Animated Owl Mascot in Rive

Project Title: Rive Character Animation — Owl Mascot with Multiple States

Budget: $250–500 USD (fixed price)

Timeline: 2 weeks

Description:

I need a skilled Rive animator to take my existing owl mascot SVG and turn it into a fully rigged, animated character with multiple states. This is for an EdTech web app (StudyWingman) — the owl is our AI tutor mascot.

What I'm providing:

SVG of the owl with all parts pre-separated into named layers (body, face, wings, eyes/glasses, graduation cap, tassels, etc.)
Brand color palette (blues, mints, indigos)
Reference for the style/personality we're going for
What you'll deliver:

The .rev project file (Rive source, not just exported .riv) — I need to be able to edit and extend this myself going forward

Legs/feet added to the character — the current design is a logo (bust only). You'll need to draw simple stylized owl legs and talons in the same art style. Keep it cute and consistent with the existing design.

Bone rigging for the full character — head, body, wings, legs, eyes, cap tassels

Animated states with a state machine:

Idle — subtle breathing/bobbing, occasional blink, tassels sway gently
Walking — owl walks carrying something under one wing (books, building supplies, tools — your creative call). Hardhat optional but would be adorable.
Building/Working — owl actively doing something (hammering, typing, assembling). This plays while the app generates content.
Celebrating — excited reaction (wings up, maybe a little hop or sparkle). Plays when a student gets something right.
Thinking — head tilt, looking up, maybe a "..." thought indicator. Plays while waiting for AI response.
Researching — flipping through a book, scanning pages, maybe adjusting glasses. Plays while the app searches textbook content.
State machine inputs I can control from JavaScript:

isWalking (boolean)
isBuilding (boolean)
isThinking (boolean)
isResearching (boolean)
celebrate (trigger)
Default state: idle
Multiple artboards (if natural for the animations — use your judgment on whether separate artboards or one artboard with states makes more sense)

Technical requirements:

Web-optimized — final .riv export should be under 100KB
500x500 artboard (or whatever you recommend for web use)
Transparent background
Works with @rive-app/canvas web runtime
About the project:
StudyWingman is an AI-powered study assistant for college students. The owl is our mascot — friendly, smart, approachable. Think Duolingo's owl energy but more scholarly (glasses and a graduation cap). The animations will appear throughout the app — loading states, celebrations, idle moments. Getting the personality right matters more than technical complexity. The owl should feel like a friend who's genuinely excited to help you study.

What I'm looking for in a freelancer:

Rive portfolio with character animation examples
Experience with state machines (not just timeline animations)
Willingness to do 1-2 rounds of revision on personality/feel
To apply, please share:

2-3 Rive character animation examples from your portfolio
How you'd approach the leg design (quick sketch or description is fine)
Your timeline estimate
Whether you've worked with state machines in Rive