Game Ready 3D Character Modeling, Texturing and Rigging

We are looking for a 3D generalist artist to support our game project at Rhodiumcode LLC, a small independent creative studio.

Summary
Your main task will be to model 3D characters in a “stylized realism” look based on concept art and real-world reference photos. You will use your skills in Blender, Substance Painter, and related tools to bring these characters to life.
By “stylized realism,” we are looking for the look similar to that of, for example, Final Fantasy recent versions (2016, 2020 for example), or Horizon Forbidden West. But we don’t nearly need as much modeling/meshes/textures as they are.

Requirements
There are 2 characters to model, with 3 accessories each. They are actual humans with real-world item accessories so plenty of references are available. Even though they don’t sound like there are too many to model, you’ll need to be prepared to iterate, be back and forth and do some trial and error with us as we are looking to really bring out the character in engine. This will be a collaborative work and we are looking for quality, not quantity.
Your work items include:

• Modeling and texturing the characters.
• Optimizing their triangle count and UV mapping for game engine use.
• Fully rigging both body and facial features, and creating a few animation poses to showcase movement.

The work is remote and can be adapted based on your availability, and we can discuss the time frame together.

Deliverables
The character will be delivered as blender models (.blend) with the model ready for game engine export, rigged, textured, and mesh and UV optimized. With the proper texture files and source files from other tools you may have used (e.g. ZBrush files)
Most importantly, we will need to be able to re-use the model for later use to create new animations ourselves after the project ends.

Budget range:
Very small project ($250 – 750 USD)

What experience level is needed?:
Mid-level (Industry Average),