Lee has worked in the video game industry for nearly thirty years in many different art, creative, and leadership roles. Lee has been an artist, Art Director, and Game Director. Most recently Lee worked at Double Fine Productions, where he was an Art Director and Game Director on many award winning games, such as Brütal Legend, Broken Age, Grim Fandango Remastered, Keeper, RAD, Headlander, and Stacking.
Lee also does freelance illustration and design, working with a variety of clients on key art, album illustration, and branding.
Lee regularly speaks at schools and conferences around the world on topics such as pitching, art, and creative direction.
Selected Awards and Honors
Member of the Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) Advisory Board, Visual Arts (ongoing)
BAFTA 2026, presenter for Technical Achievement Award
DICE 2026, presenter for best Art Direction & Animation Awards
Game Maker's Sketchbook, Official Selection 2026, Keeper Environment Concept Art
Game Informer, Best Art Direction 2025, Keeper
Eurogamer, 50 Best Games of 2025, Keeper
NYX Game Awards 2025, Best Art Direction & Best Animation, Keeper
NVGTR Awards 2025, Best Art Direction, Fantasy, Keeper
Konsoll 2023, speaker, My Manifeto
EGM Game of the year, 2021, Psychonauts 2
Konsoll 2020, speaker, Inviting Happy Accidents Into Your Conceptual Art Process
Stanford University, guest lecturer, 2018, Elements of Art Direction
3D World February 2017, Cover Illustration, interview on VR art creation in Medium
NVGTR Awards 2015, Best Original Adventure Game, Broken Age
Konsoll 2014, Speaker, Transparency in Broken Age
Smithsonian Exhibit, the Art of Video Games, 2012, Brütal Legend
Game Developer Magazine, 2012, Stacking Post-Mortem & cover illustration
Game Developer's Conference, 2012, speaker, Creative Panic: How Ability Turned Terror Into Triumph
How to Create Fantasy Art for Video Games, 2011, illustrations
Aggie Awards, Best Concept, 2011, Stacking
NVGTR game Awards 2011, Best Character Design, Stacking
G4 TV Downloadable Game of the Year 2011, Stacking
Game City Nights 2011, Guest Speaker
G4 TV Best Art Direction of the Year, 2009, Brütal Legend
Game Developer Magazine Top 50, 2009, Art Direction
Game Career Guide, 2009, Top 10 Tips for Artists
Game Developer’s Conference 2009, speaker, The Brutal Art of Brütal Legend
Game Developer’s Conference 2003, speaker, Art Director’s Panel
Game Developer’s Conference 2002, speaker, Art Director’s Panel
Game Design: Secrets of the Sages, 4th edition, 2002, art production of Superman
Contact me: lpetty@gmail.com