I am a passionate and skilled artist/animator with over 10 years of experience in 2D art and animation production. From creating and animating game-ready characters and assets to overseeing art direction and project schedules, I've touched every stage of the pipeline. I'm a seasoned character designer, a capable 2D VFX generalist, and a Spine 2D expert. I thrive in collaborative teams, bridging art and engineering to deliver expressive visuals on tight timelines. I love solving creative problems, mentoring artists, and ensuring assets are optimized for smooth integration in Unity and other engines.…

Zachary Urtes

I am a passionate and skilled artist/animator with over 10 years of experience in 2D art and animation production. From creating and animating game-ready characters and assets to overseeing art direction and project schedules, I've touched every stage of the pipeline. I'm a seasoned character designer, a capable 2D VFX generalist, and a Spine 2D expert. I thrive in collaborative teams, bridging art and engineering to deliver expressive visuals on tight timelines. I love solving creative problems, mentoring artists, and ensuring assets are optimized for smooth integration in Unity and other engines.…

Available to hire

I am a passionate and skilled artist/animator with over 10 years of experience in 2D art and animation production. From creating and animating game-ready characters and assets to overseeing art direction and project schedules, I’ve touched every stage of the pipeline. I’m a seasoned character designer, a capable 2D VFX generalist, and a Spine 2D expert.

I thrive in collaborative teams, bridging art and engineering to deliver expressive visuals on tight timelines. I love solving creative problems, mentoring artists, and ensuring assets are optimized for smooth integration in Unity and other engines.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Lead Artist at All Out Games
April 1, 2025 - Present
Managed creative projects at a leadership level. Created concepts, assets, and VFX animations. Directed a team of artists on a strict schedule.
Lead Artist at Double Jump Games
January 1, 2025 - September 23, 2025
Managed a team of artists in visual direction. Kept art production on many creative projects on schedule. Fixed problems and worked with programmers on integration.
2D Artist/2D Animator at Double Jump Games
January 1, 2023 - September 23, 2025
Created 2D assets for game environments and character designs. Built complex rig-based animation for game characters, assets, and VFX. Worked with developers to create rigs and assets that are optimized and easy to integrate.
Freelance 2D Artist/2D Animator at Shiny Box Interactive
January 1, 2021 - September 23, 2025
Created character designs for mobile game projects. Finalized sketches into game-ready assets to plug into Unity. Used the Unity animator to produce expressive animation sequences for characters.
Art Contractor at Fearsome Critters (Board Game)
January 1, 2019 - September 23, 2025
Created all the characters, cards, tokens, and layouts for the board game. Designed the box art.
2D Artist/2D Animator at Beo String Quartet
January 1, 2018 - September 23, 2025
Created two short films meant to go along with Beo's music.
Primary 2D Artist/2D Animator at Batterystaple Games
January 1, 2018 - September 23, 2025
Primary artist and animator for all characters, enemies, props, and environments for 20XX. Showed the game at six indie showcases at PAX.

Education

Bachelor of Arts: Illustration at Maryland Institute, College of Art
January 11, 2030 - May 1, 2012

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Software & Internet
    paper Beo String Quartet

    Did a series of short-films for the music of the Beo String Quartet based in Pittsburgh PA. Short films can be viewed on my professional website