Cartoon Character Illustrator Needed

Project: Children's show mascot illustration - I need a professional illustrator to create the official character sheet for our mascot, Koala, based on the reference image attached.

Style reference: Soft watercolour, children's picture book aesthetic — similar to the style of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" meets modern Etsy nursery art. Warm, painterly, gentle brushstrokes. No harsh black outlines.

Character description — Koko the Koala:

Round fluffy grey koala, baby/toddler proportions (large head, small body, chubby limbs)

Large warm amber-brown eyes, slightly wide — expressing curiosity and wonder

Gentle eyelashes (not overly feminine — gender neutral)

Big shiny dark charcoal nose

Round ears with soft pink inner colouring and white fluffy edges

Rosy peach blush marks on both cheeks

Light cream/white chest and belly fur

Small stubby paws — rounded, not sharp claws

Eucalyptus leaf (green, glowing slightly) always present — either held in paw, tucked in ear, or nearby

Signature pose: both paws raised to mouth/cheeks in a "wonder and delight" expression

Small blue/teal sparkle details scattered around the character

What I need delivered:

Front-facing portrait (as per reference image) — watercolour style

Full body standing pose — holding a glowing green leaf

6 facial expressions on a single sheet: happy, curious, surprised, thinking, sad, excited

Flat vector version of the face only (for logo/app icon/merchandise use)

All files delivered as PNG with transparent background + original editable files (PSD or AI)

Colors to stay consistent across all versions:

Body fur: warm grey (#B4B2A9)

Inner ear: soft pink (#F4C0D1)

Eyes: amber brown (#A0522D)

Nose: dark charcoal (#3D4042)

Chest fur: cream white (#FAFAF8)

Signature leaf: eucalyptus green (#52B788)

IP requirement — mandatory:

Full intellectual property, copyright, and all design rights transfer completely to me upon final payment. The illustrator retains no rights to use, reproduce, or license these characters. Please confirm you agree to this before applying.

Please include in your application: 2–3 samples of children's character illustration work in a similar soft/watercolour style. Applications without relevant samples will not be considered.