old cat quadruped character walk test

Planning a cat walk.

Quadruped test from Frank G on Vimeo.

Biomechanics. Sit to Stand

I am allowing myself more thinking and feeling time before jumping into Maya. I find drawing works for me as a thinking tool.

Sneaky 2D study

Drawing helps me study movement. I have to practice with my graphics tablet and Flash CSx. Put them all together and you get more signs of the struggle. It is a longer process than planning and then animating in Maya. But I learn to see more.



Took inspiration from Michael Dudok de Wit for the character shapes.



A few adjustments:

Planning for a character walk - pacing back and forth

Enviroexperimantal ecoanimation #2

Butt Naked Swimmer from Frank G on Vimeo.

Enviroexperimental ecoanimation #1

Doing some cool stuff in Jane's class experimental animation.

I wouldn't advise animating with cigarette butts, they stink!

Animation Workout Troll

Today the troll grew a head and some legs. This is an 'animation workout', an in-class exercise to work on animation principles.

Animation Workout Troll from Frank G on Vimeo.

Animation workout ~ heavy jump ~ WIP

A work in progress. Allegedly every animator should know how to animate a shudder and know where to apply it. In this workout, the shudder is meant to imply weight.


Heavy Jump ~ timing/spacing ~ WIP from Frank G on Vimeo.

Gran - line test

I had a good look at the "Gran Scuttle" line test (below), and realised that Gran just launches off into the walk. I guess that covers the physical action I'm after. But it doesn't show her thinking or preparing for her scuttle. In this line test, I've added a rough background to give her a motivation (get to the gate). The obstacle that she has to overcome is her own age limited physical restrictions. Her infirmity. So she takes 4 seconds to: Do a walking stick check, take a deep breath and ... place her stick (ready for the first step).


gran prepares from Frank G on Vimeo.