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Creature Artist Jobs in Quebec (NOW HIRING)

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Creature Artist information

See Quebec salary details

$7

$19

$42

How much do creature artist jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 30, 2026, the average hourly pay for creature artist in Quebec is $19.15, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $12.02 and $19.23 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

To thrive as a Creature Artist, you should have strong artistic skills in anatomy, sculpting, and conceptual design, often supported by a degree in art, animation, or a related field. Proficiency with industry-standard software such as ZBrush, Maya, Photoshop, and sometimes Unreal Engine or Substance Painter is essential. Creativity, strong teamwork, and effective communication are valuable soft skills for collaborating with directors, animators, and other artists. These abilities ensure the creation of compelling, believable creatures that fit the visual style and storytelling needs of a project.

What is a Creature Artist job?

A Creature Artist is a digital or traditional artist who specializes in designing and creating creatures for film, television, video games, and other media. They use a mix of artistic skills, anatomy knowledge, and storytelling to develop unique and believable creatures. These artists often work with concept art, 3D modeling, texturing, and sometimes animation to bring their creations to life. They collaborate with art directors, animators, and game developers to ensure their designs fit within the project's artistic vision and technical constraints.

What are the typical day-to-day responsibilities of a Creature Artist?

As a Creature Artist, your daily tasks often include designing and sculpting creature models, creating detailed textures and materials, and collaborating closely with concept artists, animators, and VFX teams to ensure visual consistency. You may also be responsible for adapting designs based on feedback, optimizing assets for performance, and occasionally providing input on the animation and rigging process to support believable movement. The work environment is usually highly collaborative, requiring regular communication and iteration. Creature Artists commonly juggle multiple projects or characters simultaneously, making strong organizational skills important. This dynamic workflow helps bring unique and memorable creatures to life across films, games, and other media.

How much does a wildlife artist make?

Wildlife artists, including creature artists, typically earn between $30,000 and $70,000 annually, depending on experience, skill level, and whether they work freelance or for a company. Entry-level artists may start lower, while experienced professionals with a strong portfolio and specialized skills can earn higher salaries, especially if they work on high-profile projects or in the entertainment industry.

What is the highest paid art job?

In the field of creature art and related visual arts, senior concept artists, character designers, and art directors often earn the highest salaries, especially in the gaming and film industries. These roles typically require extensive experience, strong portfolios, and proficiency with industry-standard tools like Photoshop and ZBrush. Salaries can exceed six figures for top professionals in major studios or companies.

How much do creature designers make?

Creature designers typically earn between $40,000 and $80,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and industry. Senior or highly skilled artists working in film, video games, or special effects can earn higher salaries, often exceeding $100,000. Proficiency in digital sculpting tools like ZBrush and a strong portfolio are important for higher-paying roles.

Is creature design a job?

Creature design is a recognized profession within the entertainment and gaming industries, involving creating and conceptualizing fictional creatures for movies, video games, and other media. It typically requires skills in illustration, 3D modeling, and knowledge of anatomy, often using tools like Photoshop or ZBrush. Many creature designers work as freelancers or within studios, and a strong portfolio is essential for employment.
What are popular job titles related to Creature Artist jobs in Quebec? For Creature Artist jobs in Quebec, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Creature Artist jobs in Quebec look for? The top searched job categories for Creature Artist jobs in Quebec are:
Creature Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Creature Artist job openings in Quebec as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 50% In-person, and 50% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $39,824 per year, or $19.1 per hour.

Artiste principal(e) de creatures - Lead Creature Artist - QC

Barnstorm VFX

Montreal, QC

Full-time

Re-posted 5 days ago

Job description

English version below :


Creature Lead


A propos de Barnstorm

Barnstorm est un studio d'effets visuels nomme aux Emmy et aux VES, avec des equipes a Burbank (CA) et Vancouver (BC). Nous creons des effets visuels photorealistes pour des projets televises et de streaming, tous genres confondus.

Notre culture de studio repose sur la creativite et la collaboration. En pleine croissance, nous nous engageons a preserver notre ADN agile et centre sur les artistes, tout en faisant evoluer nos structures, workflows et notre encadrement.


Qui vous etes

Vous etes un(e) Creature Lead senior, avec une solide experience en CFX, rigging et disciplines associees, pret(e) a apporter a la fois une profondeur technique et une grande polyvalence a une equipe qui valorise la clarte, l'autonomie et l'adaptabilite.

Vous avez travaille sur des pipelines stylises et photorealistes, allant de la deformation de personnages a la simulation de cloth, hair, muscle et grooming, avec une comprehension claire de l'impact de ces systemes sur les departements animation, FX et lighting.

Vous etes a l'aise avec Maya, Houdini et Python (ainsi que les outils de scripting associes), et capable de resoudre sans difficulte des problemes complexes de rigs, simulations et deformations en shot.

Vous evoluez naturellement dans des environnements de production rapides, aimez encadrer des artistes, et etes aussi a l'aise en production hands-on qu'en developpement de workflows ou en amelioration des methodes de travail de l'equipe.

Dans la continuite du modele Creature Generalist de Barnstorm, vous etes amene(e) a intervenir sur plusieurs disciplines : rigging, scripting, simulation, tech animation, crowd et CFX setup, avec une forte capacite d'adaptation aux besoins de production.

Environ 25% de votre temps est dedie aux activites de leadership et de developpement de departement (mentorat, outils, amelioration de workflows, documentation, QC et reunions), le reste etant consacre a la production.


Ce que vous ferez


Production (50%)

  • Creer, maintenir et resoudre des rigs de personnages et visages de haute qualite (Maya / mGear)
  • Realiser des simulations de cloth, hair, muscle et peau via Houdini ou workflows Maya
  • Optimiser rigs et simulations pour l'animation et la production (grooming, caches, publication)
  • Developper des outils, scripts et workflows en Python ou VEX
  • Gerer des taches de shot : tech anim, corrections de deformation, sculpt correctif, collisions
  • Debugger, versionner et publier rigs, caches et simulations (Alembic / USD)
  • Suivre les taches via ShotGrid/Flow et soutenir les artistes dans les plannings de production
  • Intervenir sur plusieurs disciplines creature selon les besoins de production

Pionnier / Developpement (20%)

  • Prototyper et ameliorer les systemes de rigging, simulation et deformation
  • Collaborer avec Pipeline et CG Supervision sur les workflows creature (Maya, Houdini, mGear)
  • Developper des systemes proceduraux (auto-rigging, librairies de simulation, caching workflows)
  • Contribuer aux ameliorations d'integration pipeline entre departements
  • Creer documentation, templates et standards de workflow
  • Soutenir la mise en place de systemes scalables et reutilisables

Equipe (30%)

  • Encadrer et mentor les artistes rigging, CFX et creature (junior a mid)
  • Developper la polyvalence multi-disciplinaire de l'equipe
  • Collaborer avec animation, FX et lighting pour assurer coherence et continuite des personnages
  • Participer aux reviews techniques et assurer les standards qualite
  • Travailler avec la production sur le suivi des taches et livraisons
  • Collaborer avec Artist Management sur le staffing et le developpement des talents
  • Donner des inputs techniques sur les bids et plannings
  • Reporter au Head of Assets & Creature


Ce que vous apportez

  • 8+ ans d'experience en VFX haut de gamme (episodique ou long metrage)
  • 2+ ans en role Lead ou Supervisory en rigging / CFX / creature
  • Forte experience en Houdini CFX (cloth, hair, muscle ou systemes equivalents)
  • Excellente maitrise de Maya, Houdini et Python
  • Experience avec mGear, USD, Alembic, VEX
  • Capacite prouvee a construire, maintenir et debugger rigs et simulations complexes
  • Experience multi-disciplinaire en production creature (rigging, simulation, tech anim, crowd)
  • Bonne comprehension des workflows de shot, caching et integration pipeline
  • A l'aise dans des environnements rapides et en evolution constante
  • Excellentes capacites de communication et esprit collaboratif oriente solution


English version :

Creature Lead


About Barnstorm


Barnstorm is an Emmy and VES-nominated visual effects studio with locations in Burbank, CA and Vancouver, BC. We provide photo-realistic visual effects for television and streaming projects across genres. Our studio culture is built on creativity and collaboration. As we grow, we are committed to preserving our nimble, artist-driven DNA while evolving our structure, workflows, and leadership.


Who You Are


You are a Senior Creature Lead with strong experience across CFX, Rigging, and adjacent creature disciplines, ready to bring both technical depth and multi-disciplinary flexibility to a team that values clarity, ownership, and adaptability.


You've worked across stylized and photoreal pipelines, from character deformation to cloth, hair, muscle, and groom simulation, with a strong understanding of how these systems connect downstream into animation, FX, and lighting.


You are fluent in Maya, Houdini, Python (and supporting scripting tools), and are comfortable troubleshooting complex rigs, simulations, and shot-level deformation issues without hesitation.


You thrive in fast-moving production environments, enjoy mentoring artists, and are equally comfortable contributing hands-on to shots, developing workflows, or improving how the team works as a whole.


In line with Barnstorm's Creature Generalist model, you are expected to work fluidly across rigging, scripting, simulation, tech animation, crowd support, and CFX setup workflows, remaining highly taskable across production needs.


Approximately 25% of your time is dedicated to leadership and department development activities, including mentoring, tooling, workflow improvement, documentation, QC, and meetings, with the remainder focused on hands-on production delivery.


What You'll Do


Process (50%)
Build, maintain, and troubleshoot high-quality body and facial rigs using mGear and Maya
Simulate cloth, hair, muscle, and skin using Houdini or Maya-based workflows
Optimize rigs and simulation setups for animation and shot production use, including grooming integration and cache publishing
Develop and maintain internal tools, scripts, and workflows in Python or VEX
Handle shot-level creature work including tech anim, deformation cleanup, corrective sculpting, and collision fixes
Debug, version, and publish rigs, caches, and simulations using Alembic and USD pipelines
Use ShotGrid/Flow to track assigned work and support artists in maintaining production schedules
Work across multiple creature disciplines as required to support production needs and maintain team flexibility and taskability


Pioneering (20%)

Prototype and improve rigging, simulation, and deformation systems to scale with show demands
Collaborate with Pipeline and CG Supervision on creature workflow development across Maya, Houdini, and mGear
Develop procedural systems including auto-rigging tools, simulation libraries, and caching workflows
Contribute to pipeline integration improvements across creature disciplines
Create documentation, templates, and workflow standards supporting groom, layout, animation, and lighting handoff
Support development of scalable, reusable systems that increase production efficiency and consistency


People (30%)
Mentor junior and mid-level rigging, CFX, and creature artists, supporting their technical and career growth
Encourage and develop multi-disciplinary capability within the team (rigging, simulation, tech anim, crowd support)
Work closely with animation, FX, and lighting teams to ensure character fidelity and shot continuity
Lead technical reviews, QC passes, and reinforce best practices across creature workflows
Collaborate with Production on scheduling, task tracking, and delivery updates
Collaborate with Artist Management on crewing, performance feedback, and team development needs
Provide technical input into bidding and scheduling for creature-related work
Report to the Head of Assets & Creature


What You Bring
8+ years experience in high-end VFX for episodic or feature production
2+ years experience in a Lead or Supervisory role within rigging/CFX or creature departments
Strong production experience across Houdini CFX workflows (cloth, hair, muscle, or equivalent systems)
Strong proficiency in Maya, Houdini, and Python, with additional experience in mGear, USD, Alembic, and VEX
Proven ability to build, debug, and maintain rigs, simulations, and shot-level deformation systems
Experience working across multiple creature disciplines in a production environment (rigging, simulation, tech anim, crowd support)
Strong understanding of shot-based workflows, caching strategies, and downstream integration requirements
Comfortable working in fast-paced, evolving production environments with shifting priorities
Strong communication skills and a collaborative, solution-oriented mindset


About This Role


This role is open to Canadian based talent . Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada and be willing to work on-site/hybrid as required by production and studio location.


Barnstorm VFX is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive team that provides a meaningful work environment free of discrimination and harassment. We seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Indigenous people, people of color, people of all genders or non-genders, and people with disabilities of all types are encouraged to apply. We thank everyone for their interest and application, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.


We thank all applicants for their interest. Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.



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