Furthermore guys please don't model your animations after the real world. Get a copy of Animators Survival guide and look at the pages that show you how to create your own runs and walk cycles. That is far more interesting than real life.
I don't think that's always true. Some of the best animation I've ever seen has been the more realistic variety. Go check out Ghost in the Shell, End of Evangelion, or any of the Ghibli movies. Incredible animation, and all very much grounded in reality. Telling other artists not to draw from life is only going to hurt them; it's definitely the fastest way to learn.
After you can draw a realistic run cycle well, then you can start messing around with it and stylizing it. How can you stylize something effectively when you don't even know how the actual subject is *supposed* to look? That's my opinion, anyway.
I've got animator's survival guide, too. It's an awesome book, and will definitely help with understanding animation. Still, after reading it, I'd apply what you learned from it by studying actual references. You'll come out with a better animation in the end, I think! For me, the Animator's Survival Guide taught me how to think about and approach animation, but not how to actually animate anything specific. I always look up a ton of references when drawing or animating something new.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK8V9jG7WjgGhost in the Shell tank scene (end of the movie, so spoilers! Also, nudity and a girl ripping her own arms off. NSFW?) It's a lot more interesting than the simple animation you'll get by simply studying from books, in my opinion. Great animation takes a very solid foundation in life.
Wexx, you run cycle is looking better and better, so good job on that. I still don't agree with what you're doing with your stone tiles, though. Like someone else already said, it looks like you have black voids in the middle of all your platforms, because the rock texture is getting smaller and darker, instead of just getting darker. On small platforms, I'm not even sure if black-out would be appropriate at all. Have you tried just having flat rock texture across your small platforms? I think it might look better. I like the overall look of your set, though. It reminds me of some of the old Psygnosis games, or something. X3
Edit: What I remember Psygnosis games looking like is totally different from what they actually look like, so nevermind, hahah.
