Introduction:
In this assignment, I was tasked with creating three animation cycles. A walk cycle, run cycle and full body cycle, in this case a jump cycle. I was originally going to do all three with Autodesk Maya. This is because I feel a lot more comfortable using 3D instead of 2D. But due to complications and corrupted saves I had to use 2D. I am actually glad I resorted to using 2D because I learned so much about 2D software than I ever knew before. Despite it presenting many problems and frustrations I kept at it. However, I was working on two other assignments when going through this one and focussed more on them as I was far better at 3D than 2D at the time. Despite this I am happy I got to use 2D techniques and learned so much during this project. Lets go through each process:
(All descriptions for images will be located below the image, all references can be found at the bottom of this post alongside self-reflection.)
Learning the Fundamentals:
Before even starting the animation cycles I had to learn how to use the animation software Krita, which is good for frame by frame animation. The main tools used for animation within Krita are the Onion layers, timeline and layer layout. All shown below with a description of what one does:
The image shown above is the onion layer docket, I used this to see frames before and after the current frame I was working on. This docket was essential in all three cycles and was the first tool I learned how to use when animating in 2D.
Next is the layer layout docket. This docket allows me to switch between the different layers, similar to that of Photoshop. And although my animations were basic, this docket helped me with going between frames and going back through reference images to make sure all the frames had a good connected flow.
The timeline docket, used for going between each frame. This was confusing at first as this docket is tied directly to the onion layers. The little lightbulb beside each layer that has frames in it can be toggled on and off within this docket making the onion layers visible in the workspace, information that was vital to the creation of these animations.
Making A Character:
I decided to find to existing characters and mash them together to make a bi-pedal humanoid suitable for 2D animation. Below are the two characters and blended together:
Faith – Mirrors Edge.
Walk Cycle:
The first cycle I started work on was the walk cycle as it was slow paced and easy to make frames for. It came with its issues but what I learned form this first cycle would carry over to the next two and overtime my work would improve as I went along.
This reference image is what I used to create the keyframes for the walk cycle. It taught me different key poses and how the body squashes and stretches when in motion.
Starting off I drew a rough, yellow outline around each keyframe. This process quickly taught me how the onion layer docket worked.
Now drawing a more permanent outline, I gave each frame a permanent outline.
Using the onion layer docket I kept all the frames in the same place and added some colour. This gave the illusion that the character was walking even though all the frames stayed in exactly the same place. I used this tactic for all three cycles and even got all three to flow with one another which will be shown later in the post.
Adding more detail. I learned more about how squash and stretch affected each part of the body. Example the legs would squish a little bit, the back arc and the arms shorten and lengthen slightly as they swung back and forward.
Running into some issues on the final frames, I had to redo them but once again using the onion layers to regain my bearing and insert the correct keyframes the second time around.
Fixing the mistake I had created a basic animation for the walk cycle.
Final Walk Cycle:
Above is the final render for the walk cycle. Unfortunately I did not add in between frames because I was struggling greatly with the proportions. However I did learn a lot from this first cycle and became more confident in the next two cycles, adding more frames to each cycle and I went through them and learning a huge amount about squash and stretch, how each limb moves when the whole body is in motion and even how certain clothing items and effected by movement.
Run Cycle:
Now more confident in my skills with 2D animation, I moved onto the next cycle which was the run cycle. It wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be as it was somewhat similar to the walk cycle just with more stretching and heavier movement. I actually quite enjoyed animating the run cycle as I could see my skills improving when working on this animation.
Acquiring a reference image that had frames more closely locked together and with arms this time around was something I didn’t think to do in the first cycle. But I have since learned that if an animation is to look better or to improve, I need to seek a good reference image. I got a bit carried away with adding detail working on the first cycle instead of finding a good reference. But when I had found a good reference for this cycle I found the work to be far smoother, enjoyable and this is a lesson I will carry over to all 2D animation work from now on. An animation with a lot of detail doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t flow well as an animation.
Starting off, I arranged the layers so that I could have easy access between the layer I would add frames to and the reference layer. Something I did late in the first cycle which is why I fell into problems at the end but not this time around.
Going for an immediate permanent outline this time instead of a rough one cut the time it took for this cycle to be completed in two. As I was steadily becoming more confident with my line work in Krita.
Adding colour was much easier this time around as all the lines were connected properly.
The same applies to the details when making the character look a little less plain.
Being able to create accurate poses and using the onion layer to see before and after frames allowed me to quickly fix mistakes and to adjust limbs where necessary. I learned a lot about how to make a 2D animation smoother when working on this run cycle.
Final Run Cycle:
The final render for this cycle was a lot smoother than the walk cycle. Still lacking a few in-betweens but all the frames felt like they transitioned properly and with correct proportions. I once again saw my work improve and was able to carry this confidence into the final animation cycle where I finally managed and learned how to get the in-between frames to work properly.
Jump Cycle:
The jump cycle involved all parts of the body to move. There were a few issues I encountered when working on this cycle but with all I had learned up to this point I quickly fixed these issues and made the animation flow properly. I put a lot of detail in the outline of the body before anything else as the character had to coil up and have a fair distribution of energy to give this animation cycle the illusion that momentum was being spread equally across the body.
Starting this cycle, I made sure to find a reference image that had in-between frames as well as key poses, this greatly helped me in creating an animation that felt like it had proper momentum behind it.
Once again, I made sure the layers were set out correctly to avoid future problems and to have easy access between each frame.
Combing my skills with making a permanent outline properly as opposed to a rough one and having a smooth outline, I became more confident in my ability to make the keyframes look even more realistic in terms of movement than the previous cycles.
Carrying over the previous character designs to this one was important as not only did I have a good feel for how the character should look but this also allowed me to string all three animations together which will be discussed within the final render part of this blog.
Now having good knowledge of the onion layer, I made sure all the frames were correctly placed and make the character look like they were coiling up in the correct order and in the correct position.
Now half way through the cycle, I had to be sure the arms were layered correctly as this part of the animation cycle included the transition of the characters arm from in front of them to behind them.
This frame gave me some issues where I was unsure how the legs should look. But looking at some reference material which can be found in the reference list quickly showed me the correct proportions of how a humanoids legs uncoil at the mid point of a big jump.
Now that I have the characters arms where I want them, I used the onion layer to make sure they looked right. As an arm pivots around the body its important to know where the shoulders are in relation to the body and its position in space. This knowledge allowed me to put the shoulder end of the arm facing the camera in the correct place and to avoid any disproportionate placements of the limbs.
For the final frame however I ran into a problem. The way I had created this character made it so that the arms were straight. This meant that in the final frame, the arm furthest away from the camera looked really strange in comparison to the reference image. So I figured out that making the arm stretch further away from the body and be only a little bit smaller than the arm closest to the camera as opposed to being a lot smaller would avoid any stutters in this animation.
Once all frames were completed, I went back and corrected any small mistakes and added more detail to each frame.
Final Jump Cycle:
In the final render I made the character jump twice and made the jump cycle a running jump cycle instead of a standing jump cycle. This was done to string the run cycle and jump cycle together which can be seen further down in this post.
I am very happy with how this cycle turned out and had seen I had improved greatly from when I first started and am no longer intimidated by new techniques of animation and being able to step away from the comfort of my skills in 3D.
Video Editing:
Using the video software VEED.IO, the same software I used for my show reel and 3D project assignment, I put all three animations together to create a final product which can be seen below:
All Three Animations:
Even though that the first animation has less quality than the second and third, I am very happy to have been able to stick to one character and make all three cycles flow together.
Self-Reflection:
Though out this assignment, I learned so much about 2D techniques. I am very happy to have started knowing little and to have come through to the other side with far more knowledge than I’ve ever had about 2D animation. I have proven to myself that I can change my methods and learn quickly while doing so.
I do regret not having more time to go back and add more in-between frames to the first two animation cycles. But I still managed to bring a character to life and make all three animation cycles coherent. I enjoyed this assignment a lot and it has really made me want to learn so much more about 2D animation and all its different techniques. I hope to have more assignments in 2D now that I have a lot more confidence in how to animate in a 2D space.
References:
https://www.shutterstock.com/search/run-jump-animation
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/nikhilshetty122/jump-reference/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/316026098862039804/
https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/walk-cycle-inspiration
http://www.theanimatorssurvivalkit.com
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/746753181940787742/
https://madnesscombat.fandom.com/wiki/A.T.P._Soldat