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Character Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Absurd Ventures

Lead Character Artist

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$170K - $200K/yr

As Lead Character Artist, you will be responsible for creating and overseeing the production of ... Knowledge of Marvelous Designer or similar tools for clothing simulation. * Experience with rigid ...

Absurd Ventures

Lead Character Artist

Santa Monica, CA

$170K - $200K/yr

As Lead Character Artist, you will be responsible for creating and overseeing the production of ... Knowledge of Marvelous Designer or similar tools for clothing simulation. * Experience with rigid ...

Kavaliro

Character Artist (Unreal Engine)

Jacksonville, FL · On-site

$112K - $117K/yr

... Designer, Maya, Blender, and Substance 3D Painter * Strong understanding of anatomy, garment ... Experience building modular character systems or cosmetic customization pipelines * Familiarity ...

Epoch Games

$112K - $117K/yr

We are currently using Reallusion Character Creator 3 ( to create out Human Characters. It is used ... Able to work effectively and accurately from pre-defined concept art and designs. * Able to work ...

Marriott International

Character Actor

Aurora, CO · On-site

$26.28/hr

POSITION SUMMARY Provide theatrical entertainment for guests while in character. Promote a fun and ... About Us We're proud to offer a wide range of benefits designed to support you and your family ...

Side

$112K - $117K/yr

As a 3D Character Artist, you will play a key role in crafting high-quality characters that bring ... Collaborate with art leads, designers, and animators to ensure characters align with the project ...

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How much do character designer jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for character designer in the United States is $31.64, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $28.85 and $36.30 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges Character Designers face when collaborating with other departments during production?

Character Designers often collaborate closely with animators, modelers, and directors, which can present challenges such as aligning on the visual style, ensuring designs are animation-friendly, and accommodating technical limitations. Balancing creative vision with practical constraints—like simplifying details for animation or adapting designs based on feedback—requires strong communication and flexibility. Successful Character Designers are proactive in seeking input, open to revision, and skilled at translating character concepts into workable assets that serve the story and production pipeline.

What are character designers?

Character designers are artists who create the visual appearance, style, and personality of characters for animation, video games, comics, films, and other media. Their work involves conceptualizing and illustrating characters based on story requirements, often working closely with writers, directors, and animators. Character designers develop everything from facial expressions and costumes to body shapes and color schemes, ensuring each character is visually appealing and communicates the intended traits or emotions.

What is the difference between Character Designer vs Character Artist?

AspectCharacter DesignerCharacter Artist
Primary FocusCreating original character concepts, designs, and visual stylesRendering and illustrating detailed character artwork based on designs
Skills & ToolsConcept art, illustration, creativity, design software (Photoshop, Illustrator)Digital painting, rendering, shading, software skills (Photoshop, Painter)
Work EnvironmentGame studios, animation, film, advertisingGame studios, animation, film, freelance projects

While both roles involve working with characters, a Character Designer focuses on creating original character concepts and visual styles, whereas a Character Artist specializes in bringing those designs to life through detailed illustrations and rendering. Understanding these distinctions helps clarify career paths and job expectations in the industry.

What Does a Character Designer Do?

As a character designer, you create the look and animation of a cartoon character in a film, TV show, or video game. Your responsibilities are to develop physical features, design costumes and clothes, pose characters, and collaborate with team members from concept to production. Your duties include working with mouth charts, expression sheets, shadow and color indications, and marketing artwork. You sketch, draw, illustrate, and animate by hand and through computer software. You also work with different drafts and copies and maintain artwork storage. To be successful in this field, you must be able to balance creativity with the needs and requirements of the project.

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

To thrive as a Character Designer, you need strong drawing and illustration skills, a deep understanding of anatomy, color theory, and character development, often supported by a degree in art or design. Proficiency with digital design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Procreate, and 3D modeling software like ZBrush is typically required. Creativity, strong communication, and the ability to accept feedback help designers collaborate effectively and bring unique characters to life. These skills are essential to create compelling, visually distinctive characters that resonate with audiences and fit seamlessly within projects.
More about Character Designer jobs
What cities are hiring for Character Designer jobs? Cities with the most Character Designer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Character Designer jobs? The most popular types of Character Designer jobs are:
Who are the top companies hiring for Character Designer jobs? The top employers for Character Designer jobs are:
What states have the most Character Designer jobs? States with the most job openings for Character Designer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Character Designer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Character Designer jobs are:
Character Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Character Designer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 73% Full Time, 24% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 98% Physical, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $65,817 per year, or $31.6 per hour.

Lead Character Artist

Absurd Ventures

Santa Monica, CA • On-site

$170K - $200K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 8 days ago

Job description

Summary
We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Character Artist to join our dynamic team. As Lead Character Artist, you will be responsible for creating and overseeing the production of high-quality character assets. You will have a direct impact on the visual identity of our games, bringing characters to life with stunning detail and artistic excellence.
Core Responsibilities
  • Lead the character art team in the creation of high-quality character models.
  • Collaborate with the Art Director to define the visual style of characters.
  • Sculpt, model, and texture characters to meet the artistic and technical requirements of the project.
  • Contribute in planning, organization and prioritization of tasks with Production for internal, OS, and co dev partners.
  • Create and maintain character pipeline documentation for training and onboarding
  • Proactively identify risks in character art production timelines and effectively communicate risks to Production and Directors.
  • Mentor and provide feedback to other character artists.
  • Ensure character assets are optimized for performance and memory usage.
  • Work closely with rigging, animation, and technical art teams to ensure characters are ready for implementation.
  • Stay current with industry trends and techniques in character art.

Core Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, Game Art, or related field.
  • 7+ years of experience in character art within the video game industry.
  • Strong proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter.
  • Significant experience in Unreal Engine
  • Excellent understanding of anatomy, form, and silhouette.
  • Experience with PBR and hand-painted texturing workflows.
  • Proven track record of creating high-quality character models for AAA titles.
  • Ability to lead a team and work collaboratively across departments.

Plus if...
  • Experience with character rigging and skinning.
  • Knowledge of Marvelous Designer or similar tools for clothing simulation.
  • Experience with rigid body dynamics and cloth simulation in Unreal Engine
  • Previous work in a leadership role on a major game title.

Description
  • Full-time job with benefits.
  • Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.
  • Office is located near downtown Santa Monica - near metro and freeway.

The base pay range for this position is $170,000 to $200,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

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