Walk-cycle-Paper Cut Out

Paper cut out

I chose to use a paper cut out for my first experiment in effecting a walk cycle. I was able to obtain this image of the stages and so able to study the 'rise and fall' and the 'arcs' created by the limbs in hope of creating the most natural flow possible.

In this experiment of primary action I am concentrating on the movement with no regard, as yet, to character and appeal . I am reasonably happy with my representation, the body is well proportioned and moves quite smoothly. I have a shadow across the bottom of the image which I would need rectify by better lighting: 2 point lighting

I researched a 80s animation which you can see in the Ludvig post. I feel the movement that is created in this style of animation definitely adds to that atmosphere of the image. I feel it wouldn’t take too much work on my part to achieve a reasonable standard in this House style. Though I’m in the early stages of my experience and am not greatly drawn to this style.

I found the split pins good in that they gave great freedom of movement but this also had to be closely monitored or I could have joints bending in the wrong direction – this may be a plus if I were doing a comical scene. Also the pin backs can catch on other limbs so I had to trim some and cover some with tape at the back to remedy this. I also had to use bluetac on the back of the head and bottom because I initially found when I moved an arm for example, the leg could also move. If I pursue this method, I may split the torso into chest, stomach and bottom to give a less stiff appearance. The animators of Ludvig have removed this problem by trying to represent a human by creating a walking egg – this may well be a good idea, the movement can become part of the character.