Zen Mascot

Zen Academy

We are startup that teaches people to code, digital marketing, Design, UI/UX and so on.

I would like a very jovial mascot that is "Zen". Ideal characters are either a panda or laughing buddha. The character could be floating in the air to represent being Zen like. I am open to other ways the character appears to set the right mood.

I want distinct features and can imagine that the face needs to be really jovial & happy. I would like the character to be fat but not so much to blow it out of proportion. I want it also to be mascot like and not looking like a real human. I really like the mascot that I have attached below.

Colours
Note the example has great color combo with Yellow, Red with white hair. I really like a good combination of bright colours. If you use a panda please make sure you think about how to make the panda much more appealing. All designs out of the box will receive more consideration. For an example, the panda could really be wearing a baseball cap and a fitbit.

If you use the laughing buddha please think about how you can make the buddha attractive other than the default position/look that these characters take.

I am not looking for the mascot just drawn but would like the mascot to be relatable to our business which is teaching to code/market or design.

After the character is designed and winner decided , I would request that two other positions be designed for the character. So for an example, if by default the mascot is floating in the air, the other two positions could be doing kung fu with floppy drives or falling from the sky in a parachute with a macbook air.

Rough sketches/concepts are encouraged

I really like the look and feel of the following mascot.