Lead Texture Artist – ILM

Industrial Light and Magic is hiring a Lead Texture Artist to join its London team, working under the ILM banner within The Walt Disney Company. This role sits within the texturing department and focuses on delivering photoreal hero assets at the highest level of quality, from digital doubles through to creatures and hard surface work destined for feature film production. It suits an experienced VFX artist who has operated at Senior or Lead level and is comfortable owning both the creative and technical sides of a show’s texturing pipeline.

About the Role

The Lead Texture Artist at ILM London works across large scale feature projects, managing the full arc of asset delivery from bidding through to final approval. Day to day, this means setting the texturing workflow and technical strategy for the show, reviewing artist work against client briefs, and getting hands-on with hero assets that demand close-up photoreal results. The role bridges supervision, production coordination, and on-the-tools artistry within a cross-functional VFX pipeline.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain the texturing workflow and technical strategy across the show, identifying solutions for complex or non-standard assets.
• Create photoreal hero textures for extreme close-up assets, holding the quality bar for the wider texturing team.
• Translate creative direction from clients and supervisors into clear, actionable notes that artists at every level can follow.
• Manage handoffs between artists, production, and supervision, keeping asset goals and feedback accurately communicated at each stage.
• Bid and delegate work across the team, balancing show schedules with realistic assessment of asset complexity.
• Share knowledge and support team development, contributing to best practices across the texturing department and broader post-production workflow.

What You Bring

• Significant production experience in VFX for film or episodic content, with credits at Senior or Lead Texture Artist level.
• Proven proficiency in Mari as a primary texturing tool in a production environment.
• Familiarity with Katana, Nuke, and look-development workflows within a full VFX pipeline.
• Experience across digital doubles, creature work, and hard surface assets in a feature film context.
• Knowledge of Substance Designer or Painter and ShotGrid are each considered a plus.

Why This Role

ILM carries one of the longest track records in visual effects, with a production slate that spans major studio tentpoles and effects-heavy episodic work. The London facility operates at the same standard as its global counterparts, offering genuine career depth for someone looking to lead at a high level. This is a hybrid position requiring a minimum of two days on-site per week at the London location.

Apply now for the Lead Texture Artist position at ILM, part of The Walt Disney Company, and bring your texturing credits to one of the most respected VFX studios in the industry.