Senior Character Artist

Onward Search is a specialized staffing and talent solutions company that helps professionals find top jobs with the nation’s leading brands. We are currently partnering with a renowned Video Game Studio seeking a Senior Character Artist to join their talented team.

This exciting opportunity is ideal for a highly skilled Senior Character Artist with a passion for creating iconic, hand-crafted character designs. You will have the chance to collaborate with talented teams across multiple disciplines to create high-quality assets that meet both aesthetic and technical standards. If you have a growth mindset and a passion for mentoring others, this role will allow you to showcase your expertise while driving the development of exciting new projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide clear and constructive feedback to internal and external artists on proxies, sculpts, low poly models, and textures, ensuring alignment with product quality standards, art pillars, and areas for improvement.
• Interpret and push concept designs into 3D assets that meet technical constraints (polycount, texture size, rigging) while optimizing for dynamic animations and deformations using clean edge flow topology.
• Collaborate across disciplines to resolve production, pipeline, and process challenges, finding creative solutions that contribute to project success.
• Mentor and guide junior character artists, helping them develop their skills and grow within the company.
• Create 3D assets ranging from humanoid figures to creatures, ensuring they meet aesthetic, technical, and product standards for premium skins.
• Blend your painting skills with knowledge of color, light, and texture to develop textures baked from a sculpting workflow, in line with the studio’s iconic hand-crafted style.
• Use programs like Substance Painter and Marmoset Toolbag to create current-gen, production-ready characters.
• Contribute to the development of best practices and workflow guides, including vendor onboarding documentation and process/tutorial guides.
• Occasionally travel overseas to provide onsite training and connect with external teams.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience as a character artist in the video games industry.
• In-depth knowledge of human anatomy, form, and color theory.
• Proficiency with Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Marmoset Toolbag, Photoshop, and 3DCoat for modeling, sculpting, and texturing.
• Experience creating materials and PBR assets in modern game engines (Unreal, Unity, etc.).
• A portfolio showcasing high-quality, hand-painted stylized characters (professional or personal work).
• Experience working with external partners to meet project goals.
• Proven ability to mentor, train, and provide constructive feedback to junior artists.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across disciplines.
• A growth mindset with a desire to continually learn and develop your skills as an artist.
• Willingness to travel internationally for training and conferences.

Why Apply?

• Join a creative and innovative team at the forefront of video game development.
• Collaborate with industry-leading professionals to create groundbreaking assets.
• Be part of a culture that values mentorship, creativity, and professional growth.

If you are a passionate and experienced Senior Character Artist who thrives in a collaborative, creative environment, we encourage you to apply today.

Employer Details:

• Onward Search is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in an employment with regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status or any other classification protected by federal, state and local laws and ordinances. Candidates must be at least 18 years old to be considered for employment. EOE/M/F/D/V/SO.
• In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification document form upon hire.
• Onward Search is unable to support 1099 / Corp-to-Corp or Independent Contractor arrangements at this time. All freelancers will be paid as W2 employees.
• Onward Search offers medical, dental, vision benefits, as well as a 401k program, for all eligible full time temporary assignments.
• Onward Search is a drug-free workplace.
• Onward Search is a nationwide staffing agency and talent solutions provider specializing in creative, marketing and technology. Our clients are continuously turning to us to fill their open positions. Therefore, there is no application deadline for this position, as we are seeking candidates for this type of role across all our clients on an ongoing basis.