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Animation Lighting Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Swaybox Studios

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA · Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to ... to animation and puppet facial performances. * Replicate and adjust lighting from live action ...

Swaybox Studios

Senior CG Lighting Artist

New Orleans, LA · On-site

$122K - $146K/yr

As we collaborate with DC Studios/Warner Bros Pictures Animation and Matt Reeves' 6th and Idaho on ... The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to ...

Canoo

3D Visualization Artist

Justin, TX · On-site

Job Title 3D Visualization Artist About Canoo Canoo's mission is to bring EVs to Everyone and build ... Use Maya and Redshift Render for stills, animation, lighting, and shading * Data preparation of CAD ...

Konami Gaming, Inc

Technical Artist III

Las Vegas, NV · On-site

$85K - $110K/yr

Blending artistic and technical abilities, this role bridges the Art and Software teams, enabling ... Knowledge of 3D fundamentals: modeling, texturing/shading, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering.

KONAMI GAMING INC

Technical Artist III

Las Vegas, NV

$116.30K - $139.10K/yr

Blending artistic and technical abilities, this role bridges the Art and Software teams, enabling ... Knowledge of 3D fundamentals: modeling, texturing/shading, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering.

Snail Games USA

Senior VFX Artist - Art Center

CA · On-site +1

$115K - $155K/yr

About the Role We are seeking a Senior VFX Artist to unify and elevate real-time visual effects ... You will collaborate closely with Design, Animation, Lighting, Engineering, and Technical Art to ...

Roblox

3D Artist

San Mateo, CA · On-site

Roblox is seeking a 3D Artist with expertise in Key Art, Composition, and Cinematic Character ... animation. * Portfolio of key art / posed renders demonstrating strong composition, lighting, and ...

AGBO

Pipeline Software Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$130K - $140K/yr

Animation, rigging, cloth, and creature techniques * Shading, lighting, and rendering techniques ... Train and support artists to use the developed tools. * Perform other duties as assigned.

ARTHREX

OR

$126.90K - $151.80K/yr

Requisition ID: 66202 Title: Technical Artist III- UI/UX Main Objective : Assists in the ... lighting, materials, animations, animation rigs, skinning and VFX with Realtime engines like Unity ...

Embraer

Unreal Engine Technical Artist

Melbourne, FL · On-site

$117.70K - $140.90K/yr

The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in Unreal Engine 5, including materials, lighting ... Support rigid body simulations, physics interactions, and animation systems within Unreal. Ensure ...

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How much do animation lighting artist jobs pay per hour?

As of May 30, 2026, the average hourly pay for animation lighting artist in the United States is $29.11, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $24.76 and $32.93 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an Animation Lighting Artist do?

An Animation Lighting Artist is responsible for creating the lighting and shading in animated films, TV shows, or video games. They establish mood, atmosphere, and visual continuity by adjusting light sources, shadows, and reflections. Using software like Maya, Houdini, or Renderman, they work closely with the art and rendering teams to enhance scenes for storytelling. Their work ensures that characters and environments are visually appealing and convey the intended emotion.

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

To thrive as an Animation Lighting Artist, you need a strong grasp of lighting theory, color, composition, and computer graphics, often backed by a degree in animation, visual effects, or a related field. Expertise with industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Houdini, RenderMan, and Arnold is commonly expected, and knowledge of render pipelines is highly valuable. Strong communication, problem-solving abilities, and attention to detail help artists collaborate effectively and achieve a director's vision. These skills ensure the creation of visually compelling scenes that enhance storytelling and meet project deadlines in a team-oriented environment.

What are some typical challenges Animation Lighting Artists face during production?

Animation Lighting Artists often encounter tight deadlines, frequent revisions, and the challenge of balancing artistic vision with technical constraints such as render times and optimization requirements. They must also collaborate closely with other team members, such as animators, compositors, and technical directors, to ensure consistency and maintain quality throughout the production process. Adaptability and problem-solving are key, as lighting needs may change based on evolving creative direction or feedback. Successfully overcoming these challenges contributes significantly to the visual storytelling and overall production value of the project.
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Animation Lighting Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Animation Lighting Artist job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $60,546 per year, or $29.1 per hour.

Senior CG Lighting Artist

Swaybox Studios

New Orleans, LA • Hybrid

$122K - $146K/yr

Other

Posted 15 days ago

Job description

Job Summary:

Swaybox Studios is seeking a creatively driven and technically adept Senior CG Lighting Artist to integrate CG facial performances into our cross-department workflows. This role is central to maintaining the emotional fidelity and character consistency of our hybrid puppetry performances, ensuring the final output meets the high artistic standards of the studio.

The Senior CG Lighting Artist will focus mainly on facial performance replacement with a handoff to the compositing team. This person will play a hands-on role in bringing our characters to life, improving workflows, resolving creative challenges, and collaborating with Supervisors and Technical Directors to evolve tools that enhance production efficiency. This is a perfect position for a VFX artist who understands the subtle art of expression, setting a mood, character performance, and hybrid storytelling.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Implement best practices in our face replacement pipeline, ensuring poses and expressions are seamlessly matched to animation and puppet facial performances.
  • Replicate and adjust lighting from live action plates onto our characters with an emphasis on fine details, performance nuances, and the overall aesthetic of our film.
  • Establish and maintain the tone, and mood across sequences, while also adhering to any pre-lighting or color keys that have been established in pre-vis.
  • Work closely with outsource vendors and other CG and comp artists, collaborating on visual looks, tech, training, and workflow for faces and environments.
  • Collaborate with VFX Supervisor, MoMo Art Supervisor, and TDs to identify areas of improvement in the pipeline, including tool and workflow development.
  • Maintain output quality and momentum in a fast-paced environment.
  • Preserve cohesive character consistency across facial replacements and ensure smooth integration of our internal puppet performances, animation, and live action plates.
  • Communicate effectively with production and creative leads to align visual performance with narrative goals.

Required Qualifications:

  • 5+ years experience in high-end, live action VFX films, with a strong emphasis on beauty lighting.
  • Expert knowledge and proficiency of Houdini and rendering in Arnold.
  • Basic knowledge of compositing in Nuke to create and refine slap comps for presentation and handoff to the compositing team.
  • Deep understanding of visual language- color, scale, perspective, proportion, spatial awareness, motion blur, depth of field, etc
  • Comprehensive knowledge of physically based rendering and optimizations, using Arnold or similar engines.
  • Understanding of photography, exposure, color grading, lens and camera behavior, and HDR workflows.
  • Strong eye for cinematic and real-world lighting, color grading, and shot continuity.
  • Robust problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt quickly to unique or proprietary workflows.
  • An artistic mindset and willingness to receive and implement constructive feedback, whether that's with draw-overs, over the shoulder adjustments, or team meetings.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Understanding and experience with UV, texture, and shading is a plus.
  • Understanding of CG modelling and rigging workflows.
  • Basic knowledge of texture mapping techniques.
  • Experience with Unreal is advantageous.
  • Knowledge of Maya and Arnold rendering.
  • Experience with ZBrush and other 3D software is advantageous.
  • Familiarity with scripting or tool development (e.g. Python, MEL, etc.) to support pipeline enhancements.
  • Background in traditional art.
  • Prior experience in both stylized and realistic texture and shading creation of digital faces is great to have.
  • Familiarity with hybrid workflows that span traditional VFX and digital puppetry.

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