2D Character Layout Artist (Anime Series)

Job Position(s): 2D Character Layout Artist (Anime Series)

Bardel Entertainment is hiring a 2D Character Layout Artist for an anime series based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This role sits between the storyboard and animation departments, translating panels and animatics into staged, camera-ready scenes that give animators a clear roadmap for performance and action. It’s a position well suited to a layout artist with a grounded understanding of 2D traditional animation production and a sharp eye for visual storytelling.

About the Role

The 2D Character Layout Artist works directly within the animation pipeline on an anime series, collaborating daily with Animation Directors, Supervisors, and both the background and animation teams. This is a contract position starting late September with an initial three-week term and potential for extension. On any given day, you’re resolving staging problems before they reach animation, blocking key poses, and making sure character placement and screen direction hold up across scenes.

Key Responsibilities

• Translate storyboard panels and animatics into character layouts that clearly communicate the intent of each scene before it moves into full animation production.
• Stage and position characters within each shot, establishing eyelines, screen direction, and interaction with props and background environments.
• Create key poses that carry the emotional and physical logic of the dialogue and performance being supported.
• Maintain consistent character proportions, scale, and continuity across scenes within the episodic television pipeline.
• Identify and resolve staging or continuity issues early in the production workflow, reducing revision cycles downstream.
• Incorporate notes from Animation Directors and Supervisors while meeting production schedules and adhering to file standards.

What You Bring

• Hands-on experience in character layout within a 2D traditional animation studio environment.
• Strong working knowledge of animation principles and how layout decisions directly support the animation team’s work.
• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret storyboards, animatics, and dialogue tracks accurately.
• Solid understanding of composition, character posing, and staging for episodic animation production.
• Ability to manage revisions and meet deadlines within a structured production pipeline.

Why This Role

Bardel Entertainment has been producing animation for over 35 years and carries a reputation in the animation studio industry for running well-organized productions with room for artists to do focused, quality work. Compensation for this 2D Character Layout Artist role ranges from CAD $1,400 to $1,600 per week, with benefits including extended health and wellness coverage from day one and RRSP matching. For a layout artist looking to work on an anime series within a professional 2D animation pipeline, this is a straightforward, well-supported contract.

Apply now for the 2D Character Layout Artist position at Bardel Entertainment and get your work in front of a production team that knows how to use it.