Friday, January 18, 2008
10000 Ways Not to Make a Bird Walk
I've animated birdlike characters before, but none walked with birdlike legs. Okay, real birds don't wear glitter shoes.
It drove me nuts trying to get it to cooperate. I closed dozens of botched jobs. It was ridiculous.
Thomas Edison kept me going. Supposedly, when asked about failure he boasted ,"Why, I haven't failed, I've discovered 10000 ways not to make a lightbulb!".
So each twitching, flopping or stroby bird that got deleted was one step closer to getting one that worked.
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7 comments:
EXQUISITE! Everything about it!! I love the delicate feet on the ground, grabbing ground for an instant before moving on. The work was worth it.
I've never animated a walk so well and I've called myself an animator for 30+ years.
you also are developing your own style of movement-- amazing. the only suggestion I'd have is to avoid putting the blink in the cycle. You don't notice the walk repeating but the beat of the blink points out a cycle.
I LOVE this animation!
Wow, thanks, Sally!
One of the many trial and error fights I had with this bird was to keep him from sliding.
Much of the credit goes to a partial walk cycle of an ostrich that I used for a reference (Animator's Survival Kit,Richard Williams, page 329). So you're still ahead of me in the animation game! :)
Yep, you're right about the blinks. Good point.
I'll remember that the next time I take a character for a walk.
Namowal!!
The wings and tail even!
Glad you liked him, Linda. Thanks.
Originally I was going to have him talk but I ran out of time (and couldn't think of anything for him to say)
birds heads usually bob forward and backward when walking rather than up and down - watch and see ; might be worth trying
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