Failduck
Printed From: Pixel Joint
Category: Pixel Art
Forum Name: WIP (Work In Progress)
Forum Discription: Get crits and comments on your pixel WIPs and other art too!
URL: https://pixeljoint.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10425
Printed Date: 10 September 2025 at 12:16pm
Topic: Failduck
Posted By: Chis
Subject: Failduck
Date Posted: 30 May 2010 at 8:03am
Doing some work for xQuack :D I'm pixelling a duck for him and having some trouble with the jump animation.
It looks okay when it's jumping up, but when it's falling back down it looks like fail. It was supposed to be flapping its wings on the way down but that's barely visible here. Here is the walk cycle: 
which mostly looks okay I think. Uh, yeah. Help would be appreciated. Thanks! |
Replies:
Posted By: AtomicMushroom
Date Posted: 30 May 2010 at 11:18am
| When he's falling down, make his legs come apart, spread-eagle. |
Posted By: StepDragon
Date Posted: 30 May 2010 at 12:09pm
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Birds have no (read little) leg strength (well, for jumping usually), for the up animation, i would give [him?] one big flap, then just float up. and spread the wings for when falling, and make the feathers rustle.
Looking good so far though! |
Posted By: Dhr. Bosch
Date Posted: 30 May 2010 at 1:05pm
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your main problem is that you do not apply the principles of squash and stretch enough. before a character makes a jump, he squashes down, building up spring in his muscles which is released when he jumps at wich point he stretches so as to exert as much of the build up spring, it is only at the very top of the jump that a character is 'normal'. in cartoons this is usually exaggerated greatly, because if you do not it seems unconvincing. In tutorials this is usually explained with a ball, but it applies to everything. ------------- Vanitas, vanitatum omnia vanitas |
Posted By: wenruto
Date Posted: 30 May 2010 at 6:12pm
I Agree With StepDragon and Dhr.Bosch... Either you make the duck bigger or make the legs a bit shorter because right now it doesn't look like a duck at all more like a fat bird lol here's an example 
... anyways Like They Mentioned Duck Can't Jump That High and it would be best if you give it some big flaps while it's in the air.. and make it's legs go a bit forward while jumping and when it's landing and make go back .. =)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbhUInOdZWI&feature=related - check this video out Hope That Was Helpful ??!! ------------- Earn free stuff by searching like Google http://swagbucks.com/refer/wendy"> 
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Posted By: Chis
Date Posted: 30 May 2010 at 8:37pm
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Thanks everyone :D
So after checking the link from Wenruto I realized that ducks just weren't meant to jump, and since you guys said to add some flapping I decided to scrap the jumping entirely and just replace it with some good old flying. 
This is being made for a game so it'll move up and down in real time. I realize it resembles a duck very little but I was going for a more cartoonish style 
Any better? |
Posted By: Hatch
Date Posted: 30 May 2010 at 9:16pm
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Originally posted by Chis I realize it resembles a duck very little but I was going for a more cartoonish style Cop out!  Look at Donald and Daffy, you don't get much more cartoony than them but they both look like ducks.------------- |
Posted By: RollerKingdom
Date Posted: 30 May 2010 at 10:00pm
| i think what you need is to make its neck thinner ;) |
Posted By: Chis
Date Posted: 31 May 2010 at 8:06am
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Ah okay - I was actually going more for a http://www.google.com/images?q=rubber%20duck&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi - rubber duck look. Although granted the beak should still be curvier and the feet orange. I'll make those adjustments; thanks :D Sorry for not clarifying.
Also for a minute I thought Daffy was the female equivalent of Donald. Thanks to xQuack, http://www.swfcabin.com/open/1275275700 - here it is in real time. (spacebar to jump) |
Posted By: wenruto
Date Posted: 31 May 2010 at 8:54am
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Man How Did You MAke That Thing??? tell me..
anyways that's a looking good except that i think if you lower it's back while walking and standing it will look best like a duck.... =) ------------- Earn free stuff by searching like Google http://swagbucks.com/refer/wendy">
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Posted By: jalonso
Date Posted: 31 May 2010 at 9:08am
Me thinks the legs should point backwards in flight. The legs in flight now have more of a landing stance. ------------- |
Posted By: Chis
Date Posted: 31 May 2010 at 12:40pm
A bit more duckish hopefully? wenruto - xQuack performed magic with Flash. PM him for more info if you want? jalonso - will try, thanks! I guess I could include an actual landing animation in that case. |
Posted By: Petrichor
Date Posted: 01 June 2010 at 11:20am
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God I love ducks.
I know you're going for a rubber ducky look, but still, a longer neck would not be out of place. Even http://www.harkavagrant.com/nonsense/mountieduckfinal.png - professional artists with a knack for caricature have the occasional issue making ducks look like ducks but at the moment, seriously, this is a songbird of some sort. It looks a bit more duckish now than it did, though.
Things to think about: the beak's upturn looks much better than the straight one you had before and much more ducklike. If you don't want to lengthen the neck, it occurs to me that it's not so much *length* that makes a duck neck ducky--it's *shape.* Duck necks nearly always have http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Red-crested.pochard.slimbridge.arp.jpg - an S curve with the head tucked backwards http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3a/DucksHannover.jpg - against the shoulders at rest , and extended straight when flying/etc. So you'd also have the chance to add some more movement to your animation (although you might be able to just leave it curved and it look okay). Duck necks just aren't straight, and your bird's is. I think that's all it really lacks to be more ducky.
Some more duck neck pictures: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Duck - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Duck
That thin neck that Roller Kingdom mentioned, paired with the S-curve, ought to make it considerably more ducklike.
EDIT:
I've realized that a side effect of the tucked-back head is a bigger breast. See rubber ducky: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Plastik_%C3%B6rdek.png/120px-Plastik_%C3%B6rdek.png - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Plastik_%C3%B6rdek.png/120px-Plastik_%C3%B6rdek.png
I think that'll help too. When you shove the head back like it is on the rubber ducks you will naturally get the fuller breast.
Here's a REALLY good pic: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Rubberduck_%28new%29.jpg/120px-Rubberduck_%28new%29.jpg - http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/67/Rubberduck_%28new%29.jpg/120px-Rubberduck_%28new%29.jpg
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Posted By: Chis
Date Posted: 01 June 2010 at 2:02pm
Thanks for the tip Petrichor :D
I think I'm almost there. |
Posted By: cassiechihuahua
Date Posted: 01 June 2010 at 2:59pm
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for the most duckish look I'd say just pay attention to the silhouette of the pic posted above. one major thing I notice is that a duck's back/tail points down more. You know how ducks walk, there little tail feathers are pointed down and just waddle back and forth, all funny xP
the thing is, you say your going for a more 'rubber duck look', and rubber ducks are always represented swimming-position, where their backs are more up and straight. Though with real ducks, their backs are also more straight when swimming, but the thing is this duck you are drawing is a walking duck. maybe if you do a swimming version opt for the more straighter/up back, but in the position it would be pointing more down...
see backs in these pics...
normal duck swimming: http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/mallard-duck-swimming-in-jensen-lake-lebanon-hills-regional-park-mn184.jpg - http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/mallard-duck-swimming-in-jensen-lake-lebanon-hills-regional-park-mn184.jpg
rubber duck 'swimming': http://dclips.fundraw.com/zobo500dir/rubber_duck1_ganson.jpg - http://dclips.fundraw.com/zobo500dir/rubber_duck1_ganson.jpg
normal duck standing/out of water: http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/black_duck.jpg - http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/black_duck.jpg
sorry for such a long post just on a duck back...I always write too much :P
but I like what you've got going., our good at animation, and I like the beedy eye.
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Posted By: xQuack
Date Posted: 02 June 2010 at 8:54am
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Here is a little edit to the duck. I added a limiter, so you can only jump once, before having to press the spacebar again. :) Note: The new art has yet to be implemented. http://megaswf.com/view/e9349c976df9006024a4963ef53ec86c1.html |
Posted By: wenruto
Date Posted: 02 June 2010 at 6:31pm
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ummh for Some Reason When You continuously press the Space bar The Duck Goes Out Of your Sight (goes up) And when you let go it went down to the bottom of the scree and i couldn't get it back up..
Edit:tried it a second time and it still goes really high and still stays stuck at the bottom of the screen.. :( ------------- Earn free stuff by searching like Google http://swagbucks.com/refer/wendy">
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Posted By: xQuack
Date Posted: 03 June 2010 at 11:54am
| That is not the point of the "game", it is to show you the duck, nothing less, nothing more. |