Lead Character Artist

Abstraction; United States; Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Hybrid/onsite or remote

Personal development

EU/UK contract

Job summary

Abstraction is seeking a visionary Character Art Lead to steer the artistic direction of AAA co-development projects from concept to delivery. You will create key assets, guide the art team, and collaborate with leadership and clients to ensure high-fidelity visuals that align with the project’s creative vision.

You will partner with creative and technical leads, manage workflows, and ensure timely delivery within scope.

Qualifications

• 7+ years as a Character Artist in game development, lead or senior on shipped AAA titles.
• Outstanding portfolio showing realistic anatomy and creature work with strong form, proportion and surface detail.
• Proven ability to take a concept from 2D to game-ready 3D asset while preserving original design.
• Expert in sculpting, modelling, and texturing tools (ZBrush, Maya/Blender/3ds Max, Substance Painter).
• Strong understanding of real-time character pipelines, retopology, UVs, baking, PBR texturing, and optimization.
• Experience implementing character assets in Unreal Engine.
• Versatile across styles; grounded, realistic approach preferred.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills with Jira/Confluence familiarity.

Responsibilities

• Translate concept art into production-ready character assets (high-poly sculpts, game-ready meshes, UVs, textures).
• Create key assets that set quality benchmarks for the character team.
• Collaborate with client-side Art Director and concept artists to interpret style and feasibility.
• Work under ambiguity with proactive problem-solving and sound artistic judgment.
• Implement assets in Unreal Engine with materials, shaders, LODs, and configurations.
• Lead and mentor the character art team with regular reviews and feedback.
• Coordinate with tech art, rigging, and animation to meet technical specs.
• Establish character art workflows, best practices, and documentation.
• Provide task estimates and progress updates to Production.
• Support character team recruitment with portfolio reviews and tests.

Skills

Character art leadership

High-poly sculpting

PBR texturing

Unreal Engine

ZBrush

Maya

Blender

3ds Max

Substance 3D Painter

Technical art collaboration

Tools

ZBrush

Maya

Blender

3ds Max

Substance 3D Painter

Unreal Engine

Job description

Abstraction is a Dutch game co-development studio aiming to deliver cutting-edge game experiences. Specializing in technically demanding projects, we have collaborated on renowned IPs like Halo, Dune, Mass Effect, and Baldur's Gate. Our portfolio contains over 60 titles, reflecting our commitment to quality and technical prowess. We're not just partners with industry giants such as BioWare/EA, 343/Microsoft, Funcom, Sega, and others; we're innovators in our field.

We are looking for a visionary and experienced Character Art Lead to lead the artistic vision of our co-development projects from concept to final delivery, creating key assets, overseeing the planning, coordination, and delivery of art production across our exciting AAA co-development projects.

As a key creative contributor, you will execute and drive the development of iconic visuals, collaborate with leadership across disciplines and clients, and provide high-level guidance to the project team and be part of the project's decision-making leadership.

This role is ideal for a seasoned artist who combines hands-on expertise with long-term thinking, and you will partner with creative and technical leads to ensure that artistic vision is met while staying on schedule and within scope. You'll be responsible for creating key assets, supporting and enabling team workflows, ensuring consistent communication among project disciplines and external partners.

We value diverse perspectives and welcome candidates from all backgrounds to help us push the boundaries of our amazing game projects.

Impact

In this role, you'll be much more than your job title. You will:

• Cultivate Collaboration : Enhance our team culture through active participation and open communication.
• Ignite Innovation : Bring fresh, creative ideas that challenge conventional thinking.
• Embody Our Values : Live our core values and inspire others by example.
• Encourage Growth : Share your knowledge, fostering both individual and team development.
• Champion Positive Change : Help steer our company towards impactful, industry-leading initiatives.
• Your contribution will extend beyond tasks and targets; it's about making a lasting, positive difference in our workplace and community.

Responsibilities

• Translate concept art and key art into high-quality, production-ready character and creature assets, including high-poly sculpts, game-ready meshes, UVs, and PBR textures.
• Create key character assets that set the quality bar and visual benchmark for the character team.
• Work closely with the client-side Art Director and concept artists to faithfully interpret the visual direction and style, and raise any feasibility concerns early.
• Comfortable working under ambiguity, with a proactive, problem-solving mindset and sound artistic judgment when references or direction are incomplete.
• Implement character assets in engine (Unreal Engine), including material and shader setup, LODs, and asset configuration, making sure they look and perform as intended in-game.
• Guide and support the character art team through regular reviews, clear feedback, and hands-on help, ensuring consistency in quality and style across all character deliverables.
• Collaborate with tech art, rigging, and animation to ensure assets meet technical specifications and deform well.
• Establish and maintain character art workflows, best practices, and documentation for the team.
• Provide task estimates and progress updates to Production for character art deliverables.
• Support character team recruitment as needed, including portfolio reviews and art tests.

Knowledge & Experience

• 7+ years of experience as a Character Artist in game development, including experience in a Lead or Senior role on shipped AAA titles.
• An outstanding portfolio demonstrating realistic human anatomy and creature work, with a strong grasp of form, proportion, and surface detail.
• Proven ability to take a concept from 2D to a finished, game-ready 3D asset while staying true to the original design.
• Expert knowledge of sculpting, modelling, and texturing tools such as ZBrush, Maya, Blender or 3ds Max, and Substance 3D Painter.
• Strong understanding of real-time character pipelines, including retopology, UVs, baking, PBR texturing, and optimisation for performance.
• Solid experience implementing and setting up character assets in Unreal Engine.
• Versatility across other styles (stylized, cartoony) is a plus, though this project calls for a grounded, realistic approach.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to give and receive constructive feedback.
• Familiarity with Jira, Confluence, or similar tools.
• Bonus: Able to concept and ideate through rough sculpting and 2d techniques.
• Bonus: Knowledge of clothing, hair, and scan-based workflows (e.g., Marvellous Designer, hair cards or grooms, Wrap).

What We Offer:

• An autonomous job within a professional and informally organised company
• A competitive salary
• A lot of room for personal development and ownership
• Possibility to work hybrid/onsite, or fully remote
• An employment contract if you live in the Netherlands, Germany, or the UK, or a freelancer contract if you live within one of our approved countries.

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment where all individuals, regardless of their background, are encouraged to thrive, and we empower all team members to bring their unique perspectives to the table.