Illustrator & Paper Engineer (3D Papercraft Kits)

Pixyls Crafts Inc.

Remote, anywhere in the world

Full-time

USD $80,000-100,000 per year

About Pixyls

Pixyls makes premium craft kits for creative adults. Every design comes from a real, named artist. We don't use AI art, and our customers frame what they make. We sell across Canada, the US and internationally, and in stores like Indigo.

The role

We just built our first 3D layered paper canvas, and we want an artist to take it from one prototype to a whole product line. This is a pioneer role. You'll define what a Pixyls 3D papercraft kit is: how it looks, how it's built, how it ships flat, and how a customer turns it into a piece with real depth that's worth displaying.

You're an artist first. You draw beautifully, you think in layers and depth, and you can't help turning your art into things that stand up off the page.

What you'll do

• Illustrate original layered scenes, and adapt our artists' work into compositions with real depth (not flat cut-outs stacked on top of each other)
• Invent and develop our 3D papercraft kits from first sketch to factory: layered canvases, scenes, shadow boxes, pop-up and book-nook style builds and formats we haven't thought of yet
• Engineer the structure: layer stacks, spacers, tabs, slots, folds, scores and die cuts that are satisfying to build and hold up over time
• Print, cut and build prototypes at home, test them with real people, and refine until the build is clear and the result is beautiful
• Model kits in 3D to plan depth, light and assembly, and render previews for approval and marketing
• Integrate our sticker-by-number system so stickers and paper structure work together
• Prepare print-ready production files (dielines, kiss cuts, colour, foil, holographic and spot layers) and check proofs and factory samples
• Work with our manufacturers, mostly overseas, on materials, paper weights, tolerances and unit cost
• Write and illustrate clear assembly instructions
• Build the templates and file standards so the line can scale and other artists can design for it

What you bring

In order of importance:

1. A very strong illustrator or artist. Your portfolio is the first thing we'll look at. Vector illustration and a strong sense of colour, composition and depth.
2. Papercraft or paper engineering experience. Layered paper art, shadow boxes, pop-ups, paper models or structural packaging. Show us something you designed and built.
3. Architecture or product design experience. 3D modelling (Rhino, SketchUp, Blender, Fusion 360 or similar), physical prototyping, and designing things meant to be built.

Also:

• Your own prototyping setup at home: a colour printer and a cutting machine (Cricut, Silhouette, laser cutter or similar)
• Expert in Adobe Illustrator
• Print production knowledge: bleed and trim, paper stocks, die lines, special finishes
• Detail-oriented. You catch the 1mm error before it becomes 10,000 units
• Self-directed and comfortable owning a new product category end to end, working remotely
• A few hours of overlap with Toronto time (Eastern) for calls

Nice to have

• Experience with overseas manufacturers and factory samples
• Rendering or animation skills (Keyshot, Blender, Cinema 4D) for product visuals
• A love of crafting, miniatures, dioramas or anything you build with your hands

Why Pixyls

• You'll lead a brand new product line, not maintain an old one
• Work from anywhere in the world
• Your work goes from sketch to shelf in months, not years
• Small, fast team where your ideas get made
• A brand that values real artists, real materials and real craft