Define the visual identity of an original IP from a blank page.Who We Are Oina Studio is an independent Canadian game studio developing premium story-driven games for PC and console. We believe modern engines now let small teams deliver production value that once required hundreds of people.We focus on single-player experiences: strong stories, characters worth caring about, and worlds that come alive the closer you look. Our first game is a narrative adventure of growth and companionship, drawn from Kazakh mythology. We build solid pipelines and keep the creativity and agility of a small team.The Role We are looking for an artist to define the visual identity of an original IP from a blank page.Your first deliverable is the art of a vertical slice that publishers will judge at the end of your first 90 days. This will be the foundation of the art style of the game.You will be the first art hire and the person who establishes what this game looks like. This is a hands-on creative role first — you'll be making art for the majority of your time — and a leadership role second, as you build and guide the art team through Prototyping and into production.The art style needs to be expressive, achievable by a small team, and readable at the gameplay scale the game demands. You'll own the visual direction of the debut title and work directly with the founder to develop and defend the art style through every production phase.What You'll Own Art and visual direction (primary) Define and document the visual style of the debut title — environment, characters, UI, VFXCreate key art, style guides, and reference sheets that define how this world is drawn — the documents the art team grows intoBuild environment and character assets for the Prototyping and Vertical Slice milestonesEstablish and own the art pipeline end-to-end: modeling, texturing, rigging, import, LOD, and in-engine setupOwn character animation for the vertical slice. Character performance carries the game's emotional beats; it cannot be an afterthoughtDevelop concept art for pitches,



publisher presentations, and internal alignmentArt leadership Define art standards, naming conventions, and asset review processSet the quality bar and review every asset against it; give clear, actionable feedbackCoordinate with Lead Developer on engine-side technical constraints: polycount targets, texture budgets, shader complexity, platform requirementsOwn the art schedule and scope estimates for each milestone; flag risks earlyBuild a team of 3–5 artists as the studio grows into productionWho You Are Independent and self-directed — comfortable being the sole artist at the start, able to scope and prioritize without hand-holdingA clear communicator — you give feedback people can act onDrawn to character performance — you care whether a character's acting lands, not just whether the model is cleanReady to define a style and defend it through every production phaseWhat We Are Looking For Required 4–5 years minimum experience in games art, including 2+ years at senior or lead level on a shipped commercial titleStrong portfolio showing environment, character, or stylized art — ideally covering more than one disciplineProven ability to define and document a visual style from scratch, not just execute within an existing oneFluency in a standard 3 D and texturing toolchainExperience building and managing an art pipeline in a major real-time engineNice to have Shipped a narrative or RPG indie title where visual storytelling was centralConcept art skills (or ability to direct a concept artist)Hands-on character animation,



or a track record of directing animators to a quality barBilingual in English and FrenchWhat You'll Gain Compensation Market-competitive salary plus meaningful founding-team equity, with step-ups at funding milestones. We build the package around the right person and what they need to make this workEquity: 4-year vesting, 1-year cliffBenefits and culture Remote-first; preference for candidates based in or willing to work Eastern Time (ET)–adjacent hours3 weeks paid vacation minimum; studio closes between Christmas and Recent YearWhat this role gives you that bigger studios can't First art hire: you define the visual language of an original IPDirect authorship — your creative choices become part of the shipped gameYou own your domain, and the team commits to your decisionsWhat Success Looks Like First 90 days Visual style locked and documented in a style guide within your first two weeksConcept art for 3 characters, 4 environments, and 3 key moments approvedSteam page art delivered by day 45: capsule, screenshots, page assetsVertical slice art shipped by day 90 with the quality bar met; key art and trailer visuals delivered for launch6 months Art bible v1.0 delivered — complete enough that anyone joining works inside it without driftNext Fest demo presented at full visual qualityFunding applications supported with presentation materialsYear one Art roadmap to launch definedProduction-quality assets shipping at a predictable cadencePipeline, standards, and review process ready for the first art hiresOur Process Intro call with the founderTake-home assignmentFinal interviewOfferApply Your application and CV go straight to the founder and are used only to consider you for this role.Name *Email *Include character performance or animation examples, or work you directed.CV / resume * Choose file No file chosen PDF or Word, up to 4 MB.Message (optional) Tell us about one visual direction decision you made on a shipped project and how you defended it — and your availability.We respond within one week.Prefer email? Send the same to #J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Lead Artist → Remote-First · Canada · As Soon As Possible Competitive Salary Plus Meaningful Foundin (Winnipeg)
🏢 Oina Studio
📍 Winnipeg