Principal Environment Artist

IllFonic, Inc.; Lakewood, Tacoma (CO, WA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

IllFonic in Lakewood, CO seeks a Principal Environment Artist to lead high-quality 3D environments for an exciting new title. You’ll craft props, architecture, and terrain with textures, while guiding the artistic vision and collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Require 7+ years shipping titles, Unreal Engine expertise, strong PBR/materials knowledge, lighting, and a proven mentoring track record. A passion for games and ownership mindset are essential.

Qualifications

• Portfolio showing strong proficiency as an Environment Artist.
• Experience shipping multiple titles with Unreal Engine.
• Skilled with PBR materials and lighting.
• Experience with multiplayer games or shooters.
• 7+ years in professional game development.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality 3D art from concept to final lighting.
• Design props, architecture, and terrain models with textures.
• Collaborate to plan gameplay space layouts and flows.
• Lead art direction and maintain high-quality visuals.
• Mentor and guide other artists on the team.

Skills

Unreal Engine experience

PBR materials

Mentoring other artists

Team collaboration

Lighting & composition

Ownership & problem solving

High-quality 3D art

Communication skills

Education

Tools

Unreal Engine

Substance Painter/Designer

Quixel Suite

Maya/3ds Max

Photoshop

ZBrush

Job description

About the Role

IllFonic is seeking an experienced Principal Environment Artist to join our team for an exciting new title. We are looking for an artist with a strong vision and technical expertise in creating high-quality props, textures, and visually compelling 3D environments to join our creative game studio.

About the Company

Founded in 2007, IllFonic is an independent video game developer and publisher with studios in Lakewood, Colorado and Tacoma, Washington. Our staff is composed of video game, music, and technology veterans redefining how indie and middle-market games are made and marketed. Current and past titles / collaborations include Halloween: The Game, Killer Klowns from Outer Space: The Game, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, Arcadegeddon, Predator: Hunting Grounds, Friday the 13th: The Game, Dead Alliance, Star Citizen, Evolve, Armored Warfare, and Nexuiz.

Responsibilities

• Creating high-quality 3D art from concept and design ideas
• Create props, architecture, and terrain models, as well as textures and materials
• Collaborate with the team to design and layout gameplay spaces
• Work with white-box levels all the way through final set dressing and lighting
• Help drive the artistic vision for the game
• Assist in establishing pipelines for increasing art efficiency
• Help set and maintain a high-quality bar for the game
• Assist in scoping work for on-time milestone deliveries
• Mentor other art team members

Requirements

• Portfolio of work demonstrating strong proficiency as an Environment Artist
• Experience shipping multiple titles using Unreal Engine
• Skilled in creating and understanding PBR materials
• Experience with multiplayer games and/or shooters
• Experience with Substance painter, Substance Designer, or/and Quixel Suite
• 7+ years of professional experience developing high-quality game titles
• Strong sense of level design, scale, and gameplay flow
• Passion for playing and creating games
• Self-driven with strong communication skills
• Proven experience mentoring and teaching other artists
• Proven experience tackling challenges and problem solving with a strong sense of ownership
• Proven experience working closely with many other disciplines as well as being a team player
• Advanced understanding of lighting, composition, and set dressing
• Advanced understanding of Maya/Max, Photoshop, ZBrush
• Advanced understanding of current game art pipelines and methodologies