Expert Character Artist - Heads

As Expert Character Artist at Elsewhere Entertainment, you will be at the forefront of defining and shaping our game's iconic characters. You will play a pivotal role in bringing our game world to life through your exceptional character design and look development skills. If you're a creative artist with a strong technical background, a keen eye for detail, and a passion for gaming, this role offers the perfect opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking video game projects. 

As a member of the project, you’ll help take the studio and our game from great to even better—with a focus on inclusivity, mutual respect (for ourselves and our players), thoughtfulness, empathy, professionalism, and collaboration.   

You’ll help us by…  

• Acts as a trusted creative leader for complex, system-wide facial and or creature blendshape development, bringing original concepts to life through exceptional technical execution 

• Fosters positive cross-disciplinary collaboration between animation, tech art rigging, and development teams to ensure character facial systems meet artistic and technical requirements 

• Routinely takes on the most creatively complex facial artwork, demonstrating ability to work independently while managing asset creation effectively 

• Creates formal networks involving coordination between photogrammetry, rigging, and animation departments to establish efficient facial animation pipelines 

• Recommends viable solutions using original ideas and outside-the-box concepts for facial performance challenges for in game implementation.  

• Possesses extensive industry experience with advanced blendshape creation across multiple projects/tasks of varying complexity 

• Demonstrates exceptional understanding of how facial animation contributes to impactful gameplay and storytelling 

• Proactively influences development of pipeline efficiency and workflow improvements around facial systems and blendshape pipelines.  

• Sets high standards for character and creature facial assets, ensuring they align with established style guides while introducing innovative technical approaches 

• Mentoring junior artists in facial animation techniques, serving as a role model for upholding core values within the team 

• Works independently for extended periods, establishing achievable production schedules while maintaining visibility to all stakeholders 

• Advises leaders on technical risks, opportunities and decisions regarding facial animation systems 

• Focuses on refining existing facial animation pipelines and improving overall quality and performance 

You’re awesome because you have…  

• Outstanding portfolio showcasing expertise in character art and look development for video games, featuring a diverse range of character portraits. 

• At least 5 years of experience in creating Character Art in AAA game development with at least one full development cycle completed and credited in your name. 

• Experience working in Modern Game Engines with an awareness of game budgets, limits, and memory constraints. 

• Excellent artistic and design skills, including a keen eye for composition, color theory, and visual storytelling with a focus on character portraits. 

• Expertise with hair and fur development and workflows. 

• Proficiency in industry-standard 3D modeling and texturing software (e.g., Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer). 

• Solid understanding of PBR (Physically Based Rendering) principles, with In-depth knowledge of shader creation, material pipelines, and advanced texturing techniques. 

• Strong grasp of FACs, facial scan workflows and animation integration. 

• Ability to consistently resolve issues from a visual, production, and technical perspective. 

• Excellent communication skills and a proactive approach to problem-solving. 

• Ability to adapt to evolving project needs and work under tight deadlines. 

Bonus points for…  

• Experience in performance capture and lip sync generation workflows. 

• Experience in muscle/fat, hair and cloth simulation workflows. 

• Comprehensive knowledge of cinematic design and storytelling through facial animation.