Character Designer

1 Month ago • All levels • Animation • $116,700 PA - $149,760 PA

Job Summary

Job Description

The Character Designer is responsible for exploring all design options for characters in animation projects. Collaborating with the Director, Art Director, and other leads, you'll create multiple character iterations, including poses, expressions, and turnarounds, ensuring designs are feasible for downstream departments (modeling and texturing). This union-covered position requires excellent draftsmanship, anatomy knowledge, and understanding of costume design. You'll work independently and as part of a team, resolving design issues with the Art Director. Experience in animation (feature film, TV series, or game) is preferred. The role involves visually exploring and discovering the character's look, feel, and personality throughout the pitch, design, and production process.
Must have:
  • Collaborate with creative leads
  • Create multiple character iterations
  • Consider downstream departments
  • Excellent draftsmanship
  • Anatomy and volumetric drawing knowledge
  • Photoshop skills
Good to have:
  • Stylistic versatility
  • Costume design understanding
Perks:
  • Union benefits

Job Details

The Character Designer is in charge of exploring all options when crafting the look, feel, personality, and appeal of a character. Working with the Director, Art Director, and other creative leads, you will explore multiple looks for each character to bring them to life. This is a union covered position.

Sony Pictures Animation is a pre-production animation studio based in Culver City, California, creating both feature animation and animated series with artists from around the world. We pride ourselves on empowering filmmakers to lead the creative process, and allowing the hand of the artist to be truly felt, with the goal of producing bold and innovative visual storytelling.

Responsibilities:

  • Collaborate with the creative lead throughout the pitch, design and production process to visually explore and discover the characters' look, feel, and personality.
  • Create multiple iterations of each character (including character poses, expressions and turnarounds) in rough pass form and approved final designs.
  • Propose design approaches that consider downstream departments (modeling and texturing).
  • Able to work independently and within a team environment.
  • Work closely with the Art Director to resolve design issues.

Qualifications:

  • Previous experience on an animated feature film, tv series, or game preferred.
  • Ability to articulate creative ideas.
  • Excellent draftsmanship.
  • Skilled in character pose, facial expressions and character turnarounds.
  • Outstanding research skills and an understanding of costume design.
  • Knowledge of anatomy and volumetric drawing.
  • We value inventiveness! Each Sony Pictures Animation project has its own distinctive and outstanding visual language so it is helpful to have stylistic versatility.
  • Photoshop knowledge required.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $56.23/hour to $72/hour. This role qualifies for benefits pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement. The actual salary offered will depend on a variety of factors.

To apply, please include a resume and a link to your portfolio. Please make sure to include any passwords to your work in your cover letter and/or in your resume. 

Sony Pictures Animation is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

Similar Jobs

Playrix - AI Artist

Playrix

Cyprus (Remote)
2 Weeks ago
Sportskeeda - Video Editor

Sportskeeda

(Remote)
1 Day ago
2K - Creative Director, Sports

2K

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
23 Hours ago
Voodoo - Lead Creative Japan

Voodoo

Tokyo, Japan (On-Site)
4 Weeks ago
Gearbox Software - Technical Artist

Gearbox Software

Frisco, Texas, United States (On-Site)
10 Months ago
Activision - Expert Animation Engineer

Activision

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Survios - Technical Artist - Animation (Unreal Engine 5)

Survios

California, United States (Remote)
2 Months ago
PlaySimple - Motion Graphic Artist

PlaySimple

(On-Site)
1 Month ago
Qingci Games - Urgent Animation Storyboard Artist

Qingci Games

(On-Site)
2 Months ago
DNEG - Pipeline ATD (Feature Animation)

DNEG

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (On-Site)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

Studio Image Works - Motion Graphic Artist

Studio Image Works

Gurugram, Haryana, India (On-Site)
1 Year ago
Amber - Graphic Designer (Project Based)

Amber

Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania (Hybrid)
4 Weeks ago
storytq - Technical Motion Designer

storytq

Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands (Hybrid)
1 Day ago
Betsoft Gaming - Visual FX / Post Production Artist

Betsoft Gaming

(Remote)
5 Months ago
Aristocrat Gaming - Animator I

Aristocrat Gaming

Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
PlayStation Global - Lighting Lead

PlayStation Global

United States (Remote)
2 Months ago
WebFX - Digital Website Project Manager

WebFX

Belize (Remote)
6 Months ago
Ubisoft - Lead Artist - AAA The Division Resurgence

Ubisoft

Saint-Mandé, Île-de-France, France (Hybrid)
2 Months ago
Eccentric - 3D Renders & Motion Artist

Eccentric

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (On-Site)
7 Months ago
Boombit - Video Producer

Boombit

İzmir, İzmir, Türkiye (On-Site)
5 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in Los Angeles, California, United States

ByteDance - Research Scientist, Infrastructure System Lab

ByteDance

San Jose, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Scopely - Lead UI Artist- Monopoly GO!

Scopely

Culver City, California, United States (On-Site)
6 Months ago
Microsoft - Member of Technical Staff Platform Engineer

Microsoft

Mountain View, California, United States (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Meet Elise - Recruiter

Meet Elise

New York, New York, United States (On-Site)
6 Hours ago
Inworld AI - Staff Platform Engineer

Inworld AI

Mountain View, California, United States (On-Site)
7 Hours ago
Zscaler - Sr. Software Engineer (Windows, C++, C#)

Zscaler

San Jose, California, United States (Hybrid)
7 Hours ago
Lionsgate Games - Assistant, Acquisitions & Co-Productions

Lionsgate Games

Santa Monica, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Nintendo - CONTRACT - Email Marketing Coordinator

Nintendo

Redmond, Washington, United States (Hybrid)
5 Months ago
Google - Staff Research Scientist

Google

Mountain View, California, United States (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Warner Bros Games - Senior Software Engineer

Warner Bros Games

New York, New York, United States (Hybrid)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Animation Jobs

Epic Games - Senior Animator

Epic Games

(On-Site)
3 Months ago
Rockstar Games - Animation Systems Programmer

Rockstar Games

Oakville, Ontario, Canada (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Ubisoft - Technical Animation Director

Ubisoft

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (Hybrid)
3 Weeks ago
Sony Pictures Animation - Custom Animation Production Coordinator

Sony Pictures Animation

Culver City, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago
PlatinumGames - Animator

PlatinumGames

(On-Site)
2 Weeks ago
Epic Games - Senior Tools Programmer

Epic Games

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Rockstar Games - Animation Content Developer

Rockstar Games

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Maverick Games - Technical Animator

Maverick Games

Warwick, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Cloud Imperium Games - Senior Gameplay Animation Programmer

Cloud Imperium Games

Manchester, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Netflix - Animator

Netflix

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Hybrid)
2 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

The studio's latest theatrical release is "Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse," the highly-anticipated sequel to the Academy Award®-winning "Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse" and the second film in the Spider-Verse trilogy.


The division is also behind the visually-groundbreaking and critically-acclaimed "The Mitchells vs. The Machines," the hit film series "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," and "Hotel Transylvania," and the upcoming 2D adult comedy "Fixed" from visionary director Genndy Tartakovsky.


In 2023, the studio released its first two series - "Agent Elvis," an adult animated action comedy, and "Young Love," which expands on the story and characters introduced in the Oscar®-winning short film, “Hair Love.”


Sony Pictures Animation, which was founded in 2002, is a division of the Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group for Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.


• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SonyPicturesAnimation

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SonyAnimRecruit

• YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SonyAnimation


To send in a general application, please fill out this Express Future Interest Form and we will be in touch if we find a suitable fit: https://bit.ly/4akxrp3

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)

View All Jobs

Get notified when new jobs are added by Sony Pictures Animation

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

Transform Your Passion into Profession with Our Comprehensive Courses for Aspiring Game Developers.

Job Common Plug