Artist / Animator

Artists and animators create the visual elements of a game, including characters, vehicles, objects and backgrounds; their textures; the animations that bring them to life; and interfaces that players use to play the game.

They use software to create artwork ranging from generating sketches called concept art, to creating 2D or 3D artwork, to building models which animators then bring to life with movement.

Some game artists and animators come from fine arts backgrounds, while others have no formal training. At the start of their art and animation careers in games companies, people often work on 3D models, textures, backgrounds and objects. Starting salaries can range from between £18,000 to £23,000.

More senior artists and animators move on to creating the more important elements of a game’s look and feel, such as the game’s lead characters. Many start to specialise in specific types of art and animation, while the most senior roles manage teams of artists and animators. Salaries for medium to senior staff can range from between £30,000 to £50,000.

Any fine arts experience or study will help but every future games artist and animator creates an art portfolio showing examples of their work. These could be hand drawn or created using arts software tools like Maya or engines like Unity. After the portfolio, any experience in the kind of events hosted during Games Careers Week, such as making games with friends, online courses, game jams, further and higher education, internships and so on, will help.