Volunteer 2D Art Generalist

Headsup! * You MUST use the Discord Communications App! * Everyone here is an UNPAID volunteer. Even the owner; But we *do* intend to form future careers out of this, and hope that you'll be a part of it! - We're using a revenue-share crowdfunding model until salaries are made possible. * As part of Onboarding, there is a NON-invasive Freelancer Contract, it simply states that you are a volunteer freelancer, and this studio must absolutely credit you for your efforts, even if you leave. - It is not binding/expecting you to stay for any set timeframe, and we do not intend to take any legal actions against our staff, at all--- unless you go and do something genuinely awful and stamp our brand on it for some reason. * Full Company description is at the BOTTOM of this Job Posting! If you cannot apply through LinkedIn, Submit your Portfolio/CV directly in an email to careers@haiground.com! -- Project Description This particular project is a story-driven game titled "Fateblade", currently developed in Unity 6.3 URP; A Hybrid First Person/Third Person Looter Shooter, inspired by games like Destiny, Warframe and Titanfall. The Genre is Mythic Sci-Fi (Futuristic Fantasy), set in a fictional world. This Project currently aims for a Stylized, Hi-Definition Art Style. -- Project State: The game has a 2-minute Demo Stage already built with Polished Assets, Placeholders, Rough Gameplay Functionality and Playability. The main Fun-factor is already there. Narrative Developments and Changes are still ongoing, Social Media postings have already begun, ads will run when we solidify more about the project, its story, and the ways we intend to approach our audiences. -- Role Description This is a remote role posting for a Volunteer 2D Art Generalist. Side note: Experience in Game Development is preferred, but not required. - Even personal projects count. You’ll be responsible for a wide variety of 2D assets, including Concept Art, Character/Prop Designs, Environment Illustrations, and UI Elements. You’ll collaborate closely with the Founder, and the 3D team to ensure your designs are capturing the vision and tone, within-scope, and made ready for translation into the 3D space, or to be used directly as 2D assets in the game's UI. -- Tasks & Distribution Tasks will be offered and given during—AND outside of—meetings; Keep in mind that these tasks will NOT be given in bulk, unless requested by you. Your tasks and responsibilities MAY include: • Giving constructive feedback. If you feel like something is being done wrong, and have a solution in mind, do not hesitate to tell us. • Staying in close communication with the Founder/Art Director to capture the game's stylistic goals. • Creating turnaround sheets for characters, bosses, and weapons to guide the 3D team. • Concepting 2D Environments, Props & Assets and providing to be recreated in 3D. - In some cases, you may be given a basic 3D level graybox screenshot to sketch over. • Working with the Art Director in Sketching/Painting mood pieces, storyboards, matte paintings, or texture overlays to define the Stylized High-Definition look of our in-game assets. • Illustrating Menu Elements, Icons, GUI/HUD elements like Quest Trackers, Notifications, Ability Icons, Screen Effect Overlays, Indicators, and in-game interaction prompts. • Creating hand-painted textures or decals for use on 3D models and modular structures. • Sketching, Shaping, Painting & Rendering high-quality illustrations for social media, including ads, and the game’s visual establishment. Things like Poster Art and Cover Art assets for Steam are also included. • You'll be required to provide rough drafts of iterations & ideations, as well as showing constant progress updates on larger projects to avoid any grand-reveals or major revisions. • Aligning 2D assets to technical pipeline needs (e.g., Assisting in 2D VFX, HUD & UI Icons, ). • Joining meetings: Hanging out, brainstorming narrative visuals, and giving/receiving feedback. - At least 1-2 meetings per week is required unless you've notified us of your unavailability. -- Qualifications No use of GenAI in any final product or placeholder. - Use for ideation purposes at most. • Be Respectful, and eager to Learn. (Or to Teach, if you're up for it!) • Proficiency in Digital Illustration tools such as Adobe Photoshop, Clip Studio Paint, or Krita. • Strong understanding of Art Fundamentals: Composition, color theory, lighting, and anatomy. • Ability to adapt to our Stylized High Definition aesthetic—blending realistic grit with an artsy flair. • A passion for sketching multiple rough ideas before settling on a final polished design. • Ability to take a 3D block-out and paint over it to help the team visualize the final scene. • Keeping layers and files clean so other team members can easily navigate your source files. • Examples of Artwork in form of a Portfolio, Social Uploads or Previously Credited Works. - At least ONE of these examples are required. Your application cannot be considered without it. Bonus: Experience with Story Animation is a huge plus. Company Description Haiground Games is a completely remote Development Studio dedicated to creating Artsy, Story-driven Action Games. Sort of just trying to make a dream happen. Our active roster of contributors, currently: * Bijon (Founder/Lead/All Roles), * Yusuf (Narrative Designer), * Mika (Jr. Programmer), * Madhumita (Jr. 2D Generalist) * Nicko (Jr. 3D Generalist) * Santiago (3D Generalist) * Xinlin (Technical Animator) Our goal is to bring back the fun of video games, with fun mysteries and key-combination "cheat-code inputs" that trigger silly interactions and such, while also taking our game(s) and world(s) very seriously when necessary. -- Hard hitting stories paired with classic videogame fun. The studio takes pride in blending innovative artistic approaches with narrative depth, and values collaboration over all else. Joining Haiground Games means contributing to a genuinely passionate and forward-thinking team who truly puts their faith in all the projects they develop together. -- The Overall Work Culture Is cordial and non-demanding - We spend time connecting personally after meetings, and we try to occasionally play videogames together. I, as the founder, don't issue out hard deadlines unless requested by the person doing the task. We meet on Discord Voice Calls around 2-4 times per week at 6pm EST on the following days: Monday, Wednesday and Friday (+Occasionally Sunday!) -- Thank you for your consideration in working remotely at Haiground Games.