Lindsay Ruiz
Los Angeles,CA
Summary
I am a Visual Effects Artist specializing in creating real-time effects for AAA games. I'm friendly, easy to work with, welcome feedback, love collaboration, and thrive on tackling the creative and technical challenges that come with game development.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior VFX Artist - Unannounced R&D Project
Riot Games
09.2023 - Current
- Created VFX that focus on clarity and effective design communication in order to support the goal of establishing satisfying core gameplay
- Built a VFX library of commonly used gameplay effects containing dynamic parameters for shape, color, scale, timing, etc. in order to give designers highly reusable assets for setting up new weapons and abilities
- Adapted to quick pivots with flexibility and creative solutions
- Frequently playtested the game with teammates in order to assess work in gameplay context, get player feedback, and incorporate changes to make better VFX
Lead VFX Artist - Unannounced R&D Project
Riot Games
02.2022 - 09.2023
- Coordinated with the tech art team and fellow VFX artists to create the VFX pipeline for the project; including setting up foundational practices like naming conventions, folder structure, and material guidelines
- Authored highly reusable assets for our global texture library
- Established a style guide with various art pillars in order to keep the VFX art direction consistent
- Set guidelines for asset fidelity goals that aligned with the current state of the project (for example, focusing on gameplay readability in pre-production vs. finalized art)
- Managed ICs on the team by providing craft feedback and supporting reports with their goals
Lead VFX Artist - League of Legends
Riot Games
05.2020 - 11.2021
- Provided craft feedback to VFX artists across the League of Legends team
- Worked with the engineering team to implement new features, tools, and quality of life changes for our particle editor
- Managed the VFX schedule for the year by determining scope, mitigating risks, and where to place our artists on each project
- Hired new members of the team by assessing their craft, soft skills, and career values
- Managed six reports by meeting with them weekly to help address challenges, provide feedback, coach them on soft skills, and help put them in the position to grow in the career path of their choosing
- Conducted yearly reviews to assess the competency level of each artist on the team
- Determined ways to alleviate challenges in the product pipeline so artists can focus on creating their best work
- Supported the team by contributing as an IC as needed
Senior VFX Artist - League of Legends
Riot Games
05.2019 - 05.2020
- Authoring VFX on the Champions team that balance exciting visuals, clear communication of gameplay, and adhering to League’s unique visual style
- Soliciting feedback from fellow artists to ensure readability, consistency, and craft quality
- Mentoring fellow artists to help increase their knowledge of Champions production and level up their craft
- Finding multiple solutions to VFX related issues during production to ensure we have viable options as well as back up plans if necessary
- Collaborating with other disciplines to incorporate our best ideas, foster teamwork, and ensure that all relevant stakeholders are aligned with our goals
- Actively seeking ways to improve VFX documentation and tools development to provide positive contributions to the team as a whole
Senior VFX Artist - Destiny 1 and 2
Bungie
06.2015 - 05.2019
- Worked with various teams to provide VFX for combatants, weapons, player abilities, vehicles, and environments
- Managed several employees by providing guidance towards career goals, craft mentorship, and helping to resolve issues as needed
- Spearheaded VFX pre-production for an unannounced project
- Worked with various discipline leads across the studio to determine a plan to retrofit legacy VFX content with new assets and revised tech
- Worked with engineer and tech art stakeholders to identify and prioritize new VFX techniques to integrate into our workflow
VFX Artist (Contract) - Halo 5
Insight Global
10.2014 - 06.2015
- Created real-time environment and cinematic VFX
- Worked with colleagues across multiple disciplines to create assets for campaign missions
- Managed the VFX task list across multiple missions by providing time estimates and working to meet given deadlines
- Delegated tasks to fellow VFX Artists and provided direction to meet our visual bar and maintain consistency throughout the environment
VFX Artist - Multiple Projects
FXVille (VFX Outsourcing Studio)
11.2010 - 10.2014
- Worked with developers both on-site and remotely in order to deliver high-quality effects assets in a timely and professional manner
- Managed small teams of artists by providing direction and art feedback to suit the needs of our clients
- Quickly adapted to learning both industry standard and proprietary game engines per project as needed
Education
Associate of Applied Science - Multimedia
ITT Technical Institute
Seattle, WA06-2008
Digital Painting / Concept Art
FuturePoly
Redmond, WA06-2011
Skills
- Unreal Engine 5
- Maya
- 3D Studio Max
- Photoshop
- Color theory
- Texture painting
- Animation principles
- Procedural effects
- Visual storytelling
- Excellent communication
- Team collaboration
- Creative thinking
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Self motivation
- Time management abilities
- Problem-solving aptitude
Affiliations
- Visual Effects Society Member, March 2018 - Present
Timeline
Senior VFX Artist - Unannounced R&D Project
Riot Games
09.2023 - Current
Lead VFX Artist - Unannounced R&D Project
Riot Games
02.2022 - 09.2023
Lead VFX Artist - League of Legends
Riot Games
05.2020 - 11.2021
Senior VFX Artist - League of Legends
Riot Games
05.2019 - 05.2020
Senior VFX Artist - Destiny 1 and 2
Bungie
06.2015 - 05.2019
VFX Artist (Contract) - Halo 5
Insight Global
10.2014 - 06.2015
VFX Artist - Multiple Projects
FXVille (VFX Outsourcing Studio)
11.2010 - 10.2014
Associate of Applied Science - Multimedia
ITT Technical Institute
Digital Painting / Concept Art
FuturePoly
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