Concept Artist / Illustrator

Company Description

Epoch Games is a volunteer-based, all-online, global game development team. We have no centrally-located headquarters and are unincorporated at this time. Most of the original founding members were modders developing the total conversion Middle Earth Roleplaying Project (MERP) mod for the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim:
http://www.moddb.com/mods/merp-middle-earth-roleplaying-project
Currently Epoch Games is developing The Lays of Althas: Sundered Order (LoA:SO). LoA:SO is an in-development indie open-world RPG set in an original fantasy world. The game is being developed using Epic Games' Unreal Engine 4 (UE4):
https://www.unrealengine.com/
For more information about the game, please check out our IndieDb page:
http://www.indiedb.com/games/the-lays-of-althas-sundered-order
NOTE: The address above is the address related to Epoch Games' Incorporation, but is not related to the place of work. We are a fully-online team with no central headquarters at this time. Communication is mostly done via Slack (an instant messaging application) and Trello (an online project collaboration tool).

Job Description

We are looking for a creative and passionate individual to join our team as a volunteer 2D Concept Artist!

In this volunteer position, you will be asked to create a variety of high-quality concept art and/or illustrative work for The Lays of Althas: Sundered Order (LoA:SO). Interested applicants must be advised that this is a long-term volunteer project, and as such, you must be ready to contribute to the game on a long-term basis (however, as this is an unpaid position, full-time dedication is not expected). A variety of different concept types, such as characters, creatures, landscape, architecture, etc, may be required. For illustrative work, you may be asked to create illustrations that will be used as in-game paintings (and should replicate various medieval painting styles).

Concept Art and Illustration should be created in a timely manner on demand; while there is no set amount of time that a team member should put into the project, it is expected for each work to be handled within a reasonable timeframe. Multiple applicants may be accepted; this job is not for a single position.
Communication is key to a smooth and efficient working pipeline. Therefore, the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with other team members is essential. It is also important to not afraid to ask and discuss, and find out the solution should any problems arise. We are an English-speaking team, so proficiency in the English language is a must.

What you’ll be doing:

• Partner with the Art Director and other team members to pioneer the vision of the game.

• Design, create, and develop high-quality sketches and quick iterations digitally (you can do it on paper but the finished artwork must be digital).

• Create and develop original concepts of characters, environment, and props based on references or from scratch.

• Attend weekly meetings with the whole team on Slack (instant messaging software we use for communication).

• Present concepts and ideas to the team for further discussion.

• Creatively problem-solve and figure out efficient solutions to executing the look and feel of the character and environment.

• Achieve a balance between artistic aspects and technical constraints.

• Adjust the artwork styles to meet the game’s art direction.

• Set your own reasonable deadlines, and make sure the work is done on time.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

• Working knowledge of design and drawing programs such as photoshop, illustrator, procreate, or your program of choice.

• Excellent understanding of art fundamentals: lighting, composition, architecture, human anatomy, etc.

• Ability to create high-quality concept art and illustrations of characters, creatures, environments, architecture, and more.

• Ability to give and take feedback professionally and applies it to the art and design.

• Flexibility and adaptive capabilities. Able to collaborate and work as a part of the team.

• Fluency in English is a must.

Recommended Requirements:

• Experience in game design or game developing industry.

• Shipped 1 or more video game titles.

• Educational background in art, design, or other related fields

• Experience in Unreal Engine 4