Well, here we are at the start of the animation process! It's a humble beginning, but I got a rough skeletal cat run out of a few hours of heavy contemplation on how quadrupeds work. This rough will be the basis of both cats' run cycles, but I hope to add slight differences to each (e.g. the ghost 'floats' in the air a little longer, the kitten is bouncier, etc.) to add character.
Unfortunately his tail and head are not perfectly accurate, and he's still currently missing his other two legs on most of the frames (hence why they are not seen here). But I think the hardest part of figuring this out is over. My main reference was from The Animation Survival Kit, but I also consulted Youtube to watch footage of cats running.
I believe that this run cycle was the most important piece of the animation to tackle first. Partly due to its reusable nature for the short, but also because it seemed like the best way to test the waters on whether or not I could animate a cat. And while what you see below is quite incomplete, I'm leaving the experience with more confidence that animating cats is indeed doable.
Animation aside, I'm also pleased to report that a full minute of music for the short is near completion! But I won't be spoiling it here.
