Hybrid Art Director

at Velan Studios, Inc.

• Job title: Art Director
• Job type: Full Time
• Experience level: Lead
• Salary: $100,000 - $150,000 per year
• Degree requirement: Bachelor's Degree
• Tech skills: Unity, Unreal Engine
• Location requirements: Hybrid, Troy, United States

About the role

• Art Director driving critical visual and art direction for a new fantasy RPG at Velan Studios, creating innovative gaming experiences and defining the aesthetic of characters and environments.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the Game Director, Leads, and other key stakeholders to help define and build out the look of the project.
• Knowledge of IP development and how to work with a Product and Marketing team to create a strong Brand Identity.
• Highly skilled in 3D programs such as Maya, Blender, Max, and/or Zbrush with a deep understanding of how to create stylized and optimized in-game assets.
• Provide clear feedback, direction, and oversight to project artists to ensure they meet brand, style, and art direction guidelines.
• Expert knowledge of industry standard gameplay engines, such as Unity and Unreal.
• Full understanding of a game’s development cycle, from pre-production to ship, in order to guide various art team’s pipelines and standardized ways of working.
• Work closely with Production to keep work flowing and on track for internal and external deadlines.
• Create high quality artwork to support studio needs such as marketing, pitch decks, and PR events.
• Leadership and/or mentoring experience with a willingness to train and mentor other artists at the studio.

Requirements

• 8+ years of industry experience as a game artist, with 2+ years of those being AD experience.
• Strong understanding of anatomy, storytelling, lighting, composition, perspective, and color theory.
• Experience using 3D applications such as ZBrush, 3DSMax, Maya, Substance Designer, and/or other game production tools.
• Strong foundational art skills and a keen eye for keeping art consistent and on-model.
• Knowledge of the entire art pipeline and ability to implement art assets into an engine.
• A portfolio of work showcasing, but not limited to, fantasy artwork which includes; characters, environments, and props.
• Experience creating Art Bibles for other artists to reference and keep their work on-model.
• Very comfortable giving and receiving feedback on artwork for the production pipeline.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.