Art College Crash Course, Lesson 16: Walk Cycles

Or: how to make a character walk without looking like a wobbly noodle.

A walk looks simple. You do it every day. Then you try to animate one, and your character either marches like a robot, wobbles like a noodle or glides like they're on ice.

A walk cycle is the test that shows every weakness in your posing, timing and weight. That's why every animator practices it.

Why walks are hard

Small mistakes break the illusion. A good walk has to: - Shift weight from foot to foot - Swing the arms opposite the legs - Move the head and body smoothly up and down

And it has to look effortless.

The four key poses

1. Contact. The front heel touches down, the back toe is about to lift. The arms are at their widest swing. Check: both feet are clearly on the ground, and the weight looks balanced.

2. Down. The lowest point. The front knee bends to absorb the weight, and the body drops.

3. Passing. The midpoint. The back foot swings past the standing leg. The body is over the standing foot.

4. Up. The highest point. The back foot pushes off, and the body rises. Check: don't bounce too high, or your character looks like they're walking on the moon.

Common mistakes and fixes

• Sliding feet ("moonwalking"). Once a foot is planted, it stays in place on the ground until it lifts.

• Robot walk. Add a little bounce and let the arms and body flow.

• Weird arms. The arms swing opposite to the legs. Left leg forward, right arm forward.

• "Something's off." Film yourself walking and compare.

• Still wrong? Adjust the timing. Small timing changes make a big difference.

Make it natural

1. Exaggerate first, then tone it down.

2. Check silhouettes. Fill your character in black. Each pose should still read clearly.

3. Give it personality. A sneaky walk, a happy walk and a tired walk are all different. A walk is acting.

4. Use yourself as reference. Film your own walk and step through it frame by frame.

Try this

1. Animate a plain walk using the four key poses for each step (eight drawings for a full cycle of two steps).

2. Loop it.

3. Now change one thing to make it a happy walk. Then a sad walk. What did you change?

Up next

Lesson 17: Run Cycles. The walk cycle's faster, harder sibling.

What's the funniest walk cycle mistake you've made? Tell us in the comments.

The revolution will not be graded.

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