Finished walk animation but I need help perfecting(C+C)

[Mike]

This isn't a character I designed it is one of my friends(acquaintances) anyway.  While I like the animation somewhat(the legs are still messed) I can't help but feel that I messed up the actual character design.  I didn't have a good picture of the character standing straight up sadly...  I had a really hard time animating this character mostly because of the black outline style.  After I made a rough animation with basic shapes and what not I ended up having to basically reinvent it during the polishing stage because of the black outlines.  I did not enjoy that at all.  Anyone have any tips on how to rough an animation without having to completely redo it later? 

Here is the original design I based the animation on.



Here is the animation


*Update


The walk does not naturally come out of the idle pose...so I messed that up big time.

[Mike]

I know I'm not off the front page yet but I need help on this before the 17th.

*bump*

[EvilEye]

You have 2 problems here, both are with the legs.

1. The timing is wrong. She is bringing the right leg up with the right arm, and the left leg up with the left arm. Thats probably why it looks off. You don't walk like that. Especially not with that type of gait.

It should be right arm with left leg and left arm with right leg. Search this site for walking animations to see what I mean.


2. Shes bending her knees way too much and bringing them too high. With a casual walk they should not be so exaggerated.

[Mike]

You have 2 problems here, both are with the legs.

1. The timing is wrong. She is bringing the right leg up with the right arm, and the left leg up with the left arm. Thats probably why it looks off. You don't walk like that. Especially not with that type of gait.

It should be right arm with left leg and left arm with right leg. Search this site for walking animations to see what I mean.


2. Shes bending her knees way too much and bringing them too high. With a casual walk they should not be so exaggerated.

Here is another update.  It wasn't so much a lack of knowledge that I swapped the legs it's just that I was so absorbed in getting a readable leg I forgot which frame I was on.  Furthermore I tried to bring the knees lower but it didn't go to well.  Also I can't bring the raised foot any lower otherwise the feet slide on the ground.  In addition I shaded the back leg so that it can better show that it is in the background.

  I think it looks a bit better

[Mike]

You have 2 problems here, both are with the legs.

1. The timing is wrong. She is bringing the right leg up with the right arm, and the left leg up with the left arm. Thats probably why it looks off. You don't walk like that. Especially not with that type of gait.

It should be right arm with left leg and left arm with right leg. Search this site for walking animations to see what I mean.


2. Shes bending her knees way too much and bringing them too high. With a casual walk they should not be so exaggerated.

Here is another update.  It wasn't so much a lack of knowledge that I swapped the legs it's just that I was so absorbed in getting a readable leg I forgot which frame I was on.  Furthermore I tried to bring the knees lower but it didn't go to well.  Also I can't bring the raised foot any lower otherwise the feet slide on the ground.  In addition I shaded the back leg so that it can better show that it is in the background.

  I think it looks a bit better

Here is another update, had to make her limbs shorter



Oh dangit i could've swore I was editing my last post...guess I hit the quote button on accident.

[EvilEye]

That last one looks a whole lot better.

I can still find some nitpicks with the movement of the skirt, and the mid-section line which is wildly fluctuating.

Other then that my only crits would be general pixeling improvements, like getting rid of the black outlines on the inside of the sprite.

[balls01]

her hands look like shes flicking them more than flowing

[Mike]

That last one looks a whole lot better.

I can still find some nitpicks with the movement of the skirt, and the mid-section line which is wildly fluctuating.

Other then that my only crits would be general pixeling improvements, like getting rid of the black outlines on the inside of the sprite.

Nitpick away, I have a problem with morphing forms.(especially torsos)  I did try really hard to match the color up frame for frame though.

Here is my basic shape version of this.  It appears I'm not advanced enough to take things to texturing yet.