Character Artist

Disney Disney · Media · London, United Kingdom

Character Artist responsible for creating high-quality, original character artwork for Disney products, supporting EMEA needs, and contributing to 3D character art approvals. This role involves managing projects, collaborating with stakeholders, and ensuring brand consistency across all outputs.

What you'd actually do

  1. Partner with the Senior Character Art Manager to develop high‑quality character illustrations for style guides and portfolios across multiple franchises and business divisions.
  2. Ensure timely delivery of 2D and 3D character approvals and corrections, maintaining consistency, artistic excellence, and brand integrity across all product applications.
  3. Act as a key point of contact for EMEA teams on character art and brand equity queries, providing clear and trusted creative guidance.
  4. Contribute to idea generation by developing new art styles and techniques aligned with marketplace trends, and identifying character art innovation and whitespace opportunities.
  5. Provide creative direction and feedback to external freelance artists, licensees and suppliers to ensure all artwork meets Disney's quality and brand standards.

Skills

Required

  • Degree-level education in a relevant creative discipline (such as character art, illustration, animation or graphic design), or equivalent professional experience, with a proven track record in a similar role within the creative, entertainment or consumer products space.
  • Strong expertise in character art, including a deep understanding of cartooning, cartoon animation principles, and how character artwork translates into product and storytelling.
  • Demonstrated ability to create high‑quality 2D artwork across multiple styles, using both traditional and digital methods, with proven experience in digital inking and rendering.
  • Strong foundation in design fundamentals, including illustration, layout, colour and typography, combined with excellent graphic design capability and a sharp eye for detail.
  • Advanced working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop and Illustrator, with experience using Keynote and other creative tools to produce presentations, pitches and visual storytelling materials.
  • Commercially aware and creatively curious, with a strong understanding of marketplace and consumer trends and the ability to identify fresh, innovative opportunities within character art and product design.
  • Confident communicator and creative storyteller, able to generate, present and successfully sell creative ideas to internal and external partners in both formal and informal settings.
  • Proven experience building effective relationships and collaborating with stakeholders within a large, multinational, matrixed organisation, demonstrating strong communication, collaboration and stakeholder‑management skills.
  • Resourceful, adaptable and culturally sensitive, with the ability to work effectively across diverse, international teams while maintaining consistently high creative and brand standards.

Nice to have

  • Experience drawing Disney characters and working with established character equity is highly desirable.
  • Experience with 3D modelling and working across additional mediums such as sculpting, painting and drawing is beneficial.