute to look development and early design of FX concepts for sequences and key moments.
• Maintain clarity on priorities, deadlines, and dependencies across FX workstreams.

Skills

Blender

Geometry Nodes

Grease Pencil

Procedural FX

Lighting & Shading

Collaboration

Tools

Blender

Job description

About The Role

As a Blender FX and procedural artist, you will design and implement stylish, versatile 3D setups, with a playful and stylised aesthetic. Leveraging your deep expertise in shading and Geometry Nodes, you will deliver dynamic 2D/3D hybrid effects—such as smoke, fire, and water—while integrating procedural scattering elements. Experience with simulation, grease pencil and curves is advantageous too.

Working closely with the 2D Artists, Art Director, CG Supervisor and Lighting & Compositing team, you will help interpret the look and feel of the show's hybrid FX language, working atop a mixture of hand-drawn storyboard elements and animated 3D caches.

You’ll design reusable versatile setups in Blender that will support recurrent FX, but also be able to quickly prototype bespoke setups for shot work. Proven demonstration of a wide range of general ability with Blender in terms of both motion graphics type work as well freestyle crafting and doodling would be very valuable.

You will be responsible for ensuring all FX deliver on creative intent while meeting technical, schedule and budget requirements, helping maintain a consistent and highly expressive look across episodes and sequences.

We are very happy to discuss flexible, hybrid and remote working options for all our vacancies.

This opportunity requires talent to be based regionally - in the UK, outside of the M25 as per client requirements. The successful candidate will require the right to work in the UK.

Please note that this vacancy can close early if we receive a high number of applications.

Day to day:

• Lead the creative and technical direction of all FX across the production with your fellow Senior 2D (Grease Pencil) FX artist.
• Design and develop a reusable, procedural FX toolkit for use across episodes (e.g. magic, environment FX, impacts, atmosphere, stylised simulation).
• Define and maintain a hybrid FX workflow combining: Procedural systems (e.g. Geometry Nodes), Simulation-based FX (smoke, particles, dynamics), 2D animation and embellishment (Grease Pencil)
• Produce flexible, high-quality assets, ensuring lighting and shading align with artistic concepts, and maintaining efficient cache workflows for seamless integration with Maya.
• Ensure FX outputs are consistent with the show’s stylised art direction and visual language.
• Collaborate closely with the Art Director, CG Supervisor, Animation, Lighting, and Compositing supervisors to ensure seamless integration of FX into shots.
• Translate director and client feedback into clear, actionable FX solutions for the team.
• Solve creative and technical challenges in a way that prioritises efficiency and visual storytelling.
• Oversee FX shot delivery, ensuring quality, performance, and consistency across the production.
• Develop templates, systems, and workflows that reduce shot-by-shot rebuilding and increase scalability.
• Provide day-to-day support and guidance to FX artists across the production.
• Contribute to look development and early design of FX concepts for sequences and key moments.
• Maintain clarity on priorities, deadlines, and dependencies across FX workstreams.

Must Have:

• Proficiency in Blender (including Geometry Nodes and Grease Pencil)
• Experience delivering stylised FX across multiple sequences or episodes.
• Ability to create high-quality FX work both technically and artistically.
• Strong working knowledge of simulation and procedural workflows.
• Solid understanding of traditional FX principles (particles, dynamics, fluids, volumes, forces) and FX workflows in a production environment (TV or episodic content preferred).
• Strong eye for timing, motion, and visual storytelling through FX.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across Animation, Lighting, and Compositing departments.
• Clear communication skills and ability to interpret creative direction.
• Calm, practical approach to problem-solving under production pressure.
• Ability to prioritise and manage workload across multiple sequences.

Bonus Points:

• Experience building procedural FX systems or reusable asset libraries.
• Experience in stylised or non-photoreal CG animation.
• Knowledge of traditional FX pipelines in episodic TV production.
• Experience blending 2D and 3D workflows for hybrid animation styles.
• Understanding of real-time or lightweight production workflows.

About Us

Blue Zoo is a leading animation studio in the UK, with a world-class reputation as the go-to place for creating bold, fun and characterful animation. Established in London in 2000, the studio has grown to become the largest dedicated CG animation studio in the UK, picking up a shelf full of BAFTAs, an Annie and an Emmy along the way!

We couldn’t be prouder that Blue Zoo is the first major animation studio in the world to receive B Corp certification. We’ve been independently certified by B Lab, a non‑profit organisation who award the B Corp certification. The certification verifies companies who are working to improve the lives of employees as well as industries as a whole. The certification process involves over 170 rigorous metrics to improve the lives of our staff, customers, suppliers, and the local community, ensuring we are not just saying we are ethical with empty gestures, but independently evidencing it.

We are going through an exciting period of growth and are building a studio that is full of amazingly talented, happy artists, making work they are proud of, which in turn makes a small contribution to a happier world. Blue Zoo believes that a healthy balance in our lives - whatever our situation - is key to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We offer flexible working to support this.

We look for people who have expertise, enthusiasm and are motivated to make things better. You’ll work alongside a talented and diverse group of people who respect each other's differences and seek to understand and embrace fresh perspectives.

What we’ve got for you:

• Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025 & 2026.
• Inclusive self-funded shorts programme.
• Many fun in person and remote social events throughout the year.
• Bi-monthly employee feedback and engagement programme.
• Comprehensive benefits package, including loads of discounts and offers.
• Online wellbeing programme.
• Profit share (for employees who have been with us for 2+ years).

Blue Zoo is committed to creating and nurturing an inclusive studio that promotes and values diversity and invites everyone to ‘bring their whole selves’ to work. We believe that companies that truly embrace and value diversity, and create an environment where everyone from any background can do their best work, are better companies.

To be engaged our people have to feel included and valued. We work hard to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is embedded in the way we work, not just an initiative. We strive to engender a studio community that feels a deep sense of pride and commitment that transcends any role, department or level and works together to produce excellent and engaging work.