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Animation Concept Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Animator IV

Reno, NV · On-site +1

$105K - $120K/yr

... artistic vision will help shape both our next generation of games and the culture of innovation within the studio. In this senior-level role, you will lead animation efforts from concept to final ...

Animator IV

Reno, NV · On-site +1

$105K - $120K/yr

... artistic vision will help shape both our next generation of games and the culture of innovation within the studio. In this senior-level role, you will lead animation efforts from concept to final ...

... animation, and motion work for the world's biggest brands at a level of craft that moves well ... Own hands-on production tasks across concept development, storyboarding, animatic creation, AI ...

... animation, and motion work for the world's biggest brands at a level of craft that moves well ... Own hands-on production tasks across concept development, storyboarding, animatic creation, AI ...

... concept through delivery. This role operates at the intersection of storytelling, technology, and ... Partner with creative teams, R&D, and technical artists to develop and implement AI assisted ...

Technical Artist

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$130K - $156K/yr

Work across several art disciplines including shading, environment art, character art, animation ... concept to completion * Solid experience profiling and optimizing shaders and vfx on multiple ...

Technical Artist

Chicago, IL · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

Work across several art disciplines including shading, environment art, character art, animation ... concept to completion * Solid experience profiling and optimizing shaders and vfx on multiple ...

VFX Artist III

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$69.26 - $85.41/hr

As a Senior Real-Time VFX Artist, you will work closely with animators, artists, and designers to ... Be able to quickly concept, prototype, and implement VFX solutions in a fast paced R&D environment.

Gameplay Animator (Senior/Principal)

Irvine, CA · On-site +1

$113K - $129K/yr

Collaborating closely with designers, engineers, and tech artists to develop combat that feels ... concept to completion. * Are highly skilled at conveying character through gameplay animation, not ...

... artists and support from concept design, 3D modeling, animation, VFX design, technical art, cinematics, comics, and more. With a profound love for games, our Art Department is committed to exploring ...

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Animation Concept Artist information

See salary details

$84.5K

$246.3K

$400K

How much do animation concept artist jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for animation concept artist in the United States is $246,250.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $92,500.00 and $400,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an Animation Concept Artist do?

An Animation Concept Artist is responsible for creating the initial visual designs and concepts for characters, environments, and props in an animated production. They work closely with directors and designers to establish the overall artistic style and visual direction. Their sketches and illustrations serve as a blueprint for animators and modelers to bring the project to life. Strong drawing skills, creativity, and an understanding of storytelling are essential for this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Animation Concept Artist position, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Animation Concept Artist, you need strong drawing and design abilities, a solid understanding of anatomy, color theory, and storytelling, typically supported by a degree in art, illustration, or a related field. Proficiency with digital art tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, or specialized animation software is essential, and a well-developed portfolio is often critical. Creativity, adaptability, strong communication, and collaboration skills are highly valued soft skills in this role. These competencies enable effective visual storytelling and teamwork, ensuring concepts are both imaginative and aligned with project goals.

What are the typical responsibilities of an Animation Concept Artist on a project team?

Animation Concept Artists are responsible for designing and visualizing characters, environments, and key visual elements that set the tone and style of an animation project. They closely collaborate with directors, animators, and other artists to translate scripts and ideas into compelling visuals that guide the entire creative process. Daily tasks often include sketching, creating digital paintings, participating in feedback sessions, and refining concepts based on input from the team. This role is highly collaborative, requiring clear communication and adaptability to ensure all visuals align with the project's narrative and artistic vision.

What cities are hiring for Animation Concept Artist jobs? Cities with the most Animation Concept Artist job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Animation Concept Artist jobs? The most popular types of Animation Concept Artist jobs are:
What states have the most Animation Concept Artist jobs? States with the most job openings for Animation Concept Artist jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Animation Concept Artist jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Animation Concept Artist jobs are:
Infographic showing various Animation Concept Artist job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 6% Internship, 65% Full Time, 22% Part Time, 3% Temporary, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 70% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 27% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $246,250 per year, or $118.4 per hour.
VFX Artist - GameSim - Talent Pipeline

VFX Artist - GameSim - Talent Pipeline

Keywords Studios

Orlando, FL • On-site, Remote

Full-time

Re-posted 18 days ago


Job description

GameSim is a game development studio that partners with clients to build games across PC/console and a range of art styles. We care about craftsmanship, collaboration, and shipping work we're proud to put our names on. If you love building environments and believable spaces we'd like to meet you. Our headquarters is based in Orlando, FL!

Talent Pipeline Posting Notice
Please note that this posting is not tied to an immediate vacancy. We are proactively building a pipeline of qualified candidates in anticipation of potential hiring needs over the coming months. Applications will be reviewed and retained for future consideration as opportunities arise.

We are looking for a VFX Artist with strong real-time effects skills, solid technical judgment, and the potential to grow into broader lead responsibilities over time.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys creating high-quality visual effects while also helping teams stay aligned, organized, and efficient. Depending on the project, this person may contribute directly to hands-on VFX production, in-engine implementation, feedback, task breakdowns, optimization, workflow documentation, and cross-discipline collaboration.

Because our projects can vary widely in style, scope, platform, and client needs, we are looking for an adaptable VFX artist with strong fundamentals, a practical production mindset, and the ability to translate creative or design direction into clear, executable effects work.

This is a hands-on production role with opportunities to support small pods or strike teams, guide VFX quality, mentor other artists, and grow toward lead-level responsibilities.

This role offers flexible work options, including remote, hybrid or in-office arrangements.

Responsibilities
  • Create custom real-time visual effects and implement them in-engine using Unreal Engine 5, Unity, or proprietary tools.
  • Build high-quality effects for gameplay, environments, cinematics, atmosphere, combat, interaction, destruction, UI/game feedback, and other project needs.
  • Create all necessary textures, flipbooks, materials, meshes, simulations, and supporting assets for real-time VFX.
  • Maintain clean, readable, well-structured material graphs, Niagara systems, parameters, naming conventions, and reusable effect setups.
  • Use tools such as Photoshop, Substance Designer, Blender, Houdini, Maya, EmberGen, or other software as needed to support effect creation.
  • Work with complex material setups, Blueprints, scripting hooks, animation events, gameplay triggers, or engine-specific implementation needs.
  • Troubleshoot VFX issues in partnership with Technical Art, Engineering, Design, Animation, Audio, and other disciplines.
  • Own VFX optimization fundamentals, including particle counts, overdraw, shader cost, texture memory, spawn rates, scalability settings, and platform performance constraints.
  • Help ensure effects are readable, performant, and aligned with gameplay needs, art direction, timing, mood, and player feedback.
  • Review work from internal artists, partner studios, or external vendors and provide clear, constructive, actionable feedback.
  • Help maintain a consistent quality bar across a set of effects, a feature, a level, or a small team pod.
  • Support short-term planning by helping break down VFX requests into clear tasks, priorities, dependencies, risks, and definitions of done.
  • Proactively identify production risks, including missing gameplay hooks, performance spikes, unclear direction, pipeline gaps, dependency issues, or inconsistent style execution.
  • Collaborate closely with Designers, Concept Artists, Art Directors, Technical Artists, Engineers, Animators, Audio Designers, and Producers.
  • Support client-facing communication when needed by clarifying requirements, sharing WIP, explaining constraints, and aligning on expected outcomes.
  • Contribute to VFX workflow improvements, reusable templates, documentation, libraries, naming standards, or scalability rules when appropriate.

Keywords Studios logo

About Keywords Studios

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Whatever the scale of your project, whatever the time frame, whatever your location: Keywords is here for you, bringing our network of 13,000+ people and 70+ studios together to deliver the unified solutions you need. We offer everything necessary to ensure your project achieves its full potential and that strategic opportunities are turned into long-term growth. The games industry is complex and fast-moving. Working with Keywords allows you to remain lean and agile, and to remain focused on creating the world’s most immersive playing experiences. Our network of studios brings best-in-class experience, expertise, technology and capacity across the full development, release and player-support lifecycle.

Industry

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Burbank, CA, US

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