2D_FINAL_BALL AND TAIL

Final Tail

Now I've modified the tail to its real thickness. It doesn't look as smooth as the single line tail. I'm quite happy with this animation. However, it needs some more tweaking. For the final test, I'm going to add also a face to the ball to enhance the anticipation and to show in which direction the ball is looking.

Tail Guide

Now I've added just one line as a tail to outline the tail animation. I found it quite tricky to complete. I had a problem with keeping the size of the tail the same through out the animation and sometimes it moved too much within too little time. But eventually I think I got it  right. The animation looks fluid and smooth.

Just Ball

I've started the animation with the ball only. It will help to estimate the total time of the animation, pace and spacing. It will also save me a lot of time in case something goes wrong. I won't have to redraw whole character with tail and face. I've added a lot of stretch and squash to exaggerate my character and to help the anticipation.

Research

I've researched some squirrels looking at their tails. My ball will behave a little bit like a squirrel so I think looking at their tails will help me understand my character. I've tried to look at their tails at different situations. Whether they are relaxed, scared or active. Squirrels use their tail to help them keep the balance. So the tail is constantly moving.

Here are some images of squirrels. I will use these images as a reference for the key poses of my character.