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Running Animation Tutorial

Animating a running human character drawn in profile can be done with eight drawings looped over and over to create the illusion of movement. Adding drawings to the loop results in a more fluid animation, while reducing the number of frames in the loop to four or even two causes the end result to move faster and provide a cartoonier effect. You can begin a loop with any frame, so let us arbitrarily choose a frame and begin animating.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencil
  • Tracing paper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Draw the figure you would like to animate in profile facing toward the right, running in full stride, with its left leg bent and extended high in front, and its right leg much straighter extended behind. Draw the right arm bent at the elbow and thrust forward, with the left arm cocked and back as far as it can go. Draw the character elevated a bit off the ground, leaping through the air, as this (along with Step 5) is the highest point in the run.

    • 2

      Draw the figure now with its left foot hitting the ground and both arms at its sides, with the right leg bent and slightly back, with the figure somewhat lower than in the previous drawing.

    • 3

      Draw the figure standing on its slightly bent left leg, keeping the right leg bent but now moving forward from its last position, with the right arm moved backward and the left arm moved forward from their previous positions. Be certain to make the figure shortest in this frame, as this (along with Step 7) is the lowest point in the run.

    • 4

      Draw the character preparing to rise back up off the ground by leaning forward on its left leg, cocking its right leg high into the air, swinging its right arm back and left arm forward.

    • 5

      Draw a reverse version of the drawing in Step 1, this time with the right leg and left arm extended forward and the left leg and right arm reaching back, with the figure once again (as in Step 1) coming off the ground to leap into the air.

    • 6

      Draw the figure with its right foot hitting the ground, left leg bent and slightly back, and both arms at its sides.

    • 7

      Draw a reverse version of Step 3, with the figure standing on its slightly bent right leg, keeping the left leg bent but now moving forward from its last position, with the left arm moved backward and the right arm moved forward from their previous positions. Be certain to make the figure shortest in this frame, because this (along with Step 3) is the lowest point in the run.

    • 8

      Draw the character leaning forward on its right leg, left leg cocked high in the air moving forward, with the right arm swinging forward and left arm swinging back.

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