Insomniac Games is looking for a Lead Character Artist to join our team! This individual is responsible for maintaining the established quality and artistic consistency of character art, by high visual standards and project style as defined by the Art Director, for a portion of a given title. The lead understands memory and frame budgets, production schedule and project goals, programming, animation, and design concerns, understands lighting basics, and sets best practices for bug fixing. This role is also responsible for the career management, training, and well-being of up to 4 members of the character team, as well as the management of offsite contractors and vendors.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following:
Works alongside the Character Art Manager to scope, plan, and manage tasks for a portion of a project.
Works closely with Art Director to keep quality and style consistent across all characters.
Communicate the visual design and development of the characters through art specifications, style guides and reference material.
Provides direction to character artists for aesthetic and technical considerations.
Participates in the production creating models, textures, and materials.
Develop key character art assets for quality and efficiency targets.
Collaborate with design, animation, and visual effects departments to meet the highest visual quality and gameplay standards.
Works with Project Management to maintain a clear and consistent schedule.
Supervise task assignments, bug distribution, and verify bug fixes.
Monitors the needs of rigging, animation, and design to ensure clean handoff for assets.
Helps implement new production methods to improve performance and efficiency of the team.
Provides coaching, performance evaluation, and career development support to team members.
Fosters a positive work environment that’s free of harassment and discrimination.
Other duties may be assigned
Supervisory Responsibilities: The Character Lead schedules the team, reviews work for quality, and carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, on-boarding, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
Education and/or Experience: 5+ years of professional experience or training, or an equivalent amount of education and experience
TechnicalSkills:
Strong knowledge of Painter, Photoshop, Maya, 3D Studio Max, Mudbox, and ZBrush (or equivalent).
Advanced understanding of generating normal maps from high poly models.
Understanding of complex node-based shader networks such as those used in Unreal Editor, Designer, etc.
Basic understanding of GgFX, HLSL, or Cg from a technical artist’s perspective.
Experience with Perforce or other source control software.
Experience with project management software such as Jira and ShotGrid (preferred).
Other Skills:
Excellent foundation skills, including composition, design, and color theory.
The ability to work with detailed concept art or reference art/ materials.
Advanced knowledge of human and animal anatomy.
Strong traditional painting skills and the ability to create models and shaders for a range of art directions, from photorealistic to stylized.
Strong leadership and mentoring abilities and interpersonal skills.
Ability to find creative solutions for technically challenging tasks.
Please submit your resume, cover letter, and portfolio to be considered. We look forward to reviewing your submission!
