CG Matte Painter

Atomic Cartoons is hiring a CG Matte Painter to join a CG production based in Vancouver. This role sits within the art and environment pipeline, responsible for creating matte paintings that establish the visual world of the show, working directly alongside layout, lighting, modeling, and compositing departments. It suits an artist with a background in CG or VFX production who can move between painterly stylized work and technically grounded 3D environment building.

About the Role

The CG Matte Painter works within Atomic Cartoons’ CG production pipeline, contributing background environments and visual elements that define the aesthetic of the production. Day to day, this means collaborating with the Art Director and Modeling/Texturing Supervisors to translate design intent into finished matte paintings, then iterating through client and Art Director revisions with the matte painting team. The role starts in August 2026, and BC residents are preferred, with applicants required to have resided in BC as of December 31, 2025.

Key Responsibilities

• Create matte paintings for environment elements and hero visuals that match the established look and tone of the production.
• Work directly with the Art Director and Modeling/Texturing Supervisors to realize the aesthetic vision across CG scenes.
• Manage revisions with the matte painting team in response to Art Director and client feedback within production timelines.
• Build and maintain 2.5D projections and support asset modeling with working knowledge of UVs as required by the animation studio pipeline.
• Integrate work across Nuke, Maya, and Photoshop, applying knowledge of renderers including Renderman, Vray, and Arnold.
• Meet deadlines assigned by production management and track work through Autodesk Flow Production Tracking.

What You Bring

• Professional experience as a Matte Painter in a CG or visual effects production environment.
• Strong command of Nuke, Maya, and Photoshop, with working knowledge of Renderman, Vray, and Arnold.
• Solid understanding of 2D lighting, compositing, colour space, and digital painting techniques.
• A demo reel showing CG environment work or 2.5D DMP painting is a meaningful asset.
• Knowledge of Katana or Houdini is an asset, as is experience with stylized cartoon production work.
• Current legal eligibility to work in Canada, with BC residency as of December 31, 2025.

Why This Role

Atomic Cartoons has built a real track record in high-end animated content, with production credits spanning original series and major licensed properties across multiple genres. The studio operates with an artist-driven culture and holds B Corp certification, which reflects how it actually runs, not just how it presents itself. For a CG Matte Painter looking to work inside a structured animation studio pipeline on a full CG production, this is a substantive credit.

If you are a CG Matte Painter ready to bring environment work into a professional CG animation pipeline, apply to join Atomic Cartoons in Vancouver.