Pixel Joint Forum: A lemur playing an uke.

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Lehmure
Midshipman

Joined: 01 May 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 65

Topic: A lemur playing an uke.
Posted: 15 May 2021 at 7:12am

I'm trying to get back at pixel art, so i did this small animation:

However, i'm feeling that is missing something to breathe more life to this small animation.

Here's the sprite sheet:

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gawrone
Rear Admiral

Joined: 20 June 2025
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 510

Posted: 18 May 2021 at 2:08am

This is awesome but if you want to make it even better than it already is I would suggest two things to do first:

1) Squash and stretch. The main shapes of the body and head are getting horizontal (wider but lower) when going down and vertical (narrower but higher) when going up. Remember that you have to keep the area of them equal in both extremes, more or less. So when you i ncrease one dimension you have to decrease the other dimension and vice versa.

2) Independence of the head and body. The body is the source of the movement here so to have gravity, keep the head down for at least one frame more when the body goes up. Make it follow the body up and then, when reaching peak, let it stay on top for at least a frame while body is starting to go down again, so the head is following body again.

Also you could detail the animation more with adding gravity to the ears too.

I also have a question, why you decided to add the knee only at the final frame of the raised foot? There are 3 frames with raised foot but only the last one has the knee.

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Lehmure
Midshipman

Joined: 01 May 2021
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 65

Posted: 18 May 2021 at 4:53am

Wow, thanks, i will try to re-do the animation with these principles in mind.

About the knees, i did not realize that part were his little knees, the fourth frame was to look like his stomp was so intense that his body went a little bouncy, like a slime, but seeing this part as his knees makes more sense and helps to see how to make his movement more fluidly, so i appreciate the help!

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gawrone
Rear Admiral

Joined: 20 June 2025
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 510

Posted: 18 May 2021 at 7:00am

You can find youtube tutorials on squash stretch animation (not limiting to pixel art animation only). The more exageratted it will be, the more cartoony the caracter will look, and for the cartoon animal it could work like magic. But, on such a small sprite if you would like to make it very subtle - to be present but look more "realistic" and less cartoony, you would have to use subpixel techniques, on which you could also find something online. Have fun!

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WIP (Work In Progress)
Pixel Joint Forum : Pixel Art : WIP (Work In Progress)

Author	Message
Lehmure Midshipman Joined: 01 May 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 65	Topic: A lemur playing an uke. Posted: 15 May 2021 at 7:12am
	I'm trying to get back at pixel art, so i did this small animation: However, i'm feeling that is missing something to breathe more life to this small animation. Here's the sprite sheet:
	IP Logged

gawrone Rear Admiral Joined: 20 June 2025 Online Status: Offline Posts: 510	Posted: 18 May 2021 at 2:08am
	This is awesome but if you want to make it even better than it already is I would suggest two things to do first: 1) Squash and stretch. The main shapes of the body and head are getting horizontal (wider but lower) when going down and vertical (narrower but higher) when going up. Remember that you have to keep the area of them equal in both extremes, more or less. So when you i ncrease one dimension you have to decrease the other dimension and vice versa. 2) Independence of the head and body. The body is the source of the movement here so to have gravity, keep the head down for at least one frame more when the body goes up. Make it follow the body up and then, when reaching peak, let it stay on top for at least a frame while body is starting to go down again, so the head is following body again. Also you could detail the animation more with adding gravity to the ears too. I also have a question, why you decided to add the knee only at the final frame of the raised foot? There are 3 frames with raised foot but only the last one has the knee.
	IP Logged

Lehmure Midshipman Joined: 01 May 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 65	Posted: 18 May 2021 at 4:53am
	Wow, thanks, i will try to re-do the animation with these principles in mind. About the knees, i did not realize that part were his little knees, the fourth frame was to look like his stomp was so intense that his body went a little bouncy, like a slime, but seeing this part as his knees makes more sense and helps to see how to make his movement more fluidly, so i appreciate the help!
	IP Logged

gawrone Rear Admiral Joined: 20 June 2025 Online Status: Offline Posts: 510	Posted: 18 May 2021 at 7:00am
	You can find youtube tutorials on squash stretch animation (not limiting to pixel art animation only). The more exageratted it will be, the more cartoony the caracter will look, and for the cartoon animal it could work like magic. But, on such a small sprite if you would like to make it very subtle - to be present but look more "realistic" and less cartoony, you would have to use subpixel techniques, on which you could also find something online. Have fun!
	IP Logged