Pixel Artist (Freelance or Part-Time, d/f/m)

As a Pixel Artist, you will be responsible for bringing our game worlds to life in the distinctive aesthetic of nostalgic miniature squares.

At the time of your employment, you will be working on our debut game, Waters of Sal Naména, which places very particular demands on its artists through its unique blend of 2D and 3D graphics and its Game Boy-inspired style.

Your Responsibilities

Your main responsibilities will include creating sometimes animated…

Tilesets: pixel graphics for terrain and surfaces
Characters and Objects: intricate pixel graphics for characters and environmental objects
Backgrounds and Artwork: large-scale pixel graphics depicting backgrounds, characters, world maps, and more
UI elements: cohesive menus, fonts, buttons, and more

What you bring

Pixel Art Skills: You are proficient in software such as Aseprite, Pixelorama, or a comparable, preferably open-source program, and have the artistic skills to create high-quality, sometimes animated pixel art.
Stylistic Confidence: You have a good feel for the classic 4-bit/8-bit top-down style and can adapt to our art direction or even enrich it.
Animation Skills: You have experience with frame-by-frame animation and creating corresponding sprite sheets.
Structure and Organization: Your project files are well organized and your assets are cleanly exported, ensuring a smooth import into the engine.
Communication, Teamwork, and Ability to Take Criticism: So-called “soft skills” are highly valued by us. You are reflective, can articulate your thoughts well, and are open to and able to respond constructively to criticism.
Language: You have fluent German or English skills for day-to-day communication within the team.

Nice-to-have

Having skills or at least an interest in one or more of the following areas in addition to your Pixel Art skills will make your application even more compelling. The disciplines are listed in descending order of our current priorities:

Voxel Art: Creating sometimes animated voxel models for environmental objects and scenery
Art Direction: Designing, implementing, and maintaining the visual style of video games
Shaders: Creating vertex, fragment, post-processing, and other shaders, ideally in Godot
Godot: Importing and implementing 2D and 3D assets as sometimes animated 3D models or 2D sprites in the Godot game engine
Graphic Design: Creating visual elements for print and digital media (logos, banners, corporate designs, etc.)
Illustration: Creating concept art and promotional artwork for print and digital media
3D Art: Modeling, texturing, and shading 3D models

What we offer

An average of 28 hours per week
Flexible working hours through a core hours and flexitime model

Your Application

Professional experience, references, and résumés are not particularly important to us. Instead, we want to be convinced by a meaningful portfolio showcasing your skills. Please send your application to jobs@distantmeadows.com and make sure it includes work that demonstrates your suitability for Waters of Sal Naména. Ideally, you should include sprite sheets, tilesets, and animations, and highlight any relevant skills from our nice-to-have areas.

We normally respond fairly quickly. If you haven’t heard from us within a week, please contact us again via our contact form.