Most Basic Walk Cycle w Panning Background

Just to remind folks --- I like showing people how to do animation. I've taught almost 2,000 people how to draw animation, and how to use 2D and 3D animation Software. My brother and I started drawing when we were in diapers. Eventually that got us to where we could make some $$$ at it. I'm not saying it's easy. But it's a way to make a living, if you hustle. •••••••••••••

Any animator will likely end up doing hundreds of walk cycles, because most CHARACTERS gotta walk to get around. It can be a fun challenge to take the time to INDIVIDUALIZE walks for different characters, conveying either their quirky personality, or the labor of carrying a particular BURDEN, or to let the audience understand their mood.

Over the years that I've taught animation to something close to 2000 highly motivated students, I found that starting 'em with an ARMLESS, HEADLESS scribbledy Blob, with just the two legs... Simplifies their first plunge into walk cycle construction, and focuses on the most crucial bits. After all, good head and arm movements won't help if the legs and feet are messed up.

For Rugrats Mystery Adventures, one game/ challenge for the kids was for Tommy Pickle to Find the LOST Sippy Cup. The game was an overhead view of Tommy wandering around the City Park where Angelica or Belinda or some other character had lost a Crucial Sippy Cup. The player controlled the direction that Tommy headed, bumping into obstacles, and changing direction repeatedly. 

That meant creating Nine Overhead-view Walk cycles of young Tommy... Another words, a Walkin' Tommy Pickle facing every 22.5 degrees starting from due north to due South. Then each cycle could be Flipped horizontally by the game code to get the full 360° control...

Jeez. o. Peez. That was a PILE of drawings of young master Pickle. In a 3D treatment you could do a SINGLE walk cycle and just rotate the darned thing.