Character Designer – Feature

Sony Pictures Animation is hiring a Character Designer for a feature film production based in Los Angeles, California. This role sits within the art department and focuses on developing the visual identity of characters from early pitch explorations through to final approved designs, working directly alongside the Production Designer and Art Director. It suits an artist with strong draftsmanship and a background in animated feature film or television production who can move fluidly between rough ideation and polished, pipeline-ready artwork.

About the Role

The Character Designer works inside the visual development pipeline on a feature animation project, contributing character artwork from the earliest creative stages through production. Day to day, this means generating multiple design iterations, poses, expression sheets, and turnarounds that give modelers and texture artists what they need to build in 3D. This is a union covered position, with compensation determined under the applicable collective bargaining agreement.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop multiple design iterations for each character, including poses, facial expressions, and full turnarounds, in both rough pass and final approved form across the feature animation production.
• Work closely with the Production Designer and Art Director to explore and define each character’s visual personality throughout the pitch, design, and production phases.
• Propose character design approaches that account for the downstream needs of modeling and texturing departments within the 3D animation pipeline.
• Iterate on designs in response to creative feedback, maintaining artistic consistency and quality against production schedules and deadlines.
• Organize and archive all artwork accurately to production standards, ensuring files are stored and backed up appropriately throughout the project.
• Communicate proactively with supervisors and production staff regarding creative questions, timeline concerns, or workflow issues as they arise.

What You Bring

• Prior credits on an animated feature film, television series, or game production are preferred.
• Proficiency in Photoshop is required as the primary tool for character design work.
• Strong command of anatomy, volumetric drawing, costume design, and character construction across a range of styles.
• Stylistic versatility is a genuine asset given that each Sony Pictures Animation project carries its own distinct visual language.
• The ability to articulate design decisions clearly to creative leads and respond constructively to direction throughout the production process.

Why This Role

Sony Pictures Animation has built a reputation for feature animation that pushes visual storytelling in directions most studios avoid, with a slate that reflects genuine artistic range. The anticipated base salary for this position is $53.37 to $90.00 per hour, with benefits pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement. For a Character Designer looking to work on a feature film production with real creative latitude, this is a studio that consistently backs that up.

Submit your resume and portfolio link to be considered for the Character Designer role at Sony Pictures Animation.