Korean-style card game (character + card back + packaging)

ABOUT THE PROJECT: We’re creating a beautifully designed card game inspired by Korean culture, aimed at fans of Korean culture — K-drama and K-pop audiences. We need an illustrator with a warm, contemporary Korean visual style to create the artwork that gives the game its identity. The mascot of the game is our own dog. Rather than inventing a character, you’ll be turning our dog into a charming cartoon character from reference photos we provide. They become the friendly face of the whole game. This is a confidential project — we’ll share the finer details with shortlisted candidates after a simple NDA, but you have everything you need below to show your fit and style. WHAT WE NEED: 1. Cartoon version of our dog — turn our real dog into an appealing, warm cartoon mascot from reference photos, keeping them clearly recognisable. Delivered as a character sheet with a few poses and expressions (e.g. happy, thinking, celebrating). 2. A card back — one polished, symmetrical illustration featuring the dog and/or a Korean motif. Must look beautiful when many cards are fanned together in a hand. 3. Packaging key art — the main illustration for the box (one main piece). Anything beyond these three is NOT part of this $500 — it can be discussed as separate paid work later. STYLE DIRECTION: We want an authentic Korean visual feel — NOT a generic “Asian” look. We’re drawn to a warm, modern Korean illustration style: the soft, friendly aesthetic of Korean webtoons and Seoul stationery and design brands. Subtle traditional minhwa (민화 Korean folk-painting) motifs as accents are welcome if they suit your style. PLEASE ADDRESS IN YOUR APPLICATION: 1. Show us pets or real animals you’ve turned into cartoon characters — this is the core skill we’re hiring for. 2. Your familiarity with Korean culture and design — are you a follower of K-drama, K-pop, webtoons, or Korean design? Name a specific reference you admire. 3. Whether you can keep ONE character consistent across multiple poses and expressions — with examples. That you’re comfortable with a confidential project (NDA first), the flat $500 scope, and full commercial ownership of the work including layered source files. RIGHTS & FILES (in the contract): Full work-for-hire: we own the cartoon dog character and all artwork outright, including all commercial use on the game, packaging, marketing, and future products. Deliverables include layered source files (PSD/AI/Procreate or equivalent), not only flattened exports. You may show the finished work as a completed commission in your portfolio, but the character may not be offered for licence or reuse. MILESTONES (how the $500 is paid): • Milestone 1 ($100) : 2–3 rough cartoon directions for the dog → you choose one. • Milestone 2 ($100): finalised character sheet (the chosen dog cartoon + poses/expressions). • Milestone 3 ($150): card back illustration. • Milestone 4 ($150): packaging key art.