Think all my characters are super cute, endlessly polite, and always trying to keep users happy?

Think again.

Meet Bacon the Pig - a character that pushed me way out of my comfort zone and into something far more bold, honest, and… real.

Bacon doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He evaluates user actions and delivers his verdict exactly as it is: no softening, no filters, no pretending. And those comments? Not always flattering.

But here’s the twist: he’s not mean. Not even close.

Sometimes people don’t need kindness, they need honesty. The kind that doesn’t dress itself up. The kind that actually helps you face reality. And that’s exactly what Bacon delivers.

Bacon the Pig knows how to celebrate: for real.

When things go right, he bursts with joy and literally dances with happiness. But if something’s off? Oh, he won’t hide it. Not even a little. He’s honest, impulsive, and completely unfiltered: and that’s exactly what makes him so alive.

And let’s be honest… his absolute favorite thing in the world?
Judging.

Bringing Bacon to life was a full creative deep dive. Before even touching Sketch app, I went through tons of hand-drawn sketches, searching for just the right look to capture his bold, multi-dimensional personality.

Once I nailed it, I used those sketches (facial expressions, poses, attitude) as the foundation for animation in Rive, turning static ideas into expressive, dynamic motion.

Bacon lives inside a budgeting app, so I built an entire world around him: a sleek briefcase stuffed with cash, a savings jar, a card payment terminal, a calculator… and of course, a lot of money.

This is more than a character: it’s energy, emotion, and attitude brought to life.

Listening, responding to users, giggling, laughing, and of course… sniffing everything around him. Oh! He can dance too! | Rive animations

Dynamic loading Rive animations

Every great story needs a hero, and for the Recipe Hero app, I brought one to life!

Meet a chubby, cheerful puppy who guides users through a world of delicious recipes.

This lovable character helps users discover, save, and enjoy even the most creative culinary ideas.

While working on this project, I designed and animated three unique options of the character: a sitting one, a flying one, and a playful version chasing its own tail.

The flying and tail-chasing options were created specifically for dynamic loading animations, adding energy and personality to the app experience.

The sitting character is the one users interact with most.

He’s attentive, curious, and full of charm: listening carefully, responding to users, giggling, laughing, and of course… sniffing everything around him.

Oh! He can dance too!

In addition to the character design and animation, I also created the app icon, ensuring a cohesive and delightful visual identity for the entire product.

Character action animations: Idle, Waving, Listening, Happy Jump, Talking, Happy Dance, and Sad | Rive state machine

UI design of the User avatar customisation screen | Interactive avatars’ animations (Rive state machine)

Mascot waiting animation and one of the onboarding animations (including micro animations of the UI elements) | Rive state machine

Behind the scenes of project creation

While working on the creation of this educational app, I took on a wide range of roles: UI/UX Designer, Mascot Character Creator, Vector Artist, Character Animator, UI Elements Animator, and Consultant for app development, gamification, and monetization.

I’m incredibly proud of the final result and sincerely hope this app helps students of all ages learn to play the piano and make steady, enjoyable progress.

The creative process began with designing the main character - a cute, chubby galago.

Once he came to life, the next step was to build a world that would suit him perfectly.

To make learning more engaging, I incorporated gamified elements into the app.

As rewards and in-app currency, users collect the character’s favourite items: juicy apples and sweet orchid nectar (valuable treasures in his little world).

To make the learning experience more immersive, I designed a virtual journey where users travel alongside their virtual assistant.

I illustrated 50 iconic landmarks from around the world and placed them on an interactive travel map.

As part of the adventure, students can also visit various themed buildings: such as a music store, post office, library, and travel agency. Each building has three distinct color variations to keep the visual experience dynamic and engaging.

The app includes seven categories of lessons (e.g., Music Theory, Rhythm, Improvisation), each offering 15 diverse activity types.

These include playing a melody by ear, selecting the correct answer from multiple choices, or performing a musical piece (all guided by the galago character).

To bring the galago to life, I used Rive state machine to animate a range of expressive reactions: he can be cheerful or sad, jump with excitement, dance, sing, talk, and listen attentively.

In their user profiles, students can choose from a selection of animated animal avatars, each with customizable clothing colors and backgrounds.

I also created micro-animations for various UI elements, as well as animations for the splash screen and onboarding experience, enhancing the app’s overall interactivity and visual appeal.

I created all vector graphics using the Sketch app, which I also used to design the user interface screens for the app.

All animations were created in Rive, allowing for smooth, interactive character and UI animations.

Emotions are expressed not just through facial cues, but through movement and body language | Rive animations

In idle state, the character remains relaxed and composed, yet comes active through a rich spectrum of emotional reactions | Rive animations

What if a personal assistant doesn’t just sit still, but feel alive?

Most personal assistants are designed to stay calm and relatively static, so they don’t distract users from their main tasks.

But that’s exactly why exploring new approaches becomes so exciting: approaches where emotion is expressed not just through facial cues, but through movement and body language.

For the Kotora language learning app, I designed two versions of an animated personal assistant.

The first is a more classic approach: in its idle state, the character remains relaxed and composed, yet comes active through a rich spectrum of emotional reactions: approval, joy, disappointment, even frustration. Subtle, expressive, and intuitive.

The second concept takes a bold leap into something far more dynamic.

Here, the assistant doesn’t just wait, it rides a skateboard.

Yes, the idle state itself becomes a playful, kinetic experience.

And when it comes to reacting to the user’s answers during learning exercises, the character performs skate tricks.

Correct answers? Happy, confident ollie jump.

Mistakes? The tricks become riskier, more unstable, more intense.

The more errors the user makes, the more dangerous the stunts become, until eventually, balance is lost…

The character falls off. Game over.

It’s a vivid, engaging way to turn feedback into a visual, emotional journey: making learning not just interactive, but unforgettable.

As always, all vector illustrations I crafted in Sketch and brought to life through animation in Rive.