Short Premise

I -finally- decided on a short story to tell in my animation. It is about a charming little squirrel on a quest for the largest acorn in the forest! It begins with him scouring the underbrush for acorns, popping them into his mouth as he darts through tall grasses, under tree roots and around bushes. All of a sudden he comes upon a shallow stream with fallen log spanning it. He spies a tree on the opposite bank full of giant acorns! His jaw drops and the nuts he was carrying fall from it and scatter across the ground. He must get to that tree! Bounding quickly across the log, he almost reaches the other end when the top of it snaps open, flipping the squirrel into the air. He squeaks in shock as he falls back down, right into the open mouth of an alligator. It wasn't a log at all ...

Oh, here's a background - an establishing shot. I think I need to up the contrast a bit to get the look I want: a look similar to the second watercolor animation below.
Character turnarounds and storyboards coming soon!