I am a dedicated 3D animator and game artist with a passion for crafting engaging character animations and detailed 3D inorganic models. I specialize in creating lifelike movements through keyframe animation, mocap cleanup, and rapid prototyping, all while collaborating closely with cross-disciplinary teams to bring immersive game experiences to life. I take pride in mentoring peers and contributing to team growth with a strong artistic vision and technical skills. Having honed my expertise in tools like Maya, Cascadeur, MotionBuilder, and Unreal Engine 5, I enjoy balancing creativity and optimization to meet project demands. My experience spans from animating enemy characters in stealth-based games to developing complex models and textures, always ensuring consistency with gameplay mechanics and visual style. I love storytelling through animation and advancing my skills in concept art and illustration alongside 3D work.…

Nathaniel P. Dawson

I am a dedicated 3D animator and game artist with a passion for crafting engaging character animations and detailed 3D inorganic models. I specialize in creating lifelike movements through keyframe animation, mocap cleanup, and rapid prototyping, all while collaborating closely with cross-disciplinary teams to bring immersive game experiences to life. I take pride in mentoring peers and contributing to team growth with a strong artistic vision and technical skills. Having honed my expertise in tools like Maya, Cascadeur, MotionBuilder, and Unreal Engine 5, I enjoy balancing creativity and optimization to meet project demands. My experience spans from animating enemy characters in stealth-based games to developing complex models and textures, always ensuring consistency with gameplay mechanics and visual style. I love storytelling through animation and advancing my skills in concept art and illustration alongside 3D work.…

Available to hire

I am a dedicated 3D animator and game artist with a passion for crafting engaging character animations and detailed 3D inorganic models. I specialize in creating lifelike movements through keyframe animation, mocap cleanup, and rapid prototyping, all while collaborating closely with cross-disciplinary teams to bring immersive game experiences to life. I take pride in mentoring peers and contributing to team growth with a strong artistic vision and technical skills.

Having honed my expertise in tools like Maya, Cascadeur, MotionBuilder, and Unreal Engine 5, I enjoy balancing creativity and optimization to meet project demands. My experience spans from animating enemy characters in stealth-based games to developing complex models and textures, always ensuring consistency with gameplay mechanics and visual style. I love storytelling through animation and advancing my skills in concept art and illustration alongside 3D work.

See more

Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

3D Animator at Senior Studio
May 31, 2025 - July 17, 2025
Animated each enemy character in Shrouded Ascent, a stealth-based escape game set in a medieval gothic dungeon. Collaborated with team lead, programmers, and modelers on the creative vision of desired character movements. Delivered animation for over a dozen assets, including knights and guards, on schedule and aligned with artistic direction and gameplay requirements. Refined and polished character movements based on internal reviews and playtest feedback. Shared knowledge, mentored other animators, and supported team growth. Created keyframe animation and rapid prototyping using Maya and Cascadeur and executed mocap cleanup with MotionBuilder. Developed organic and hard surface models through the complete pipeline and produced detailed models with high-poly sculpting, UV unwrapping, and PBR texture creation using Substance Painter and Photoshop. Ensured assets adhered to visual style, animation needs, and technical requirements, with a good understanding of lighting, scripting basics
3D Animator at Senior Studio
May 1, 2025 - August 7, 2025
Animated enemy characters for Shrouded Ascent, a stealth-based escape game set in a medieval gothic dungeon. Collaborated with team members including team lead, programmers, and modelers to align on creative vision for character movements. Delivered animations for over a dozen assets including knights and guards, meeting artistic direction and gameplay requirements. Refined and polished animations based on internal reviews and playtest feedback. Shared knowledge and mentored other animators to support team growth. Created keyframe animations, mocap cleanup, and rapid prototyping using Maya, Cascadeur, and MotionBuilder. Developed organic and hard surface models with accompanying PBR textures using Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Photoshop. Ensured consistency of animation with gameplay mechanics and visual style, and worked with Unreal Engine 5 for asset integration.

Education

Bachelor of Fine Arts at Shawnee State University
January 1, 2021 - May 31, 2025
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game & Simulation Arts at Shawnee State University
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2025

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Software & Internet