Look Development Artist - Technical Art

Look Development Artist | Technical Art

Location: New Orleans, LA - Onsite
Studio: Swaybox Studios
Department: Look Development
Reports To: Look Development Lead
Employment Type: Full Time

We're building a small, versatile Look Development team dedicated to exploring, defining, and refining the visual identity of our film. We move quickly, experiment often, and believe the best creative solutions come from talented artists who aren't afraid to step outside their specialties.

Job Summary

Swaybox Studios is seeking a creative and technically minded Look Development Artist with a specialty in Technical Art to join our team.

This role sits at the intersection of art and technology, focusing on developing tools, workflows, and technical solutions that help our artists work more efficiently and creatively.

You'll collaborate closely with the Look Development team to support the creation, iteration, and refinement of characters and environments, building artist-facing tools that simplify complex processes and allow the team to spend more time focused on the art itself.

We're looking for someone who understands the creative process as much as the technical one. The ideal candidate is a resourceful problem-solver with strong programming skills, familiarity with multiple digital content creation applications, and an artistic eye.

While technical development will be your primary strength, this is a hands-on generalist role that also involves contributing directly to the creative process, including environment development within Unreal Engine.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain artist-facing tools that support the creation, iteration, and refinement of characters, environments, and other visual assets.
• Design technical solutions that streamline repetitive tasks, improve efficiency, and allow artists to focus on creative work.
• Collaborate with the Look Development team to identify workflow challenges and develop practical solutions.
• Build scripts, utilities, and tools that connect and support workflows across multiple digital content creation applications.
• Support the creation, development, and refinement of environments within Unreal Engine.
• Troubleshoot technical challenges related to asset creation, scene assembly, software integration, and artist workflows.
• Work closely with artists to understand their creative needs and translate them into intuitive, effective tools.
• Participate in look development experimentation and problem-solving, helping the team explore new approaches and techniques.
• Adapt existing workflows and develop new solutions as creative and production requirements evolve.
• Contribute directly to artistic tasks when needed, supporting the team's broader look development goals.

Required Qualifications

• Professional experience in technical art, pipeline development, tools development, or a related CG/VFX discipline.
• Strong programming and scripting skills, particularly in Python, with knowledge of C++.
• Experience working with Maya, Unreal Engine, and other digital content creation applications.
• Broad understanding of CG workflows and the technical requirements involved in creating digital characters, assets, and environments.
• Experience developing artist-facing tools, scripts, or workflow improvements.
• Familiarity with building and working in environments within Unreal Engine.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, with the ability to approach challenges from both creative and technical perspectives.
• An artistic eye and understanding of visual storytelling, composition, and the creative development process.
• Ability to communicate effectively with artists, understand their needs, and translate those needs into technical solutions.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where flexibility and experimentation are essential.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Houdini and procedural workflows.
• Additional experience with C++ development and Unreal Engine tools.
• Familiarity with multiple DCC applications and cross-platform workflow integration.
• Experience building tools specifically for look development, environment creation, or asset refinement.
• Hands-on experience with environment assembly, materials, or other artistic workflows in Unreal Engine.
• Background in animation, visual effects, or hybrid digital and practical filmmaking.
• Experience developing technical solutions for small, multidisciplinary creative teams.