Senior Character Artist – Realistic 3D Characters (On-Site)

Placements24; Randburg; On-site; ZAR 700,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Pension plan

Paid leave

Job summary

Placements24 in Randburg, Gauteng, seeks a Senior Character Artist to create believable, high-quality characters for a flagship title. You will own the full character pipeline—from sculpting high-poly models in ZBrush to creating textures with Substance Painter and preparing assets for game engines.

You will collaborate with art directors and animators, leveraging anatomy expertise and advanced texturing skills to push visual fidelity in real-time engines. On-site work in Randburg is required.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of professional experience as a Character Artist in the video game industry with a portfolio of realistic characters.
• Expertise in 3D sculpting using ZBrush and high-poly workflow.
• Proficient in realistic texturing and material creation using Substance Painter, Substance Designer, Photoshop, and Mari.
• Strong understanding of human anatomy, form, and proportion.
• Experience with real-time game engines (Unreal Engine, Unity) and asset integration.
• Ability to create clean topology and optimized UV layouts.
• Experience with rigging and skinning processes and collaboration with animators.
• Excellent attention to detail, realism, and artistic quality.
• Strong communication and teamwork skills.

Responsibilities

• Sculpt high-poly character models in ZBrush with anatomical accuracy.
• Create high-quality textures and materials in Substance Painter, Mari, and Photoshop.
• Retopologize models for real-time performance and layout UVs efficiently.
• Rig and skin characters for animation in collaboration with the animation team.
• Integrate character assets into Unreal Engine or Unity, ensuring fidelity and performance.
• Collaborate with art directors and supervisors to achieve the desired style.
• Stay updated on industry trends and improve techniques, mentoring juniors.

Skills

Anatomy knowledge

Artistic talent

Teamwork

Communication

Familiarity with real-time engines

Tools

ZBrush

Substance Painter

Mari

Photoshop

Substance Designer

Job description

Placements24 in Randburg, Gauteng, seeks a Senior Character Artist to create believable, high-quality characters for a flagship title. You will own the full character pipeline—from sculpting high-poly models in ZBrush to creating textures with Substance Painter and preparing assets for game engines.

You will collaborate with art directors and animators, leveraging anatomy expertise and advanced texturing skills to push visual fidelity in real-time engines. On-site work in Randburg is required.