Character/Mascot Illustrator for Dog Training App — Rive-Ready Artwork

The Role We're building K9 Genius, a consumer dog training app, and we need a talented character illustrator to create a cast of mascots that will live throughout the app. These characters will eventually be animated in Rive, so this role is about illustration done right for animation — not the animation itself. What You'll Create Multiple mascot characters for the app — a cast, not just one character Multiple states per character — expressions, poses, and moods (e.g., idle, celebrating, thinking, sleeping, encouraging) Consistent style across the whole cast so they feel like one world The Critical Requirement: Rive-Ready Handoff You will NOT be doing the rigging or animation — a Rive animator will take your files from there. But you must know how to prepare artwork for that handoff. That means: Clean, well-organized layered files (separate limbs, facial features, and moving parts on their own layers) Logical layer naming and grouping an animator can work with immediately Vector-first workflow (or clean exports) suitable for import into Rive Understanding how a character gets broken apart for rigging — so you design with joints, overlaps, and movement in mind from the first sketch If you've prepared characters for Rive, Spine, After Effects rigging, or similar, you know exactly what we mean. You're a Great Fit If You Have a strong character design portfolio — appealing, expressive, personality-driven work (animal characters a big plus) Can develop a consistent cast: same style, different personalities Work in vectors and deliver clean, animator-ready layered files Have actual Rive experience or animation experience with apps (big bonus — you'll speak the animator's language) Communicate well and iterate quickly on feedback How We'll Work Start with concept sketches and style exploration for the first character, then build out the cast once we've locked the style Regular check-ins on Slack; feedback rounds on each character and state Ongoing hourly engagement — there's plenty of work as the app grows To Apply Start your proposal with the word "SIT" so I know you read this. Then include: Portfolio links — character design work specifically (animals/mascots front and center) An example of a character you prepared for animation/rigging, and how you structured the files Your experience with Rive, if any (not required, but tell us) Your availability and time zone