Profile
Versatile Technical Art Director with over 25 years of experience bridging the gap between cutting-edge visual ambition and technical execution. A veteran leader who has scaled technical art departments at world-class studios, including Microsoft (Lionhead) and Electronic Arts (Criterion), while delivering high-profile titles across AAA console, mobile, and XR platforms. Passionate about AI-driven workflows, real-time graphics, and empowering creative teams to achieve more.
Professional Experience
Technical Art Director
Artistico (Remote)
- Rapidly conceptualising and developing high-fidelity game prototypes and technical pitches to secure stakeholder buy-in and define project vision.
Interactive Science Exhibit — Museum of Science, Saudi Arabia
- Led art and tech direction in partnership with a Lead Programmer, from concept to on-site deployment on 52" museum displays.
- Designed the visual system for the periodic table and element-merging into compounds; authored custom shaders, meshes, and VFX.
- Set performance targets and budgets; profiled & optimised assets/effects for smooth, reliable kiosk uptime.
Principal Technical Artist / Head of Art
XR Workout (Remote)
- AI-driven tool development, automating Skydome environment generation from prompts and reference images.
- Led the creation of VR assets, including new animations and VFX, improving visual quality and user engagement.
- Developed and optimised Unity Editor tools for streamlined content production workflows.
- Adapted existing code for the new Cue system, ensuring seamless integration and improved performance.
Technical Art Director
FitXR (Remote)
- Created 3-year (3YP) and 1-year (1YP) strategic plans for the Technical Art department.
- Established animation pipelines and developed art roadmaps.
- Developed VFX and shaders across multiple projects; led VR avatar and dynamic environment research.
- Built, led, and hired for a team of technical artists and VFX artists.
- Engaged in POC discussions with Unity on VR roadmaps and technical graphics requirements.
- Drove optimisation and performance profiling; collaborated with Creative Director on art direction.
Senior Technical Artist
Immerse VR (Remote)
- Upgraded projects to Unity Universal Render Pipeline (URP), Vulkan, and post-processing for Quest.
- Created VFX, custom Ubershaders, and transition systems for objects and scenes.
- Profiled and optimised performance for Facebook and Nespresso projects.
Head of Technical Art & VFX
Rossie Reality (Remote)
- Responsible for pipelines and workflows to create high-quality short films using Unity HDRP.
- Developed Ubershaders, tools, documentation, and training videos.
- Created FX, shaders, and pipelines for AR games including intros and transition effects.
- Built Unity, Photoshop, and Maya tools; profiled and optimised for mobile devices.
Senior TA & Interim Technical Art Director
Microsoft (Lionhead Studios), UK
- Developed a profiling tool to launch games, capture CSV performance data from Xbox (frames, threads, GPU, draw calls), display interactive graphs, and send console commands.
- Led and mentored Technical Artists; led LOD pipeline from Maya to Unreal via Simplygon.
- Trained artists on PBR shading; created plugins for Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Unreal to automate repetitive tasks.
- Drove master material (Ubershader) creation for environment and character teams (parallax windows, rock, metal, terrain, moss, water, eye, FX shaders).
- Collaborated with Art, Engineering, and Production for Fable Legends to ensure pipelines met visual targets.
- Drafted documentation on tools, methods, training, processes, and engine constraints.
Senior Technical Artist
Electronic Arts (Criterion), UK
- Built a Maya–QT interface to control in-game debug settings in real time (time of day, DOF, exposure, car damage).
- Developed tools for cinematic artists to capture races, edit in Maya, and export back to the game engine.
- Created and rendered shots for Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Need for Speed Rivals trailers.
- Established naming conventions, structure, and workflows for cinematic artists.
Earlier Career
Head of Technical Art
SpatialFlow (Remote)
Feb 2018 – Aug 2018
Designed tools for a digital car instrument cluster in Unreal 4; created blueprints, master materials, 3D content and shaders for AR/VR; designed UI for simulator.
Senior TA / Lead VFX Artist
FoxCub Games (Remote)
Dec 2016 – Feb 2018
Led 3D environment art, lighting and VFX for all game themes; developed Maya export tools; profiled and optimised GPU performance across platforms.
Creative Director & 3D Artist
Freelance
Jun 2016 – Dec 2016
Photorealistic 3D illustration for a book cover (Digital Archaeology, London); designed main UI for a mobile drone app (Hotgen Ltd, London).
Contract Artist
DigiFarm (Remote)
Apr 2020
Created realistic Glensaugh forest terrain for a VR project in Unreal 4 — terrain, foliage, paths, custom Sycamore tree, and lighting.
Lead Artist / Technical Artist
Ensign Games (Remote), Spain
Jan 2011 – Apr 2012
Modelled and rigged ultra-realistic characters; created skin/hair shaders; built character customisation tool in Unity.
Freelance Engine Developer
Personal Project, Spain
Dec 2009 – Jan 2011
Developed a component-based game engine in C#/HLSL/XNA; implemented GPU terrain, skydome, animation, deferred rendering; built a Maya client/server tool in C#.
Lead Artist
Large Design – Story Worldwide, London
Sep 2007 – Dec 2009
Led art team for Virtual Greyhound Racing and Virtual Horse Racing; managed contractors; produced a C++/Gamebryo prototype.
Senior Technical Artist
Deep Red Games, Milton Keynes
Sep 2004 – Mar 2007
MEL scripts for animators; art pipeline for Hotel Manager; modelled New York landscapes for Tycoon City: NY; automated UV/LOD/shadow tools.
3D Artist
Free Radical Design, Nottingham
Jul 2002 – Feb 2004
Multiplayer levels for Timesplitters 3; environment art for Second Sight (Russia, Pipeline levels); MEL scripts for team workflow.
Senior Artist
Triplane Animation, Barcelona
Nov 2000 – Jun 2001
Modelled, textured, lit and rendered TV backgrounds for Juanito Jones series using 3ds Max, Lightwave, and Photoshop.