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Indie Character Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Socket.dev

Senior Game Artist, Apple Arcade

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$150 - $200/hr

This is a hands-on, individual contributor role on a small, focused team with an indie spirit and ... Experience with character animation.Experience optimizing assets to perform well across a range of ...

New

Apple Inc.

Senior Game Artist, Apple Arcade

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$200 - $250/hr

This is a hands-on, individual contributor role on a small, focused team with an indie spirit and ... Experience with character animation. * Experience optimizing assets to perform well across a range ...

New

Apple

Senior Game Artist, Apple Arcade

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$184K - $277K/yr

This is a hands-on, individual contributor role on a small, focused team with an indie spirit and ... Experience with character animation. Experience optimizing assets to perform well across a range of ...

Epic Games

Game Design Intern

Cary, NC · On-site

From character and level design to competitive gameplay and system design, help shape the future of ... You will gain invaluable experiences working alongside Artists, Engineers, Designers, Producers ...

Adobe

Staff AI VFX Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Our mission is grounded in empowering artists while ensuring the responsible and commercially safe ... You'll design the orchestration layer: how a character generated in the image model maintains ...

Adobe

Staff AI VFX Engineer

Seattle, WA · On-site

Our mission is grounded in empowering artists while ensuring the responsible and commercially safe ... You'll design the orchestration layer: how a character generated in the image model maintains ...

Adobe

Staff AI VFX Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Our mission is grounded in empowering artists while ensuring the responsible and commercially safe ... You'll design the orchestration layer: how a character generated in the image model maintains ...

Adobe

Staff AI VFX Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

Our mission is grounded in empowering artists while ensuring the responsible and commercially safe ... You'll design the orchestration layer: how a character generated in the image model maintains ...

Adobe, Inc.

Staff AI VFX Engineer

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

Our mission is grounded in empowering artists while ensuring the responsible and commercially safe ... You'll design the orchestration layer: how a character generated in the image model maintains ...

Upliftgames

Gameplay Engineer (Full-Time)

Dallas, TX · On-site

$80 - $100/hr

Collaborate with your cross-disciplinary peers (artists, QA testers, producers, game designers ... A game or experience you designed and built yourself (indie game, Roblox experience, game jam entry ...

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Indie Character Artist information

See salary details

$104.5K

$120.5K

$128.5K

How much do indie character artist jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for indie 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 an indie character artist?

Indie Character Artists are creative professionals who design and create character art for independent (indie) video games, animations, comics, or other media projects. Unlike those working for major studios, they often work in smaller teams or as freelancers, handling a variety of tasks from conceptualizing characters to creating final in-game or promotional art. Their work typically involves digital illustration, 3D modeling, texturing, and sometimes animation. Indie Character Artists need a strong portfolio, adaptability, and often collaborate closely with indie developers to bring unique characters to life within limited budgets and resources.

How does an indie character artist typically collaborate with small game development teams during a project?

As an indie character artist, you'll often work closely with game designers, programmers, and sometimes even writers in a small, agile team environment. Collaboration is usually direct and iterative, with regular feedback sessions and open communication to ensure your character designs fit both the creative vision and technical needs of the project. You may be involved in brainstorming sessions, adapting your art based on gameplay requirements, and occasionally handling multiple roles, such as rigging or basic animation. This close-knit collaboration fosters creativity but also requires flexibility and strong teamwork skills.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an indie character artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Indie Character Artist, you need a strong grasp of anatomy, character design principles, and proficiency in digital art, often demonstrated through a compelling portfolio. Familiarity with industry-standard tools like Adobe Photoshop, Blender, ZBrush, or Substance Painter is typically required. Creativity, self-motivation, and effective communication help artists stand out, especially when collaborating with small indie teams. These skills ensure the creation of unique, high-quality characters that enhance game storytelling and player engagement within limited resources.

What is the difference between Indie Character Artist vs Freelance Character Artist?

AspectIndie Character ArtistFreelance Character Artist
CredentialsPortfolio, artistic skills, possibly self-taught or formal art educationPortfolio, artistic skills, self-taught or formal art education
Work EnvironmentIndependent projects, personal or small studio settingsClient-based projects, remote or on-site work for various clients
Industry UsageVideo games, indie films, personal projectsVideo game studios, advertising, entertainment industry
Search & Comparison IntentFocus on artistic style, portfolio, and indie projectsFocus on client communication, project scope, and deadlines

Indie Character Artists typically work on personal or small-scale projects, emphasizing artistic style and portfolio development. Freelance Character Artists often collaborate with clients or studios, focusing on project management and meeting client needs. While both roles require strong artistic skills, their work environments and project types differ significantly.

What are popular job titles related to Indie Character Artist jobs?

For Indie Character Artist jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Indie Character Artist job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 55% Full Time, 10% Part Time, and 35% Contract. Highlights an 65% In-person, and 35% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $120,531 per year, or $57.9 per hour.

Reallusion Character Creator 3D Artist

Winston Salem, NC • On-site, Remote

Epoch Games
PC Games • 1 - 10 employees
Learn more about Epoch Gamesexternal

$104K - $109K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 25 days ago

Job description

Company Description
Epoch Games is a volunteer-based, all-online, global game development team. The Co-Founders of Epoch Games were originally part of a Modding Team developing the total conversion Middle Earth Roleplaying Project (MERP) mod for the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/merp-middle-earth-roleplaying-project
Currently Epoch Games is developing The Lays of Althas: Sundered Order (LoA:SO). LoA:SO is an in-development indie open-world RPG set in an original fantasy world:
http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-lays-of-althas-sundered-order
The game is being developed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4 (UE4):
https://www.unrealengine.com/
See our Benefits page for more information about what we can (and can't) offer Team Members at this time:
https://epochgames.co.uk/wordpress/benefits
NOTE: The address listed is our central office, but we are working as a completely remote development team at this time. No relocation is necessary.
Job Description
In this volunteer position we are looking for someone who is skilled with using Reallusion's Character Creator 3 (CC3) for creating realistic 3D Character Body, Face and Hair Meshes and within the software. We would also expect you to be able to create your own 2D Textures as well as be able to import/export your CC3 Creations to Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4.
If necessary, we can provide Reallusion Packs or whatever else you'll need for the Job, as long as you have Reallusion's Character Creator 3 (CC3) in any form.
These 3D Characters would be used in our game "The Lays of Althas: Sundered Order" (LoA:SO). If necessary, you can be provided with provided the necessary software for the work you'll be required.
Communication is key to a smooth and efficient pipeline. You must be able to communicate clearly and effectively with other team-members and not be afraid to ask should any problems arise. We are an English-speaking team, so English fluency is a must.
If you are comfortable with teaching, you may be called upon to aid the more junior members of the team in any relevant area.
Other duties include following team policies (given through team orientation as upon acceptance to the team) as well as attending meetings through Slack (our instant message program that we use to communicate)
Qualifications
Minimum Skill Requirements:
  • Creating realistic Human Character Meshes and Textures using Reallusion's Character Creator 3 (CC3)
  • Creating Human Hair sculpts using Hair Card and Alpha Planes using Reallusion's Character Creator 3 (CC3)
  • Full Texturing ability (Diffuse, Normal, Displacement etc) using Reallusion's Character Creator 3 (CC3)
  • Able to work effectively and accurately from pre-defined concept art and designs.
  • Able to work with and provide constructive criticism and feedback.
  • Communication and Team-collaboration skills.
  • A passion for modeling and a dedication to creating AAA quality games.

Required Software:
  • Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4: https://www.unrealengine.com/register
  • Reallusion's Character Creator 3 (CC3): https://www.reallusion.com/character-creator/
  • Adobe Photoshop, GIMP or similar for creating high-quality 2D Textures.

Minimum Hardware Requirements:
  • The ability to run Unreal Engine 4
  • The ability to run Character Creator 3 (CC3)
  • The disk space and Internet speeds to download (Git Pull) at least 40 GB of game files

Additional Information

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