Character Art Lead: Shape AAA Assets & Pipeline

Absurd Ventures; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation time

Sick time

Company holidays

Parental leave

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) matching

Job summary

Absurd Ventures in Santa Monica, CA is seeking a seasoned Character Art Lead to steer the character art team and define quality standards for the project. You will collaborate with the Art Director, Production, and external partners to align priorities and implement efficient pipelines.

The role demands leadership over character modeling, texturing, and rigging with a strong grasp of Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine. On-site work with a comprehensive benefits package is offered.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional character art experience in the video game industry, including experience guiding or leading other artists.
• Experience creating character pipelines from the ground up.
• Proven experience in pre-production as well as shipping titles.
• Familiarity establishing artistic and technical workflows to tackle AAA pipelines.
• Proven track record of delivering high-quality character assets for AAA game titles.
• Strong understanding of character modeling, sculpting, texturing, anatomy, form, proportion, and silhouette.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and provide clear artistic direction and feedback to the character art team.
• Partner with the Art Director to establish and maintain the visual language, quality bar, and artistic standards for characters.
• Make strategic decisions around character art workflows, pipelines, tools, and processes to improve quality and efficiency.
• Establish priorities and allocate character art resources across internal teams and partners.
• Collaborate with Production and Directors to assess scope and risks and keep production on track.
• Evaluate character art at key development stages and provide actionable feedback.
• Collaborate with Animation, Technical Art, and Engineering to define asset requirements and integration.
• Define and maintain character art documentation, workflows, and best practices.
• Identify opportunities to improve the character art pipeline and address production challenges.
• Stay current with evolving character art techniques and tools.

Skills

Art direction

Team leadership

PBR workflows

Character modeling

Collaboration

Scheduling

Education

Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts/Game Art

Tools

Maya

ZBrush

Substance Painter

Unreal Engine

Job description

Absurd Ventures in Santa Monica, CA is seeking a seasoned Character Art Lead to steer the character art team and define quality standards for the project. You will collaborate with the Art Director, Production, and external partners to align priorities and implement efficient pipelines.

The role demands leadership over character modeling, texturing, and rigging with a strong grasp of Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine. On-site work with a comprehensive benefits package is offered.