2D Art for Mobile Game

About the Project: I'm building a 2D clicker/idle mobile game where players descend into procedural generated mines, swing a pickaxe to break resource nodes, and upgrade their abilities in a roguelike loop. Think Clicker Heroes meets Terraria mining. The game is mobile-first (portrait). I'm looking for a 2D artist who can produce high-quality sprites and smooth animation. The core interaction is tapping to swing a pickaxe, so animation quality is the top priority. What I Need: - Character art & animation: A stylized miner character with idle, mining/swinging, celebration (when a resource breaks), and exhausted/defeated (when the pickaxe breaks) animations. The character never walks or moves, they stand in place. Expressiveness is important. I want personality and emotion in every state. - Pickaxe: Swing animation synced to the character and a broken state. The swing is the core animation of the game. - Resource nodes: Several types of ore/mineral nodes (stone, iron, gold, diamond, titanium, etc.). Each needs an idle state, progressive damage stages, and a break/shatter animation. The break needs to feel satisfying — pieces slowly chip and fly off until it crumbles completely. Small icon versions for UI use. Visually distinct from each other. - Mega resource nodes: A few larger, rarer variants that stand out visually. Same destruction concept but more dramatic. - Minimal UI & effects: The screen is character, one resource node at a time, and a simple depth gauge. Plus small resource icons for collected ore and particle effects for hits, critical strikes, and break moments. Along with HUD and upgrade icons. Art Style & Quality: High-quality 2D sprite art — clean, detailed, and readable on mobile screens. Smooth animation is the priority. The swing needs to look great and the resource destruction needs to feel satisfying. I'd rather have fewer assets done beautifully than many assets done quickly. Deliverables: PNG sprites or sprite sheets, clean layer separation, consistent scale and style, source files (PSD, Aseprite, or layered project files), organized folder structure. How This Works: This is an hourly contract where I request art as needed based on player feedback and game development progress. You'll get batches of requests over time as features are prioritized. Strong potential for ongoing work.