How to Design a Walk Cycle Character

IF you're an animating pro, your walk cycle characters probably have all kinds of distinctive features marketers can plaster on merchandise. But if you're just starting out, you'll want to use a little restraint. Drawing a good walk cycle can be difficult. Here are some ways to design a character for the best chance of getting a walk cycle to look good.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Keep it simple. Extra features will give you a lot more work, and since you'll be drawing this character dozens, if not hundreds, of times, each little detail adds a lot to your plate. Consider the most basic figure you can and do a couple of sample sketches.
2. Think about where the joints are. You may even want to label these spots on a sketch or template, so you know what you'll really be working with when you get started making this character move.
3. Try using polygons for body parts to create a "stylized" character that will be easier to animate. Some illustrators do this for prototypes. It can help you see what you need to draw for a realistic walk cycle.
4. Break the body down into parts. Labeling the different parts help you to think about how to move each one in conjunction with the others.
5. Try to anticipate how each part will or will not "morph" on the extreme ends of a walk cycle. The best example is the foot or shoe, which will bend when the character is putting pressure on it. Other parts may not change as much. Again, breaking down your character helps you anticipate drawing all of the frames in the walk cycle.

Tips & Warnings

• Look to nature for clues about realistic movement. If your character is not the typical bipedal human, but an animated toy, a sixteen-footed bug, or other inventive illustration, watch insects at work or at play to see how they move multiple appendages. Then apply your findings to your frames.

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