I started by sketching various character ideas, beginning with a human-like octopus walking on 4 tentacles, with 2 simple eyes and bubbles above the head. From there, I developed more variations by changing the body shape, proportions, and adding different facial expressions. This process helped me explore personality and form, guiding me toward a final design that felt unique and expressive enough for animation.

I finalized 2 character options: the left one with 4 tentacles and dizzy eyes, the right one with 2 arms, 2 legs, and a distant gaze. Both use a peanut-shaped body for a humorous feel. I explored limb movements to plan the animation and created a colour palette using creamy-white, yolk-yellow, and brown on a navy-blue background. This warm and playful combination helps convey the personality and tone of the avatar.

3rd step, I built all parts of character option A directly in After Effects. This method allowed me to set limb joints easily and align them accurately. After creating face, body, and limbs, I grouped and positioned them properly to prepare for animation.

For character option B, I also aligned all body parts and built the structure in After Effects. I animated the character using keyframes in a cycle. The biggest challenge was animating the 4-leg version, which looked awkward. So I chose the 2-arm + 2-leg version instead, it was much easier to control and looked more natural in motion.