Intermediate Surfacing Artist (on-site)

Company Overview

       ICON Creative Studio is Canada’s largest independently owned animation entertainment company located in the historic Gastown district of Vancouver, BC Canada with design, storyboarding, modeling, rigging, animation, technical finaling, lighting, visual effects, and compositing artists alongside creative and management teams.

Known for our quality, efficiency, and timely deliveries, ICON has partnered alongside distributors, broadcasters, and streaming platforms around the world to help create, realize and produce noteworthy content.

ICON operates from a holistic philosophy that leverages individual skill sets to maximize production efficiency on the floor while maintaining an optimal balance of creativity and quality on-screen.

Why work at ICON?

• At ICON we constantly invest in raising the bar of our productions and fostering our people. If you are passionate about animation and enjoy sharing success with others, we'd like to hear from you!

• Join the fastest-growing CG Animation studio in Vancouver

• Work on top feature and episodic CG franchises for leading streaming platforms (Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon, Peacock, Paramount+ etc.)

• Work with a diverse group of artists from all over the world who have come to BC to join our expanding studio

• Use all of the latest tools and software

• We uphold a premium standard of quality across all of our productions by putting all of our resources up on screen

• We hire for the long term and give artists the opportunity to grow, get promoted and take on as much responsibility as they can manage

• We offer flexibility and autonomy

• We facilitate requests in a timely manner

• We support PR applications

• We offer direct deposit

• We offer a generous benefits package

• And more...

Job Overview

      This is an exciting opportunity for a talented and detail-oriented Surfacing Artist to contribute to the creation of a visually stunning and emotionally impactful animated show. Your skills and creativity will be instrumental in shaping the look and feel of the project, ensuring that every texture and surface enhances the storytelling and world-building of the series.

Key Responsibilities

• Create detailed textures and materials for characters, environments, and props that align with the show’s painterly, stylized aesthetic.

• Collaborate with the Art Director and Look Development teams to develop surface qualities that match the creative vision.

• Work closely with the Modeling team to ensure UV layouts and topology are optimized for texturing and shading.

• Develop and refine shaders using industry-standard tools and techniques to achieve high-quality, production-ready surfaces.

• Troubleshoot and resolve technical surfacing issues in collaboration with the Pipeline and Lighting teams.

• Ensure assets meet technical requirements and are optimized for efficient rendering while maintaining visual fidelity.

• Participate in reviews, respond to feedback, and iterate on assets to achieve the desired look.

• Stay current with industry trends, tools, and techniques to push the boundaries of surfacing quality.

Skills and Experience

• Strong understanding of texturing, shading, and material creation for stylized animation or games.
• Proficiency with industry-standard software such as Substance Painter, Mari, ZBrush, and Maya.
• Proficiency with Substance Painter and Material Creation. Skills with designer and custom brush tool creation are a plus.
• Familiarity with rendering engines like Arnold, Redshift, or similar, including shader creation and optimization.
• Experience working with a painterly or illustrative art style is a strong asset.
• Knowledge of UV mapping and topology optimization for efficient texture workflows.
• Strong artistic eye for colour, detail, and material properties such as reflectivity, translucency, and roughness.
• Solid understanding of lighting and how it interacts with surfaces to achieve desired visual effects.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills to collaborate across departments.
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a fast-paced production environment.
• Experience in episodic animation, film, or video games is a plus.

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The wage range for this role reflects compensation across all of ICON’s projects. The final salary will be determined based on the specific position, the current show assignment, and the applicant’s experience and portfolio. This range accounts for varying levels of experience and responsibilities.

In compliance with British Columbia provincial mandates, we are posting this broad wage range to meet wage transparency requirements.

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ICON Creative Studio is an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.