Character Surfacing Artist - Netflix Animation Studios

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Vancouver, BC, CAN
In-Office
75K-147K Annually
Mid level
News + Entertainment
The Role
Create high-quality surfacing for characters, creatures, and costumes in CG feature films. Responsibilities include texture painting, procedural texturing, shading, look development, grooming, and UV layout. The role requires interpreting 2D designs and references, maintaining artistic intent and project style, meeting quality and schedule expectations, and collaborating with production and surfacing teams. Proficiency with Mari and Maya is required, while Houdini experience is beneficial, particularly for grooming and procedural workflows.
Summary Generated by Built In

Netflix Animation Studios is on a mission to entertain the world with bold, immersive animated films that are timeless and impactful. We are paving the way for the future of animation by building a community of amazing artists and talent across three vibrant locations globally. Come join us!

Job Summary:

We are seeking a Character Surfacing / Look Development Artist to support our upcoming CG feature films! You will be responsible for bringing characters and creatures to life through high-quality texturing, shading, and grooming.


What You'll Do

  • Work on all areas of surfacing, including texture painting, procedural texturing, shading and lookdev, grooming and UV layout, with a primary focus on characters, creatures, and their costumes.
  • Create high-quality, stylized textures, either hand-painted or procedural, to a level of detail necessary for production assets.
  • Create stylized and physically plausible shaders while strictly following department standards and conventions.
  • Interpret 2D designs, reference material, and artistic direction, and translate them into our production surfacing while maintaining the original artistic intent.
  • Assume responsibility for ensuring assigned work is produced to the expected standard of quality within the scheduled timeframe and deadline.
  • Maintain good communication with the Surfacing Leadership, production, and the team.
  • Help establish and maintain a consistent style for the project.
  • Collaborate with grace, humility, inclusion, and open-mindedness.

What You'll Need

  • A passion and an eye for making beautiful-looking CG characters and creatures.
  • Proven technical and visual skills with an understanding of art and design within an animation environment.
  • Excellent attention to detail and the ability to interpret design down to its fundamentals.
  • 3+ years' experience working on high-quality shading, surfacing, and texturing.
  • 3+ years' experience in animated features, feature films (VFX), or high-end episodics.
  • Proficiency with Mari and Maya.
  • An interest in problem-solving, a desire to work within a relatively technical pipeline, and a willingness to openly share knowledge.
  • Strong communication, organisational, and time management skills.
  • A good understanding of lighting and colour theory, industry standards, conventions, and formats, to enable successful completion of tasks.
  • Excellent verbal, written, and e-social communication skills.

Bonus Skills

  • Extensive knowledge of shader creation and implementation.
  • Experience using Houdini, particularly for grooming or procedural workflows.

This role is based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Hybrid Role (Minimum of 3 days a week in the office).


At NAS, we carefully consider a wide range of compensation factors to determine your compensation. We rely on market indicators and consider your specific job family, background, location, skills, and experience. The overall market range for this role is typically $75k - $147k CAD. This reflects total compensation; we do not have bonuses.


NAS benefits can include medical/dental/vision plans, mental health support, retirement programs, and family-forming benefits, paid leave of absence programs, and paid time away programs to be used for vacation and sick paid time off. See more detail about our benefits here.


Inclusion is a Netflix value and we strive to host a meaningful interview experience for all candidates. If you want an accommodation/adjustment for a disability or any other reason during the hiring process, please send a request to your recruiting partner.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.

Skills Required

  • 3+ years of experience in high-quality shading, surfacing, and texturing
  • 3+ years of experience in animated features, feature films in VFX, or high-end episodics
  • Proficiency with Mari
  • Proficiency with Maya
  • Technical and visual skills with an understanding of art and design in an animation environment
  • Excellent attention to detail and ability to interpret designs
  • Understanding of lighting, color theory, industry standards, conventions, and formats
  • Strong communication, organizational, and time management skills
  • Shader creation and implementation experience
  • Houdini experience, particularly for grooming or procedural workflows

Netflix Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Netflix and has not been reviewed or approved by Netflix.

  • Fair & Transparent Compensation — Compensation is positioned as “personal top of market” with regular recalibration and broad posted ranges for senior roles that signal the philosophy. The cash‑forward structure and clearly described pay‑mix choices help set expectations on how pay is determined.
  • Equity Value & Accessibility — Employees can choose the mix of cash versus fully vested 10‑year stock options, with grants structured to be retained even after departure. This employee‑directed design increases accessibility and control over equity participation.
  • Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as comprehensive across medical, dental, vision, and mental health, with employer funding designed to offset premiums. Additional resources like counseling/coaching and wellness support reinforce breadth in care access.

Netflix Insights

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The Company
HQ: Los Gatos, CA
13,212 Employees
Year Founded: 1997

What We Do

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 209 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

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