Character Illustrator for a Premium App Character (“Debbi”) — Layered, Rig-Ready

The project We’re building a warm, trustworthy Hebrew-language parenting app. We need a single recurring character — “Debbi” — illustrated to a high, polished standard and delivered as a layered, rig-ready asset that can be animated later in either Rive or Live2D (we haven’t finalized which — your artwork must serve both). This is the face of the product and an ongoing brand character, so quality and a sense of calm authority matter far more than speed or price. We already have reference renders of Debbi (a stylized 3D look) that define her identity. We are commissioning a proper 2D, layered, animation-ready version of that character. Reference materials (attached) Please review these before quoting — they define the work precisely: • Debbi identity renders (07_neutral.png, 06_happy.png, 19_concerned.png, 08_talking.png) — these show exactly how Debbi should look: hair, face, build, clothing, and the emotional range she needs. Important: these are existing 3D renders, used only as an identity reference. We are not asking you to cut them up or trace over them. We’re asking you to recreate Debbi faithfully as original 2D, layered artwork built to the spec below. Stay true to her look; rebuild her properly for rigging. • Layer-breakdown diagram (debbi_layer_diagram.png) — a schematic showing how the single master should separate into named layers, and the critical rule that full artwork must exist behind every moving part (no holes under the mouth/brows). Your delivery should follow this structure. • Color values are listed under “Visual identity” below (hair, shirt, trousers, eyes, UI accent) — match them. Who Debbi is (character brief) • A warm but credible, trustworthy “older-sister / mentor” figure — the kind of person a parent instinctively feels they can rely on. Calm, grounded, emotionally intelligent. • Important tone: she is not a playful game mascot and not a childish cartoon. Think closer to a warm, premium, believable character than to a bouncy learning-app mascot. Parents must take her seriously. • A stylized, non-realistic illustrated human — polished and appealing, with genuine emotional presence in the face. • Distinct and original (not resembling any real, specific person). • Mood: warmth, safety, competence, trust. The brand centers on a gentle “nest / nurture” theme. Visual identity (match the attached renders) • Hair: warm auburn/orange (~#E9873F), short and tousled. • Eyes: blue. • Shirt: soft off-white / cream (~#F9F6F4), button-up. • Trousers: deep navy (~#2A355A). Shoes: warm off-white (~#F9F4F1). • Our UI accent is a dusty blue-teal (#6E97A3), used in the interface — not on her clothing. • The attached renders are the source of truth for her look — stay faithful to them. What we need delivered — the important part This character will be rigged and animated later (in Rive or Live2D), so a flat, single-image illustration is not what we need. We need one master character, drawn once, in fully separated layers — a single “puppet,” not many finished expressions. One layered master file (PSD, preferred — or layered SVG), with clearly named layers: • Face/head base — complete, including full skin drawn underneath everything that moves (so when the mouth or brows move, there’s real face behind them — no holes). • A clean face base with no mouth and no eyebrows, as the underlying layer the movable parts sit on top of. • Eyes: eye-white + separate pupil/iris (to move/look around) + separate eyelid (for blinking), drawn full behind the lid. • Eyebrows: left and right, each a separate, complete shape (they rotate and shift — not redrawn per expression). • Mouth: a small set of separate mouth shapes on transparent background — at minimum closed / slightly-open / open / smile / sad / “O” (approx. 4-6 shapes). Each is just the mouth, transparent around it, all at the same scale, angle, and anchor position so they swap cleanly. • Body + arms separated (ideally upper/lower arm) for gestures. • Hair front and back where it overlaps. Consistency is critical All parts must share the same scale, camera angle, color values, and anchor/pivot positions, so they layer onto the base perfectly without shifting. Please work on a fixed alignment grid. Also deliver • A clean front-facing master pose + a short style/consistency sheet. • Vector where possible (scales cleanly on all screens); transparent backgrounds; no baked-in shadows that break when parts move. • Layers/groups named (eyes, pupil_L, lid_L, brow_L, mouth_closed, mouth_open, arm_R, hair_front, …). If you’ve prepared character art specifically for Rive, Live2D, Spine, or After Effects rigging before, that’s exactly the experience we’re looking for – mention it. To include in your proposal • Portfolio – especially layered character art delivered for animation/rigging (not just flat illustrations). • Whether you deliver PSD or layered SVG, and how you name/organize layers. • Your experience preparing art for Rive and/or Live2D specifically. • How you’d handle the hidden areas (full face under the mouth/brows) so rigging doesn’t reveal gaps. • Timeline and price for one layered master character (base + no-mouth/no-brow base + eyes/pupils/lids + brows + 4-6 mouth shapes + separated arms + hair). Note any recommended extra part-variants (e.g. a wide-open “laughing” eye) and their cost. • One question you’d ask us about Debbi – we want a collaborator who thinks about the character. Scope note We want one high-quality layered master, faithful to our existing references, that a rigger can bring to life in Rive or Live2D. We value emotional presence and craft; this is a long-term brand character with ongoing work if the first delivery is excellent.