Senior Keys Artist

1 Month ago • 4-8 Years • Animation

Job Summary

Job Description

The Senior Keys Artist at Blue Zoo is a visual storyteller responsible for defining the mood and atmosphere of animation episodes. Daily tasks involve creating lighting scenes in Maya, compositing in Nuke, tweaking light rigs and render settings, optimizing render efficiency, and collaborating with a team. The role requires a deep understanding of lighting principles, color theory, and 3D rendering techniques (Maya, Redshift equivalent). Problem-solving, communication, and mentoring junior artists are key responsibilities. A hybrid work model with a minimum of two days per week in the London studio is required. The position starts in June 2025.
Must have:
  • Knowledge of lighting principles
  • Technical understanding of biased rendering
  • Understanding of color theory & composition
  • Technical understanding of utility passes in Nuke
  • Problem-solving & communication skills
  • Eye for detail & ability to work independently
  • Experience as L&C Artist in animation
Good to have:
  • Knowledge of Python scripting
  • Experience using FTrack
  • Knowledge of shading
  • Understanding of a 3D production pipeline
Perks:
  • Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work
  • Inclusive self-funded shorts programme
  • Fun social events
  • Bi-monthly employee feedback
  • Comprehensive benefits package
  • Online wellbeing programme
  • Profit share (2+ years)

Job Details

About The Role

Our Senior Keys Artists are wonderful visual storytellers. They define the mood and atmosphere of our narratives, and highlight the charming details of our characters, props and environments. They are the savants of light, colour and creative problem solving.

Your day-to-day will focus on creating the lighting of our episodes, finessing the colours in compositing, whilst always maintaining the right balance between the highest quality and meeting deadlines.

Due to the needs of the production, the successful candidate will need to be based in the UK as they will be required to come into our London studio at least 2 days a week, in a hybrid working model. Currently, we're unable to consider VISA sponsorship.
 
This opportunity is due to start in June 2025, please note that this vacancy can close early if we receive a high number of applications.
 

Day to day:

  • Creating lighting scenes in Maya with assets from the animation and effects departments and then compositing these rendered shots in Nuke to create the final shot. 
  • Tweaking provided light rigs, render set-ups and compositing templates to achieve the required look of your shot
  • Creating keys which involves director’s briefs and feedback
  • Tweaking render settings to optimise the efficiency of your renders
  • Monitoring your renders to ensure they are within a given render time budget
  • Working as part of a team of lighting and compositing artists, and regularly communicating with your Team Lead and the Post Production Supervisor 
  • Managing your time efficiently to meet the deadlines of your assigned shots
  • Problem solving to fix errors and glitches and addressing notes efficiently
  • On hand to help cover holiday within the team
  • Provide support and mentorship to the more junior members of the team, whilst developing your management skills

About You

Must Have:

  • Knowledge of lighting principles and how light is used to meet a creative brief, especially in stylised animation
  • Technical understanding of biased rendering to optimise sampling, making your renders efficient and avoiding noise and artefacts.
  • Technical understanding of how lighting works in 3D rendering - different types of lights, render setups, physically based rendering, ray tracing and global illumination - using Maya and a render engine comparable to Redshift.
  • An understanding of colour theory, aesthetics & composition and of camera depth of field.
  • Technical understanding of utility passes (Z, Position and Normals) and how they are used in compositing using Nuke.
  • Problem solving skills to find the best approach to meeting the brief as well as troubleshooting issues and asking questions if unsure.
  • Having an eye for detail for scrutinising final shots for any errors or inconsistencies.
  • Good communication and being a team player, sharing your knowledge and skills with other team members. 
  • Able to respond positively to feedback.   
  • Working independently. Being diligent, taking initiative and being reliable.
  • Being organised and managing your time efficiently.
  • Previous experience as a L&C Artist on an animation production

Bonus Points

  • Knowledge of Python scripting
  • Experience using FTrack
  • Knowledge of shading
  • Understanding of a 3D production pipeline 

About Us

Blue Zoo is a leading animation studio in the UK, with a world-class reputation as the go-to place for creating bold, fun and characterful animation. Established in London in 2000, the studio has grown to become the largest dedicated CG animation studio in the UK, picking up a shelf full of BAFTAs, an Annie and an Emmy along the way!

We couldn’t be prouder that Blue Zoo is the first major animation studio in the world to receive We’ve been independently certified by B Lab, a non-profit organisation who award the B Corp certification. The certification verifies companies who are working to improve the lives of employees as well as industries as a whole. The certification process involves over 170 rigorous metrics to improve the lives of our staff, customers, suppliers, and the local community, ensuring we are not just saying we are ethical with empty gestures, but independently evidencing it.

We are going through an exciting period of growth and are building a studio that is full of amazingly talented, happy artists, making work they are proud of, which in turn makes a small contribution to a happier world. Blue Zoo believes that a healthy balance in our lives - whatever our situation - is key to supporting the wellbeing of our staff. We offer flexible working to support this.

We look for people who have expertise, enthusiasm and are motivated to make things better. You’ll work alongside a talented and diverse group of people who respect each other's differences and seek to understand and embrace fresh perspectives. 

 

What we’ve got for you:

  • Winner of Broadcast Best Places to Work in TV 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024 & 2025.
  • Inclusive self-funded shorts programme.
  • Many fun in person and remote social events throughout the year.
  • Bi-monthly employee feedback and engagement programme.
  • Comprehensive benefits package, including loads of discounts and offers.
  • Online wellbeing programme.
  • Profit share (for employees who have been with us for 2+ years).


Blue Zoo is committed to creating and nurturing an inclusive studio that promotes and values diversity and invites everyone to ‘bring their whole selves’ to work. We believe that companies that truly embrace and value diversity, and create an environment where everyone from any background can do their best work, are better companies. 

To be engaged our people have to feel included and valued. We work hard to build and nurture a culture where inclusiveness is embedded in the way we work, not just an initiative. We strive to engender a studio community that feels a deep sense of pride and commitment that transcends any role, department or level and works together to produce excellent and engaging work.


Similar Jobs

Maliyo Games - 2D Artist

Maliyo Games

Nigeria (On-Site)
5 Months ago
Epic Games - Senior Technical Artist (World Creation)

Epic Games

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Nintendo - Cinematic Technical Animator (Retro Studios)

Nintendo

United States (Remote)
9 Months ago
PlatinumGames - Cinematic Artist

PlatinumGames

(On-Site)
3 Months ago
Turtle Rock Studios - Senior Tools Engineer

Turtle Rock Studios

Irvine, California, United States (Remote)
1 Month ago
Ubisoft - Animation Technical Director

Ubisoft

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Framestore - LEAD ANIMATOR

Framestore

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (On-Site)
11 Months ago
Ubisoft - Animation Technical Director

Ubisoft

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Tencent - Animator Intern

Tencent

Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Ubisoft - Team Lead - Animation

Ubisoft

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Hybrid)
1 Month ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Similar Skill Jobs

Ubisoft - Lead Level & Quest Designer

Ubisoft

Saint-Mandé, Île-de-France, France (Hybrid)
3 Months ago
Ubisoft - Senior VFX Artist - Cinematics Real Time - (M/F/NB)

Ubisoft

Montpellier, Occitanie, France (On-Site)
4 Months ago
undefined - Unity 3D Developer

Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India (On-Site)
11 Months ago
DNEG - Animator (DNEG Animation)

DNEG

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India (On-Site)
6 Months ago
Ubisoft - Technical Artist World (AAA Project)

Ubisoft

Annecy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France (On-Site)
1 Week ago
Haptic - Principal Technical Artist

Haptic

Dallas, Texas, United States (Remote)
3 Months ago
Ubisoft - Technical Director - Cinematics & Realization

Ubisoft

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Ubisoft - Technical Director, Animation

Ubisoft

Annecy, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Ubisoft - Technical Director - Cinematics & Realization

Ubisoft

Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France (Hybrid)
1 Week ago
Ubisoft - [The Division Resurgence] – Technical Artist (W/M/NB)

Ubisoft

Saint-Mandé, Île-de-France, France (Hybrid)
4 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Jobs in London, England, United Kingdom

Rockstar Games - Livery Artist

Rockstar Games

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (On-Site)
2 Months ago
Sitetracker - Enterprise Account Executive (Nordics)

Sitetracker

London, England, United Kingdom (Remote)
6 Months ago
Every matrix - Experienced CRM Data Scientist

Every matrix

United Kingdom (Hybrid)
6 Months ago
Hawk Eye Innovations - Frontend Test Automation Engineer

Hawk Eye Innovations

Basingstoke, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Rebellion - Gameplay Programmer

Rebellion

Oxford, England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Cloud Imperium Games - VFX Artist

Cloud Imperium Games

Manchester, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Rockstar Games - Animation R&D Programmer: Retargeting (Mid/Senior Level)

Rockstar Games

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Lighthouse Games - VFX Artist

Lighthouse Games

England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Gunzilla - Producer

Gunzilla

London, England, United Kingdom (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Rank group - Food & Beverage Host

Rank group

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (On-Site)
3 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

Animation Jobs

Activision - Senior AI Animator

Activision

Los Angeles, California, United States (On-Site)
2 Months ago
BOT VFX - Lead FX Artist

BOT VFX

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India (On-Site)
6 Months ago
Rockstar Games - Animation R&D Programmer

Rockstar Games

Carlsbad, California, United States (On-Site)
4 Months ago
Aristocrat Gaming - Sr. Artist II - Animator

Aristocrat Gaming

Gurugram, Haryana, India (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Epic Games - Senior Technical Designer in Animation

Epic Games

Montreal, Quebec, Canada (On-Site)
1 Month ago
Light Speed Studios - Senior Gameplay Animator

Light Speed Studios

California, United States (On-Site)
3 Weeks ago
Epic Games - Lead Technical Designer in Animation

Epic Games

Porto Alegre, State Of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil (On-Site)
3 Months ago
Scanline VFX - Animator

Scanline VFX

Seoul, South Korea (On-Site)
9 Months ago
Framestore - Previs Artist

Framestore

England, United Kingdom (Hybrid)
1 Month ago
Turn Me Up Games,  Inc  - Gameplay Animator / Cinematics Artist

Turn Me Up Games, Inc

Burbank, California, United States (On-Site)
3 Months ago

Get notifed when new similar jobs are uploaded

About The Company

Celebrating over 20 years of Blue Zoo! We’re one of the UK’s leading animation studios with an enviable client list and a shelf full of BAFTAs for our trademark CG character animation. We’ve produced some of the most well-loved kids shows on TV, memorable commercials, and our animated shorts are rapidly gaining recognition for artistry and innovation.


Our passion for our craft and storytelling in the most engaging way has always been at the core of what we do, and that integrity has earned us a worldwide reputation for creating brilliant animation for broadcast, commercials and digital content.

Get notified when new jobs are added by Blue Zoo Animation Studio

Level Up Your Career in Game Development!

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

Job Common Plug