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Entry Level Character Design Artist Jobs in California

Human Computer Lab

Character Artist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$142K - $149K/yr

What to expect We're looking for a character artist to help define how LeLamp looks, moves, and ... Design expressive motion - gestures, "emotional" states, and behaviors expressed through movement ...

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Gatos, CA

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... artist-led environment. Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes ...

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Gatos, CA

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... artist-led environment. Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes ...

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... artist-led environment. Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes ...

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Angeles, CA

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... artist-led environment. Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes ...

Netflix

Character Designer- Ink

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$69.71/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... artist-led environment. Through research, design exploration, conversations, and collaboration, the Character Designer will work with the creative leads to develop characters' attitudes ...

TrueShort

Reference Designer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

... artists with strong visual taste, storytelling instincts, and an understanding of how to design assets that translate effectively into AI generation pipelines. Responsibilities * Design character ...

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All JobsCharacter Design Artist JobsEntry Level Character Design Artist JobsEntry Level Character Design Artist Jobs in California

Entry Level Character Design Artist information

What is the difference between Entry Level Character Design Artist vs Junior Character Designer?

AspectEntry Level Character Design ArtistJunior Character Designer
Required CredentialsPortfolio, basic art skills, possibly a degree in art or related fieldPortfolio, some industry experience, degree often preferred
Work EnvironmentAnimation studios, game development companies, freelance projectsAnimation studios, gaming companies, creative agencies
Employer & Industry UsageEntry-level position for aspiring artists in entertainment and gamingEarly career role with more responsibilities in character creation

The Entry Level Character Design Artist typically focuses on developing basic character concepts and sketches, often with limited experience. In contrast, a Junior Character Designer may have more industry exposure and take on additional responsibilities in refining character designs. Both roles serve as stepping stones in a creative career, with the Junior role generally requiring a stronger portfolio and some prior experience.

What are the most commonly searched types of Character Design Artist jobs in California?

The most popular types of Character Design Artist jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Entry Level Character Design Artist jobs?

Cities in California with the most Entry Level Character Design Artist job openings:

Entry Level Character Design Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Entry Level Character Design Artist job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 6% Internship, 41% Full Time, 38% Part Time, 6% Temporary, and 9% Contract. Highlights an 97% In-person, and 3% Hybrid job distribution.

Character Artist

Human Computer Lab

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$142K - $149K/yr

Full-time

Posted 11 days ago

Job description

Human Computer Lab is a research lab building character robots that feel alive and responsive. Our first robot, LeLamp, explores a new category of consumer robotics where everyday objects become interactive and help us reshape our attachment to technology.
Our goal is to push the frontier of human-robot interaction by making technology more legible, emotionally intuitive, and human-centered. We are building the foundation for a new generation of robots designed for everyday environments.
What to expect
We're looking for a character artist to help define how LeLamp looks, moves, and feels - the visual and expressive language that makes a robot read as alive rather than mechanical. You'll work on everything from early concept sketches and mood boards to the motion, gesture, and lighting cues that give the robot its personality, translating character intent into something the hardware and software teams can actually build and ship. This role requires tight, fast-cycling collaboration with electrical, mechanical, and software teams - character decisions here don't stay on paper, they become motor curves, timing, and light behavior. You'll work closely with the CEO and founding team to shape the character identity of LeLamp and the robots that follow.
In this role, you will:
  • Create concept art, mood boards, and character studies that define LeLamp's personality and visual identity.
  • Collaborate with the hardware team on form factor, silhouette, materials, and color to keep the physical design aligned with the character.
  • Design expressive motion - gestures, "emotional" states, and behaviors expressed through movement, light, and sound.
  • Prototype and iterate quickly, moving between sketches, renders, and physical mockups.
  • Partner with robotics and software engineers to translate character intent into concrete behavior parameters (motion curves, timing, lighting cues).
  • Build and maintain style guides and a character bible to keep the robot's expression consistent as the team grows.
  • Review hardware and software prototypes against the character vision and give clear, actionable feedback.
  • Support brand and marketing assets to keep the character consistent across every touchpoint.

You may be a good fit if you:
  • Are pursuing a degree in screen-writing, animation, character design, industrial design, or a related field - or have equivalent hands-on portfolio experience.
  • Have a portfolio that shows character design or expressive design work, in 2D or 3D.
  • Document clearly and can explain the reasoning behind a design choice, not just the choice itself.
  • Are comfortable iterating quickly, moving from rough sketch to testable prototype without waiting for a perfect brief.
  • Are genuinely interested in physical products, not just screen-based or purely digital characters.

You will be a strong fit, if you:
  • Have designed characters or mascots that had to work within real hardware or physical constraints, not just on a screen.
  • Understand core animation principles (timing, weight, squash and stretch, anticipation) and know how to translate them into motors, servos, and lighting.
  • Are comfortable collaborating directly with engineers, turning an abstract sense of "feel" into concrete specs they can build against.
  • Move quickly through iteration cycles and don't wait for perfect information to make progress.
  • Take ownership over your work end to end, from first sketch to a behavior that's live in the robot.
  • Work well in small, collaborative teams where character, electrical, and mechanical are in constant conversation.
  • Care about what the character enables: warmth, expressiveness, and the feeling that the robot is alive.

The early team becomes the DNA of the company. We set ourselves and others to a high standard, and we respond with kindness when things get hard but keep everyone accountable. This requires us to be curious, creative, and diverse in our thinking and approach.
We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer and consider all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. Even if you don't meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply. Studies show that women and underrepresented groups often hold back unless they meet 100% of the criteria - we don't want that to be the reason we miss out on great talent.

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