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Sketch Artist Jobs in Raleigh, NC (NOW HIRING)

Senior Technical Artist

Cary, NC · On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

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 ...

Senior Technical Artist

Cary, NC · On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

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 ...

Senior Environment Artist

Cary, NC · On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

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 Games is looking for ...

Principal Technical VFX Artist

Cary, NC · On-site

$117K - $140K/yr

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 ...

Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led independent studio shaping the future of film and television. The Russo Brothers and AGBO have generated more than $7 billion at the ...

Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led independent studio shaping the future of film and television. The Russo Brothers and AGBO have generated more than $7 billion at the ...

Founded in 2017 by Anthony and Joe Russo, AGBO is an artist-led independent studio shaping the future of film and television. The Russo Brothers and AGBO have generated more than $7 billion at the ...

Sketch Artist information

See Raleigh, NC salary details

$8

$23

$39

How much do sketch artist jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 26, 2026, the average hourly pay for sketch artist in Raleigh, NC is $23.96, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $17.07 and $27.12 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a sketch artist?

Sketch artists are professionals who create drawings, typically by hand, to visually represent people, scenes, or concepts. They often work with law enforcement to create sketches of suspects or missing persons based on witness descriptions. Additionally, sketch artists may work in courtrooms to illustrate legal proceedings or in media and entertainment to develop concept art. Their work requires strong observational skills, artistic talent, and the ability to communicate visually. Sketch artists play an important role in both investigative work and creative industries.

What does a sketch artist do?

Your job duties as a sketch artist depend on the industry in which you work. Sketch artists can work as illustrators for publications, advertisements, comics, greeting card companies, newspapers, or stock illustration providers. You can also work in a court that does not allow cameras. Your responsibilities in this career are to draw the court proceedings. Police departments also hire artists to sketch pictures of suspects based on witness descriptions or to form images for forensic science purposes. Sketch artists can work for one employer or provide services as freelancers.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a sketch artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Sketch Artist, you need strong drawing skills, an understanding of human anatomy, and a portfolio showcasing your artistic abilities, often supported by formal art education or training. Familiarity with various sketching materials, digital illustration tools like Adobe Photoshop or Procreate, and sometimes forensic sketching software is important. Creativity, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate effectively with clients or witnesses are crucial soft skills in this field. These skills ensure accurate and compelling visual representations, whether for artistic projects or investigative purposes, leading to client satisfaction and professional credibility.

What are some common challenges sketch artists face when working on client commissions?

Sketch Artists often encounter challenges such as interpreting vague client instructions, managing tight deadlines, and balancing artistic vision with client expectations. Effective communication is crucial to ensure the final artwork aligns with what the client envisions. Additionally, Sketch Artists may need to iterate on their work based on feedback, requiring adaptability and resilience. Collaborating with art directors or other creative professionals is common, especially in team settings or for larger projects.

What is the difference between Sketch Artist vs Concept Artist?

AspectSketch ArtistConcept Artist
CredentialsPortfolio, artistic skillsPortfolio, artistic skills, sometimes formal art education
Work EnvironmentFilm, TV, advertising, forensic settingsVideo game, film, animation, entertainment industries
Employer & IndustryProduction companies, law enforcement, advertising agenciesGame studios, film studios, animation companies
Search & Comparison IntentVisual representation, forensic sketchesDesign concepts, character development

While both Sketch Artists and Concept Artists create visual artwork, Sketch Artists typically focus on forensic or quick visual representations in law enforcement or media, whereas Concept Artists develop detailed designs for entertainment projects. The skills overlap include strong drawing ability and a portfolio, but their work environments and end goals differ significantly.

How much money do sketch artists make?

Sketch artists' earnings vary based on experience, location, and whether they work freelance or for an organization. On average, they earn between $25,000 and $70,000 annually, with experienced artists or those working in specialized fields earning higher salaries. Many sketch artists supplement income through commissions or contract work, often requiring strong drawing skills and a portfolio.

What job categories do people searching Sketch Artist jobs in Raleigh, NC look for?

The top searched job categories for Sketch Artist jobs in Raleigh, NC are:

What cities near Raleigh, NC are hiring for Sketch Artist jobs?

Cities near Raleigh, NC with the most Sketch Artist job openings:

Infographic showing various Sketch Artist job openings in Raleigh, NC as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 79% Full Time, 18% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 96% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $49,829 per year, or $24 per hour.

Senior Technical Artist

Cary, NC • On-site

Epic Games
PC Games • 1 - 5K employees

$117K - $140K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 3 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.