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Contract 3D Character Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Epic Games

Senior Technical Artist

Cary, NC · On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

Collaborate with character artists, tech artists, and engineers to integrate materials with ... and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal ...

Lindeman & Associates

3D Designer

Culver City, CA · On-site

LA brings together artists, editors, and storytellers into one hyper-collaborative team ... LA is seeking an experienced 3D Designer to join our Brand Design team under a contract expected to ...

Lindeman & Associates

3D Designer

Culver City, CA · On-site

$50 - $65/hr

LA brings together artists, editors, and storytellers into one hyper-collaborative team ... LA is seeking an experienced 3D Designer to join our Brand Design team under a contract expected to ...

Flying Bark Productions

3D Animation Lead

Denver, NC · On-site +1

... of character animation and storytelling. We are working on exciting projects such as Avatar: The ... The lead also coaches junior artists, collaborates with other departments, and supports production ...

Epic Games

Principal Environment Artist

Cary, NC · On-site

... character and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire. What You'll Do Epic Games is ... Professional experience using a 3D content creation application such as Maya, 3ds Max, or Blender ...

NxT Level

Technical Artist

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$130K - $156K/yr

Work across several art disciplines including shading, environment art, character art, animation ... Must have 3 or more years experience with Maya and modern 3D art pipelines * Proven experience ...

NxT Level

Technical Artist

Chicago, IL · On-site

$130K - $156K/yr

Work across several art disciplines including shading, environment art, character art, animation ... Must have 3 or more years experience with Maya and modern 3D art pipelines * Proven experience ...

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Contract 3D Character Artist information

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$104.5K

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$128.5K

How much do contract 3d character artist jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for contract 3d character 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 is a contract 3D character artist?

A Contract 3D Character Artist is a professional who creates three-dimensional models of characters for use in video games, movies, animation, or other digital media, typically working on a freelance or project-based contract. Their responsibilities include sculpting, texturing, and sometimes rigging characters to meet the artistic and technical requirements of a project. Contract artists often collaborate remotely with game studios, animation companies, or creative agencies, providing their expertise for specific durations or deliverables. This role requires strong artistic skills, proficiency with 3D modeling software like Blender, Maya, or ZBrush, and the ability to adapt to different art styles as needed.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a contract 3D character artist?

To thrive as a Contract 3D Character Artist, you typically need strong artistic abilities in anatomy, modeling, texturing, and a portfolio demonstrating relevant experience. Proficiency in industry-standard software such as Blender, Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter is essential, and familiarity with real-time engines like Unreal Engine or Unity is often required. Creativity, attention to detail, time management, and effective communication are standout soft skills for this role. These skills ensure high-quality character assets are delivered on time and align with project requirements in a collaborative production environment.

What are some common challenges faced by contract 3D character artists when working with remote teams?

Contract 3D Character Artists often collaborate with remote art directors, animators, and game developers, which can lead to challenges like communication delays and interpreting feedback without in-person context. Staying aligned with the project's artistic vision and managing different time zones can also be demanding. To succeed, artists should proactively document their work, ask clarifying questions, and utilize collaborative tools to share progress and receive timely feedback. Building strong communication habits ensures smoother workflows and helps maintain consistency in character design across the team.

What is the difference between Contract 3D Character Artist vs 3D Modeler?

AspectContract 3D Character Artist3D Modeler
CredentialsPortfolio, proficiency in character creation softwarePortfolio, proficiency in modeling software
Work EnvironmentFreelance or project-based, often in gaming, film, or animationStudio or freelance, across various industries including gaming, architecture, product design
Industry UsagePrimarily in entertainment, gaming, and animationBroadly used in entertainment, industrial design, architecture

The Contract 3D Character Artist specializes in creating detailed, stylized, or realistic characters for entertainment projects, focusing on anatomy, textures, and expressions. In contrast, a 3D Modeler may work on a wider range of objects, environments, or assets. While both roles require strong modeling skills and software proficiency, the Contract 3D Character Artist emphasizes character-specific features and storytelling through design.

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Contract 3D Character Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Contract 3D Character Artist job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, 12% Part Time, and 1% Temporary. Highlights an 97% Physical, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $120,531 per year, or $57.9 per hour.

Senior Technical Artist

Epic Games

Cary, NC • On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 20 days ago

Job description

WHAT MAKES US EPIC?
At the core of Epic's success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it's building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we're always innovating.
Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We're constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.
ART
What We Do
Push your artistic talent to the limit on a team of world-class environment, character and concept artists who strive to innovate and inspire.
What You'll Do
Epic is looking for a Technical Artist with a strong focus on material creation to join the Fortnite team. In this role, you'll be responsible for building visually rich, performant materials for characters and character accessories, using Unreal Engine and industry-standard texturing tools to deliver a wide range of effects. While this position favors a materials specialist, the ideal candidate brings a generalist mindset and a solid understanding of the broader game art pipeline. You'll work closely with artists, engineers, and other tech artists to create scalable solutions that support Fortnite's visual style across many platforms.
In this role, you will
  • Create high-quality, game-ready materials for characters and other cosmetics
  • Build materials that leverage procedural textures and custom material logic to achieve distinctive visual effects
  • Generate textures and bake data using tools such as Substance Designer, Substance Painter, and Houdini
  • Develop reusable material frameworks and workflows that enable tech artists and artists of other disciplines to efficiently create unique assets
  • Collaborate with character artists, tech artists, and engineers to integrate materials with geometry, effects, and Blueprints
  • Optimize materials and textures to meet performance, memory, and scalability targets across multiple platforms
  • Contribute to improving Unreal Engine material pipelines and best practices
What we're looking for
  • A strong reel or portfolio demonstrating realtime game materials, ideally with character or cosmetic-focused examples
  • Advanced understanding of PBR workflows, real-time rendering constraints, and material authoring best practices
  • Proven experience creating complex materials using procedural textures and custom material behaviors
  • Hands-on experience with Substance Designer and Substance Painter for texture generation and asset authoring
  • Familiarity with the Unreal Engine 5 art and material pipeline
  • Experience developing content for multiple platforms
  • A solid understanding of modeling and texturing fundamentals within a real-time art pipeline, strong collaboration skills, and a desire to own features and initiatives from inception through ship
  • Bonus: Tools, scripting, or pipeline development experience for Unreal Engine, Substance Designer, and/or Substance Painter
  • Bonus: Experience in setting up or working with modern character art pipelines, building custom tools, templates, or automation to improve material and texture workflows
  • Bonus: Familiarity with Blueprints, Python, or similar scripting languages and experience in secondary areas such as modeling, lighting, or VFX
EPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFE
Our intent is to cover all things that are medically necessary and improve the quality of life. We pay 100% of the premiums for both you and your dependents. Our coverage includes Medical, Dental, a Vision HRA, Long Term Disability, Life Insurance & a 401k with competitive match. We also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents. Throughout the year we celebrate our employees with events and company-wide paid breaks. We offer unlimited PTO and sick time and recognize individuals for 7 years of employment with a paid sabbatical.
ABOUT US
Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company. For over 30 years we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.
Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!
Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.
Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here.

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