I started with researching run cycles, so I turned to Pinterest and Youtube for inspiration, I was looking specifically for strong fast runs.

I found inspiration like this animation –

I also found 3D walk cycles like –

I found the further someone is leaning forward, the more intense the run, so I tried to implement that generally with Nyx. I started with blocking out the general movement. I slowed this down to show off posing.

I began implementing smear frames as an experiment, and I ended up keeping them after recieving feedback that they added power to the run.

This was me still filling in the character pass. Something was off but I couldn’t tell what it was at this point. I felt like there wasn’t enough weight in the animation.

The hair gave me a lot of grief, but I think I conveyed movement alright here. I also realised what was throwing off the motion was the up pose was too drastic, so I scaled it back and it look a lot better now.

The finished animation! I learnt a lot from my walk cycle. I used separate layers for smaller details that moved, like the eyes and her tattoo, and I think that really helped with consistency. I captured the energy that I wanted to convey, so in that regard I was successful. I also really enhoy the experimental side of animation, trying things to see if they work and trying out ways to implement it into my workflow. The smears/motion lines were a part of that. It’s the benefit of being a complete beginner, I get to try techniques I never have before.