Foliage Artist Jobs – Daily Curated Game Art Jobs | ArtBlast
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Foliage Artist Jobs
Find the latest foliage and vegetation artist jobs from top game studios. Trees, plants, grass, and natural environment art. Get curated opportunities delivered to your inbox every morning.
What you can expect to earn as a foliage or vegetation artist in the game industry.
Junior Foliage Artist
$48K – $65K
Mid-Level Foliage Artist
$65K – $88K
Senior Foliage Artist
$85K – $115K
Lead Vegetation Artist
$110K – $140K
*US market data. Open-world studios with large outdoor environments hire the most foliage artists and pay well for the specialization.
Skills Employers Look For
What studios expect from foliage and vegetation artist candidates.
🖥️ Software
SpeedTree
Maya or 3ds Max
Substance Painter and Designer
Houdini (procedural foliage)
Photoshop (leaf card creation)
🎯 Technical Skills
Alpha card and billboard creation
Wind simulation and vertex painting
LOD for dense foliage systems
Tiling bark and leaf materials
Draw call and instancing optimization
🎮 Engine Knowledge
Unreal Engine foliage tool
Landscape painting with foliage
Procedural spawning systems
Wind direction and WPO shaders
HLOD for large outdoor scenes
💡 What Gets You Hired
Reference-accurate plant anatomy
Density without performance cost
Portfolio showing full biomes
Night and day lighting on vegetation
Stylized and realistic range
Foliage Artist Jobs FAQ
What does a foliage artist do in games?
Foliage artists create trees, plants, grass, shrubs, and other natural vegetation assets for game environments. They work with SpeedTree for procedural tree generation, hand-model ground cover, and ensure all vegetation performs efficiently in the game engine without exceeding polygon or draw call budgets.
What tools do foliage artists use?
SpeedTree is the primary tool for trees and large plants. Maya or 3ds Max for hand-modeled plants and ground cover. Substance Designer for tiling leaf and bark materials. Unreal Engine foliage and landscape tools for in-engine placement, wind simulation, and WPO shaders.
What is the average foliage artist salary?
In the US: Junior Foliage Artists earn $48K-$65K, Mid-Level $65K-$88K, Senior $85K-$115K, and Lead positions $110K-$140K. Open-world studios with large outdoor environments hire the most foliage artists and tend to pay well for the specialization.
Is foliage artist a standalone job or part of environment art?
At large open-world studios, foliage artist is a dedicated specialization. At smaller studios, it is typically folded into the environment artist role. Job listings may appear under foliage artist, vegetation artist, or environment artist with a vegetation focus.
Do I need to know SpeedTree to get a foliage artist job?
For most dedicated foliage roles at mid to large studios, yes. SpeedTree is the industry standard for game-ready tree creation. Some studios use procedural Houdini workflows instead, but SpeedTree proficiency is the most commonly listed requirement for this specialization.
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