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Character Creature Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Red Games Co.

Freelance Animator

Salt Lake City, UT · On-site

You'll work closely with artists, designers, and engineers to create unique, expressive, and ... Create high-quality 2D/3D character, creature, environment, and UI animation for mobile platforms.

All JobsCharacter Creature Artist Jobs

Character Creature Artist information

See salary details

$104.5K

$120.5K

$128.5K

How much do character creature artist jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 31, 2026, the average yearly pay for character creature artist in the United States is $120,531.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $121,000.00 and $127,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Character Creature Artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Character Creature Artist, you need strong artistic skills in anatomy, sculpting, and texturing, often supported by a degree in art, animation, or a related field. Mastery of industry-standard software such as ZBrush, Maya, Substance Painter, and Photoshop is typically required. Creativity, attention to detail, and collaboration are vital soft skills that help artists bring imaginative creatures to life while working smoothly with production teams. These skills ensure the creation of visually compelling, believable characters that meet project goals and production timelines.

What is the difference between Character Creature Artist vs Character Modeler?

AspectCharacter Creature ArtistCharacter Modeler
Primary FocusDesigning and conceptualizing creatures and characters, including anatomy, textures, and visual styleCreating detailed 3D models based on designs, focusing on mesh construction and topology
Skills & ToolsConcept art, anatomy, creature design, Photoshop, ZBrush3D modeling software like Maya, Blender, ZBrush, topology optimization
Work EnvironmentGame studios, film, animation, VFXGame development, film, animation, VFX

While both roles involve character creation, the Character Creature Artist emphasizes designing and conceptualizing creatures, whereas the Character Modeler focuses on building detailed 3D models from those designs. Both roles often collaborate closely in the production pipeline.

What are Character Creature Artists?

Character Creature Artists are specialized digital artists who design, sculpt, and texture lifelike or fantastical characters and creatures for video games, movies, television, and other entertainment media. They use advanced 3D modeling software to create detailed models, often working closely with concept artists, animators, and directors to ensure the creatures fit the project's vision. Their work involves a deep understanding of anatomy, form, and movement, enabling them to create believable and expressive characters that enhance storytelling.

What are some common challenges Character Creature Artists face when developing assets for games or films?

Character Creature Artists often encounter challenges such as balancing artistic creativity with technical limitations, like polygon budgets or rigging constraints. They must ensure that their designs are both visually compelling and optimized for animation and real-time rendering. Collaboration with animators, riggers, and concept artists is crucial to address feedback and maintain consistency with the project's visual style. Staying up-to-date with evolving software and industry trends is also important for ongoing success in the role.
More about Character Creature Artist jobs
What job categories do people searching Character Creature Artist jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Character Creature Artist jobs are:
Character Creature Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Character Creature Artist job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 50% Full Time, and 50% Temporary. Highlights an 50% In-person, and 50% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $120,531 per year, or $57.9 per hour.

Creature Technical Director (Character Technical Artist / Rigger) - Expression of Interest - ILM ...

The Walt Disney Company

San Francisco, CA

$94K - $120K/yr

Full-time

Posted 14 days ago

Walt Disney Company rating

7.7

Company rating: 7.7 out of 10

Based on 128 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

5th of 51 rated entertainment

Job description

Job Posting Title:

Creature Technical Director (Character Technical Artist / Rigger) - Expression of Interest - ILM San Francisco (Project Hire)

Req ID:

10156277

Job Description:

Position Summary

We are looking for a creative problem solver who reflects the innovative spirit, creative talent, production excellence, collaborative mindset and passion for great storytelling that defines ILM Immersive.

Creature Technical Directors design and build animation setups and systems, and partner with Modelers, Animators, Designers, and Engineers to bring our characters to life.

What You'll Do

  • Design, build and test advanced animation rigs, setups, systems and workflows for a variety of ultra high-end characters, creatures, vehicles and props via Maya, Unreal and ILM's proprietary toolsets.

  • Assist in development & maintenance of systems and workflows for animating and rigging characters which expedite our character setup and animation process, as well as writing scripts to facilitate art production when required.

  • Up to date on the industry standard tools and systems (in Unreal Engine, Maya, etc.) and constantly curious about promising new techniques for skeletons, facial animation methodologies, and constraints used for character animation.

  • Develop familiarity of proprietary toolsets & workflows in the ILM pipeline, integrating as necessary with established best-practices for real-time production workflow, adapting and evolving to solve problems within that hybrid framework. This position calls for an individual who enjoys the difficulty of solving problems, with a keen attention to detail and sense of anticipation.

  • Consult in development of breakdowns, task lists, estimates, schedules, milestones and overall project goals as necessary; participate in project stand-ups, meetings, and reviews.

  • Actively participate in concept testing of new ideas and building of rapid prototypes.

What We're Looking For

  • 3+ years experience as a Character TD, Technical Artist-Rigger or Technical Animator role for AAA game development, directly supporting the production with rigging, scripting & tool development.

  • 2+ years production experience with Maya, Maya API.

  • Excellent working knowledge of scripting - Maya Python/PyMEL, C++ API, and PySide/PyQt GUI design experience.

  • Knowledgeable of the real-time art production pipeline & process for different types of asset creation - especially of potential pitfalls and other risks involved with movement mechanics & deformation.

  • Strong grasp of basic animation principles, clear understanding of anatomy, kinematics & deformation.

  • Extensive experience with integration of performance capture animation for both body & face.

  • Experience with run-time, blend-tree based animation systems. Unreal and Maya experience preferred.

  • Bonus points for:

    • Deep knowledge of Unreal Animation features & toolsets: blueprints, component anims, physics-based anims, Sequencer, Control Rig

    • Experience with cloth, hair, fracturing and rigid simulations

    • Working knowledge of Linux, Perforce, Linear Algebra

    • VFX production experience

    • Experience or interest in the creation of VR & MR experiences

* A portfolio / reel submission - including a detailed breakdown of your work in each section - is required with all applications.
JoinILM

The hiring range for this position in San Francisco is $94,100 to $120,400 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

Job Posting Segment:

ILM San Francisco

Job Posting Primary Business:

ILM San Francisco

Primary Job Posting Category:

Modeling - Studios

Employment Type:

Full time

Primary City, State, Region, Postal Code:

San Francisco, CA, USA

Alternate City, State, Region, Postal Code:

Date Posted:

2026-07-16

What Walt Disney Company employees say

Pay

Benefits

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

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About Walt Disney

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

At Disney, we're storytellers. We make the impossible, possible. We do this through utilizing and developing cutting-edge technology and pushing the envelope to bring stories to life through our movies, products, interactive games, parks and resorts, and media networks. Now is your chance to join our talented team that delivers unparalleled creative content to audiences around the world. "We create happiness." That's our motto at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. And it permeates everything we do. At Disney, you'll help inspire that magic by enabling our teams to push the limits of entertainment and create the never-before-seen!

Industry

Amusement, gambling, and recreation

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Burbank, CA, US

Social media

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