Junior Character Surfacing Artist – UNDISCLOSED PROJECT – Expression of Interest

Job Position(s): Junior Character Surfacing Artist - UNDISCLOSED PROJECT - Expression of Interest

Mikros Animation is accepting expressions of interest for a Junior Character Surfacing Artist based in Montreal, Canada. This role sits within the Look Development department, where the artist is responsible for building the final textured and shaded appearance of characters and props that go directly into the animation pipeline. It suits an early-career CG artist with a grounding in both technical surfacing workflows and a genuine eye for how light, material, and color interact in feature animation production.

About the Role

The Junior Character Surfacing Artist works under the Look Dev Supervisor, contributing to character and prop assets across an undisclosed animated feature film project. Day-to-day work involves translating concept art and reference materials into production-ready textures, UVs, and shading networks that hold up under the demands of a full animation studio pipeline. The role is a direct entry point into high-level character look development work at a studio with a strong slate of animated features.

Key Responsibilities

• Build the final look of characters and props, balancing technical accuracy with the visual style established by the Look Dev Supervisor.
• Create texture maps and material setups derived from concept art and photographic reference, ensuring fidelity to the film’s established aesthetic.
• Generate clean UV layouts that meet the requirements of the shading and look development pipeline.
• Develop and maintain shading networks for specific character and prop assets across the production.
• Deliver surfacing work that meets the quality bar for feature film production, with attention to nuance in skin, fabric, and surface detail.
• Work within established asset management and versioning systems as part of a structured VFX pipeline.

What You Bring

• Some professional or student production experience in character surfacing, texturing, or look development within an animation studio or VFX environment.
• Working knowledge of industry-standard tools for texturing and shading, such as Substance Painter, Mari, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with shader construction and shading network logic in a production renderer such as Arnold, RenderMan, or V-Ray.
• A portfolio that demonstrates both technical competence and an understanding of art direction at the character level.
• Ability to receive and apply creative feedback from supervisors within a structured feature film production hierarchy.

Why This Role

Mikros Animation has built a consistent track record in high-quality animated feature film production, with credits that span major international releases and a studio culture that supports artists moving up through the pipeline. Montreal is one of Canada’s most active animation production hubs, offering real depth of industry community alongside this role. For an artist looking to build feature film credits early in a surfacing career, this is a direct path into that work.

Submit your expression of interest for the Junior Character Surfacing Artist position at Mikros Animation through the apply button on this listing.