Skydance
Character Design Apprentice
TLDR
Join an apprenticeship program to develop character design skills while contributing to real production projects in a collaborative environment.
Responsibilities
Use artistic skills to bring characters to life
Work alongside mentor and team(s) to visually explore and design different aspects of a character while keeping in mind the story needs and narrative
Generate work in the form of sketches, rough designs, and final character designs all while featuring a character's personality, movement, and motivations
Create character turnarounds and character poses in 2D and/or CG vis dev models
Innovate and elevate ideas, keeping in mind leadership’s requests and vision while adding your own creative flair with depth, humor, emotion, and resonance to visual concepts
Perform research that will inform the design of the work
Take notes, implement feedback, make any changes or revisions when necessary
Communicate progress of work to mentor and other appropriate staff
Ensure quality and style of show is consistently achieved
Participate in brainstorming sessions with other visual development artists
Attend and contribute to relevant meetings as needed
Requirements
Must be 18 years or older
Approximately 1 year of experience as a character designer and/or visual development artist, background painter, background designer, prop designer, costume designer, etc. (this can include previous internships, trainee experiences, etc.) but no more than 2 years in feature animation
Available full-time (40hrs per week) for 7 months between June 15, 2026-January 22, 2027
Located in, or willingness to relocate to, the Los Angeles Metropolitan area
Portfolio that demonstrates character design skillset; exhibit proficiency in drawing, anatomy, design, perspective, composition, painting, and color theory
Advanced knowledge of Photoshop
Knowledge of CG tools (Blender, Maya, Zbrush) a plus
Eagerness to learn and actively participate in studio offerings
The hourly rate for this non-exempt position in Santa Monica, CA is $45.87.
You must be available to work full-time from 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM (PT) for the duration of the program (Mondays-Fridays, June 15, 2026 - January 22, 2027), excluding holidays.
Skydance is a diversified media company that crafts immersive worlds and compelling narratives across feature films, television, interactive platforms, and animation. Targeting global audiences, Skydance is distinguished by its commitment to high-quality, event-level entertainment that combines creativity with technological innovation.
- Founded
- Founded 2017
- Employees
- 500+ employees
- Industry
- Media
- Total raised
- $1.6B raised