Character Artist

Overview

We are looking for a Character Artist to join our team in Birmingham, AL on a contract basis. As a Character Artist at Iron. Spark, you will play a key role in crafting expressive, high-impact 3D characters, creatures, weapons, and props for our story-driven projects. You will collaborate closely with cross-disciplinary teams, using high-end modeling, sculpting, and texturing workflows to bring concepts to life in real-time.

From early blockouts through final engine integration, your expertise will help ensure our visual storytelling and asset fidelity meet the highest creative standards. This is an in-person contract role operating out of our Birmingham studio with a flexible work environment.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the creation of high-quality, detailed 3D models ranging from stylized humans and creatures to vehicles, weapons, and props. Collaborate daily with the art director, lead artists, and design teams to ensure artistic consistency and align assets with project narrative goals. Work closely with animation and technical teams to optimize character models, UVs, and topologies for performance in-engine.

Proactively research tools and refine techniques within modern character pipelines to enhance studio workflows and push visual quality. Self-manage asset pipelines, accurately estimate task timelines, and consistently hit production milestones. Actively participate in creative reviews, integrating feedback and refining assets to match project direction.

Share technical and artistic knowledge to support team members and help foster regional talent. Position Details Type: Contract (3-month, 6-month, or 12-month options available) Schedule: Up to 40 hours per week Working Model: In-Person at our Birmingham, AL studio with a flexible daily work environment.

Compensation

Hourly rate proportionate to individual experience.

Requirements

3–5 years of professional game development or animation experience specializing in character modeling and asset creation. Deep proficiency in Maya, Unreal Engine, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Substance Painter. Strong understanding of asset creation pipelines, real-time optimization, and real-time engine integration. Mastery of human and creature anatomy, form, silhouette, structure, dynamic posing, and hard-surface modeling techniques.

Great eye for lighting, color, surface detail, and PBR texturing to create compelling shaders and maps. Demonstrated ability to work independently, manage project priorities, and solve technical/artistic pipeline challenges. Excellent communication skills, a team-first attitude, and ease with taking creative direction and critique.

High standards of professionalism, discretion, and strict confidentiality regarding unreleased client and internal projects.

Benefits

Impact and ownership Build from the ground floor: you'll shape processes, tools, and culture from day one Direct access to the founders and other Subject Matter Experts Your input shapes the product, the process, and company decisions Growth & Culture Wide exposure: you'll work across functions, not in a silo You'll learn fast by solving new problems without a playbook Low bureaucracy: decisions happen in days, not quarters Room to experiment, with a "try it, learn, adjust" mindset Flexibility Flexible hours or schedule Remote or hybrid options