Sr. Environment Artist Job at Blind Squirrel Games in Austin

Content Summary: Sr. Environment Artist at Austin, for Blind Squirrel Games

At Blind Squirrel Games, making great games is only the beginning. Blind Squirrel Games is a proud, independent studio that joins forces with developers and publishers seeking an innovative partner in creating quality games. At BSG, our people are our purpose, so we prioritize an inquisitive, proactive, and collaborative work environment for all our Squirrels. Depending on the needs of the project, we operate as a hybrid-remote studio, allowing our developers the flexibility to crush milestone goals at the studio or within the comfort of their own home.

This is a full-time hybrid position based in Austin, TX, with an onsite requirement of three days per week.

The salary range being considered for this role is $93,000-$110,000. The specified salary range pertains to Southern California, and the actual amounts may differ based on experience, performance, and location. These salary ranges do not apply to locations outside the United States.

Blind Squirrel Games (BSG) is looking for a Senior Environment Artist to join us in creating compelling and immersive environment art for an upcoming project.

Supported by the Art Director and project Leads, the Senior Environment Artist is responsible for helping to craft visually stunning 3D environments, working collaboratively within their team to deliver high-quality assets and locations that align with the project’s realistic art style, design requirements, and technical parameters.

As a Senior Environment Artist at BSG, you will contribute to the project by crafting high-quality models, textures, and game assets. The ideal candidate for this role has experience building detailed, realistic environments and assets for AAA games and can translate a thorough artistic understanding of the environment art pipeline into consistent deliverables that meet project expectations and deadlines.

Role and Responsibilities

• Develop and oversee the creation of realistic, highly detailed environments, terrain and assets using current industry standard software and methods.
• Ensure high-quality and consistency across the project.
• Lead and optimize the artistic environment art pipelines and ensure technical efficiency.
• Collaborate with production to define tasks, set realistic schedules, and ensure timely delivery of assets.
• Mentor junior artists, providing guidance and feedback to help them develop their skills.
• Work closely with other artists, designers, and engineers to create beautiful and performant environments.
• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks in environment assets and rendering settings.
• Use procedural generation techniques to create large-scale environment elements.
• Iterate on environment designs based on feedback from art directors, designers, and play testers.
• Document environment art pipelines, workflows, and best practices for reference and training purposes.

Qualifications and Education Requirements

• 3+ years of industry experience in game development specializing in environment art.
• At least two shipped titles as an Environment Artist.
• Portfolio demonstrating ability to design and craft realistic, highly detailed environments and assets.

Preferred Skills

• Expertise in PBR, lighting, rendering, and material authoring.
• Deep understanding of environment art pipelines and dependencies.
• Passion for 3D environment art, set dressing, lighting, topology, and texturing.
• Advanced proficiency with Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop, Substance Designer/Painter, and Zbrush.
• Strong foundational skills, including composition, design, shape, structure, silhouette, and color theory.
• Proficient with project management/task tracking software like Jira.
• Extensive experience working in UE4, Unity, and other contemporary engines.
• Goal-oriented and able to receive and implement professional feedback effectively.
• Well-organized, self-motivated, and possess strong time-management skills.
• Proactive in clearly communicating issues to the team and seeking solutions.
• Experience mentoring junior artists and fostering a collaborative team environment.

Blind Squirrel Entertainment, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

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