Visual Development Apprentice

Skydance Animation is excited to welcome an emerging Visual Development Artist as an apprentice. With the help of their designated mentor, the Visual Development Apprentice will join the studio in a rotational program having opportunities to hone their craft while working on a real feature production and getting an in-depth look at Skydance Animation’s culture, including our filmmaking process and our people. In addition, a learning curriculum will be built around the apprentice to help support future growth as an artist.

Candidates must be 18 years or older and have approximately 1 year of experience as a visual development artist and/or background painter, background designer, prop designer, etc., but no more than 2 years in feature animation.

Responsibilities

• Use artistic skills to bring worlds, settings, and stories to life
• Work alongside mentor and team(s) to visually explore and design different aspects of a film while keeping in mind the story needs and narrative
• Create environment concepts, color scripts, color keys, lighting studies, mood paintings, characters, and production illustrations
• 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 visual development artist and/or background painter, background designer, prop 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 visual development skillset; exhibit proficiency in drawing, anatomy, design, perspective, composition, painting, lighting, 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