Surfacing Artist

For more than 35 years, Bardel Entertainment has led the animation industry through unwavering commitment to quality, creativity, and innovation. We are an internationally recognized, Emmy Award®-winning studio – in two prominent Canadian cities, Vancouver and Montreal – and the creative force behind top audience hits such as The Dragon Prince, Rick and Morty, Teen Titans Go!, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. 

What You’ll Be Doing

• Create textures and build shading networks for CG characters and props, this could include working with grooms 

• [Senior] Create templates to optimize workflows and share with other artists. 

• Collaborate with Modeling, Groom and Art Directors to achieve the visual style for our assets. 

• Engage in dailies, rounds, and team discussions to contribute to creative and technical improvements. 

• Adhere to pipeline workflows and technical requirements for seamless integration into the production process. 

• For senior artists, actively mentor junior team members by providing constructive feedback, guidance, and support. 

• Maintain consistency in quality while meeting production needs. 

• Manage time effectively, working with production to stay on schedule. 

• Keep the team and production staff informed about progress, challenges, and solutions. 

• Previous production experience as a Surfacing Artist (or similar) in animation. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively promote solutions, share knowledge, and incorporate feedback. 

A portfolio that demonstrates: 

• a high level of detail and surfacing craftsmanship across a diverse range of characters and environments, with a preference for stylized work using Mari, Substance and Photoshop 

• Strong eye for light, shade, color, and detail in creating materials and textures. 

• Understanding of industry-standard workflows, UV layouts, and optimization. 

• Ability to create textures from reference. 

• Experience in Blender a plus, particularly with Shading and Lighting 

• Experience with fur and hair shading is a plus. 

Pay Range: CAD $1,300 - $1,700 per week   

This salary range provided reflects our current expectations for these roles as of this posting’s date. Your final salary offer will consider various key factors, including your education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographical location, as well as the needs and requirements of the business. 

Flexible work environment, Extended Health and Wellness from day 1, RRSP matching are just some of the benefits. For more details, check out our website. 

At Bardel, we recognize that flexibility is key to doing great work. Our hybrid work environment is a valued perk designed to support individual accountability and empower our teams to work where they’re most productive. We offer the choice to work remotely, balanced with intentional in-person time for collaboration, creativity, and team building. This role requires in-studio attendance at our Vancouver studio during onboarding and quarterly Rush Weeks.