Lead Character Artist - Jagex - UK (full-time)
Overview
Home to the iconic massive multiplayer online role-playing game RuneScape and its extended family of adventurous titles, we’re a leading games studio that places our players at the heart of everything we do.
As the home of living games, we’re committed to the development of exciting new titles to build upon our successes.
To do so, we’re committed to building world class teams capable of best in class Art and Animation.
The Lead Character Artist is an important piece to that jigsaw, and represents a career defining opportunity for somebody to share our vision and have a meaningful impact.
A little bit about the role:
As the lead Character Artist, you will be responsible for setting and maintaining character direction together with the art direction. In addition, you will also be responsible for building, mentoring and training your character team to hit the expected quantity and quality. This role gives a rare opportunity to make a significant impact on a game from conception to completion.
A little bit of what we are after:
You are a highly skilled individual who can create, deliver and guide others to produce the highest standard character art. You provide invaluable support to the Art Director and have a deep understanding of modern modelling and texturing pipelines as well as processes within your discipline.
A Lead is a skilled contributor with the ability and desire to manage direct reports and to be able to effectively time manage themselves and others in their sub team to deliver the results expected by the game’s art direction. Leads work closely with the Directors to establish the vision and document any style guides or pipelines in support of that goal. They will be expected to be hands-on and perform the duties of their discipline as needed while also taking on the lead-specific duties as outlined below.
Key Responsibilities:
- In addition to the duties performed by a Senior Character Artist, the lead must be able to perform the following duties dependent upon the focus required at each stage of development;
- Provide leadership, direction and line management to the character team
- Responsible for the delivery of highest quality in game character art
- Collaborate with Tech Art and Code to ensure pipelines and tools are effective, optimal and capable of delivery
- Review assets to maintain consistent quality and provide feedback and critique
- Plan, schedule and structure discipline tasks that feed into AD’s master schedule
- Document and communicate technical specifications and visual benchmarks to support the games artistic vision to both internal and external artists
- Produce production guides breaking down in detail steps to reproduce assets within style
- Support, promote and build good team and studio morale in an open, creative environment
- Together with AD/ AAD contribute toward discipline hiring plans and recruitment process
- Manage outsource partners or freelancers as required
What you need to show us:
- working knowledge of Maya, Z-Brush and Substance
- Portfolio evidence of ‘hands on’ outstanding AAA Character art
- Mastery of anatomy
- Understanding of both realism and stylised styles and breakdowns
- Thorough knowledge of end-to-end in character workflow and related disciplines
- Enough understanding of technical art to communicate and resolve character related issues
- Comfortable with running individual, group review and critique sessions
- Able to time manage, prioritise and track both themselves and direct reports
- Ability to communicate clearly, and concisely to team, peers and management
- Willingness to transition between asset production and line management
- Able to level up junior to senior artists through teaching and mentoring
- Professional attitude and work ethic
- Excellent soft skills and teamworking
- Working knowledge of Unreal engine
- *BONUS* Character Concept Design
- *BONUS* Rigging and skinning
- *BONUS* Traditional sculpting
WHAT WE OFFER
If you join us you can expect a competitive salary and great benefits like fully paid for gym membership, bonus entitlement, private health care, flexible working, cycle repair and fresh fruit delivered to your team every day.
We also have GREAT coffee machines, an onsite canteen and pub and an in-studio cinema!
Expect regular team events as well as EPIC company-wide parties to celebrate our successes.
Does this sound like you? We'd love to hear from you! Get in touch.
Feel like you fit this role, but don’t meet all the requirements? We strive for fresh perspectives, so as long as you can demonstrate how your attitude and other abilities might make up for any gaps we would welcome your application!
Jagex are an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief.
Applications direct to the Associate Art Director via Polycount message to this account.
Or via out website jagex.com