3D Character Artist Intern

3D Character Artist  

Location: Edinburagh Office, On-site 

About the Role:  

We are seeking a skilled and adaptable 3D Character Artist to bring engaging, stylized bipedal animal characters to life for a children’s educational project. This role requires someone who can interpret concept art and reference images to create high-quality 3D models optimised for real-time applications in AR and mobile games. You will collaborate closely with the Art Lead, Concept Artists, Animators, and the Creative Director to ensure characters align with the project's artistic vision and technical requirements. 

Responsibilities:  

• Design and create stylised, animation-ready bipedal animal characters for a children's project, working from concept art, sketches, or references. 
• Produce high-quality character assets, props and accessories for in-game use 
• Ensure models have clean topology optimised for AR and mobile games, balancing visual quality and performance. 
• Unwrap and texture assets efficiently, ensuring clean UV layouts, texture atlases, and stylized hand-painted or PBR textures. 
• Prepare character models for animation with proper rigging and skin weighting. 
• Work closely with the animation team to ensure characters are designed for smooth and expressive animations 
• Take feedback from directors and lead artists and make revisions to meet project requirements 
• Accept and apply feedback to improve assets, making adjustments as needed to match the evolving artistic and technical goals. 
• Work independently when required, using creative problem-solving to develop characters when full concept art is unavailable. 
• Use industry-standard tools like Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, Marvelous Designer, and Unity to create production-ready assets.

Requirements:  

• Proven experience in 3D character Sulpting and modeling, preferably for stylized characters in mobile/AR games or children's media. 
• Strong knowledge of clean topology, UV mapping, and texturing, with an understanding of real-time optimization for AR and mobile platforms. 
• Experience with rigging and skinning, ensuring characters are ready for animation. 
• Ability to work with and without concept art, using photo references, style guides, and creative interpretation when needed. 
• Proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, Substance Designer, Marvelous Designer, and Unity. 
• Excellent communication skills, able to work collaboratively and apply feedback effectively. 
• A strong understanding of stylized character design with an emphasis on appealing, child-friendly aesthetics. 
• Self-motivated and adaptable, capable of working independently while maintaining alignment with the team’s creative vision. 

Bonus Skills (Nice to Have):  

• Experience working on mobile or AR projects. 
• Knowledge of shader creation and material optimization in Unity. 
• Experience with Marvelous Designer for fabric and clothing simulation. 
• Familiarity with procedural texturing workflows. 

If you're a skilled 3D Character Artist who thrives in a creative, feedback-driven environment, we'd love to hear from you!