3D Character Artist Needed to Build Existing Preschool Character in Blender

PROJECT OVERVIEW I am developing an original preschool animated character named Mabbo for a children's entertainment/educational brand. Mabbo's character design is already complete and locked. I am not looking for character design or concept development. I need an experienced 3D character artist who can faithfully translate my existing 2D character reference into a professional 3D model in Blender. This posting is for Phase 1 only: a paid 3D modeling test. PHASE 1 BUDGET: $250 FIXED PRICE The purpose of this first phase is to determine whether we are a good creative and technical fit before moving into additional paid phases involving final production modeling, texturing, rigging, facial controls, animation preparation and potentially ongoing episode production. PHASE 1 SCOPE Using the supplied Mabbo reference artwork, create a clean 3D representation of the character that accurately matches his established: • proportions • silhouette • head and facial structure • body shape • hands and feet • ears • tail • colors and major visual characteristics Mabbo's existing appearance should not be redesigned, reinterpreted or substantially changed. The goal is to reproduce the approved character faithfully in 3D. For this first phase, I do not require a finished production rig, facial rig or completed animation. PHASE 1 DELIVERABLES • 3D Mabbo character model created in Blender • Front-view render • 3/4-front render • Side-view render • Back-view render • Simple neutral standing pose • Blender source file (.blend) • Any supporting texture/image files used in the project The model should be constructed with future animation and rigging in mind. Clean topology suitable for later character deformation is strongly preferred. IMPORTANT I will provide existing character reference materials. These are the authoritative design reference. Please do not use generative AI to redesign or reinterpret the character. Minor technical adjustments required to translate a 2D design into functional 3D geometry can be discussed with me before implementation. The selected artist must be willing to provide editable source files. I need to be able to continue development of the character with this artist or another artist in the future. The commissioned Mabbo-specific work and deliverables are intended for my commercial production and must not be resold, redistributed, reused as another character, or added to stock-asset libraries. IDEAL EXPERIENCE I am especially interested in artists with experience creating: • stylized 3D characters • children's/preschool animation characters • animation-ready topology • Blender character models • expressive non-human or creature characters Experience with rigging and facial animation is a strong advantage because successful completion of Phase 1 may lead directly to Phase 2. POTENTIAL FUTURE PHASES If Phase 1 is successful, additional paid work may include: • production-quality model refinement • UVs and textures/materials • full body rig • facial rig and mouth shapes • eye controls • hand controls • tail rig • expression library • reusable animation library • additional characters • recurring animation work WHEN APPLYING Please include examples of your best stylized 3D character work, particularly characters created for animation. Please also answer: Do you primarily work in Blender? Have you created characters that were later rigged and animated? Will you provide the editable Blender source file? Are you comfortable matching an existing character design closely rather than redesigning it? If Phase 1 is successful, are you interested in additional modeling/rigging/animation work? Please begin your proposal with the word MABBO so I know you read the full description.