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Character Illustrator Jobs (NOW HIRING)

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Character Illustrator information

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$32.5K

$59.3K

$96K

How much do character illustrator jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for character illustrator in the United States is $59,345.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $38,500.00 and $68,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges Character Illustrators face when working on team-based projects?

Character Illustrators working in a team environment often encounter challenges such as aligning their artistic style with an established brand or project vision and adapting to iterative feedback from art directors or clients. Meeting tight deadlines while accommodating changes to character concepts can also be demanding, especially in fast-paced industries like gaming or animation. Collaboration with writers, animators, and other artists requires effective communication and flexibility to ensure all visual elements are cohesive. Overcoming these challenges helps ensure a successful final product and fosters valuable teamwork experience that benefits career growth.

What is a Character Illustrator job?

A Character Illustrator is a professional artist who creates visual representations of characters for various media, such as books, games, animations, and marketing materials. They design characters based on descriptions, concepts, or narratives, ensuring they fit the intended style and audience. This role often involves sketching, digital painting, and refining character designs while collaborating with writers, designers, and creative teams. Strong drawing skills, creativity, and proficiency in design software like Adobe Photoshop or Procreate are essential.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Character Illustrator position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Character Illustrator, you need strong drawing skills, a solid understanding of anatomy, color theory, and character design, often supported by a degree in illustration, fine arts, or a related field. Mastery of digital illustration tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Procreate is typically required, and proficiency in 3D modeling software or certification in digital artistry can be an advantage. Creativity, attention to detail, time management, and effective communication are essential soft skills. These abilities enable illustrators to produce appealing characters that meet project briefs and collaborate smoothly with creative teams under tight deadlines.

More about Character Illustrator jobs
What cities are hiring for Character Illustrator jobs? Cities with the most Character Illustrator job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Character Illustrator jobs? The most popular types of Character Illustrator jobs are:
What states have the most Character Illustrator jobs? States with the most job openings for Character Illustrator jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Character Illustrator jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Character Illustrator jobs are:
Infographic showing various Character Illustrator job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $59,345 per year, or $28.5 per hour.
Senior Illustration Artist - League of Legends, Splash Team

Senior Illustration Artist - League of Legends, Splash Team

Riot Games

Los Angeles, CA

Other

Medical, Dental, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 17 days ago


Job description

As part of the Illustration team, you'll put stylus to Cintiq and create promotional art that represents the essence of a Champion, thematic, or gameplay to millions of players. You will use your artistic eye and experience with dynamic lighting, form, and color to tell concise and evocative stories. By working with a team of dedicated illustrators, visual designers, writers, animators, and game developers, you will help decide and illustrate each character's unique place in our universe
As a Senior Splash Illustration Artist for the League of Legends Splash Illustration team your craft expertise and eye for illustration will help deliver deep engagement and rich fantasy worlds to our players. You will be a key member of your discipline community, supporting the craft and execution across the whole splash team by mentoring teammates and cultivating excellence. You will produce illustrations at the highest quality bar, at times raising or redefining what good looks like. You will partner with the Producer, Art Manager and Craft Lead to support team rituals, art direction and product cohesion on a variety of illustrations for Skins and Champions.

Responsibilities:
  • Consistently solid craft executor of high-quality 2D Splash Illustrations with minimum oversight.
  • Assist in driving the quality of the team's work and set the bar for excellence.
  • Maintaining the illustration quality and mentoring our vendors by participating in review meetings and providing constructive feedback to external art teams.
  • Mentoring and coaching artists in creating high end Splash illustrations and developing their art skills.
  • Sharing of craft expertise and knowledge through discipline, community, mentorship and art collaboration.
  • Support team leadership through style guide creation, participating and assisting in team rituals, identifying areas for improvement and consistent feedback.
Required Qualifications:
  • 5+ years of industry experience as a 2D Artist/Illustrator
  • Showcase ability to create high quality 2D Splash Illustrations
  • Extreme proficiency in art fundamentals, visual storytelling, anatomy, lighting, materials and color theory
  • Expertise in Splash Style including stylized anatomy, heroic compositions and cinematic/realistic believability
  • Advanced experience creating high end digital art assets in Adobe Photoshop
  • Highly experienced with 2D Illustration Asset production pipelines, and showing a strong ability of driving illustrations for the thumbnails to the final state.
  • Excellent collaboration and communication skills in working in a team environment and collaborating with different disciplines.
Desired Qualifications:
  • Experience owning and effectively communicating about projects and workflow
  • AAA Game Development experience
  • Familiarity with League of Legends Characters, IP Universes and Lore

As a part of the application process, candidates will be expected to provide a portfolio of their work.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you're working directly on a new player-facing experience or you're supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we're better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we're looking forward to your application.

It's our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

  • Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
  • Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
  • Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
  • Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security. 


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About Riot Games

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Riot Games was founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill with the intent to change the way video games are made and supported for players. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to worldwide acclaim. The game has since gone on to become the most played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports. Players are the foundation of our community and it's for them we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

1,001 - 5,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Los Angeles, CA, US

Year founded

2006

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