Rabbit in 2D (wip)

I already worked on this for a month while attempting to introduce myself to animation. Now I feel like seeing if I can find advice I may have overlooked.

These two are early vector images done in inkscape. Although not the earliest, I couldn’t really get over how different they looked from my model. See the first comic at the end of the post.

I liked the looks though, so I try as much as possible to avoid changing it while remaining believable. So the style includes thick light lines; a bigger head; much bigger ears; and only slightly bigger paws than the original model. The rest should stay in proportion, which is where I’ve been struggling.

Here is the goal, this rabbit will be facing different directions and doing different things. I’m trying to improve the quality of my work while keeping everything 2-dimensional.
current gifs ( 2 of a total 11 )

I made a 3D blender model based on videos all at the same angle because I have prior (very little) blender experience. I was close, but I didn’t quite get his back leg movement right in 2D.

It came out good, even after I rigged it and had bunny step back really far with his left foot.

My goal remains 2D.
Any suggestions or comments? Thank you.

edit: removed some embarrassing errors

Hi good day, the bunnys looks really cutes :3
Well I don’t know much about bunnys, But I thing that need a little more move in the front pats, I find this video maybe can help you with the move of the legs youtu.be/qM9YWm6T_hc ^-^

Thanks labozamora. It’s a good reminder. Rabbits are very agile, which that makes them difficult to animate accurately, especially for someone new. I think that also makes them more interesting to observe. Their nose never stops moving unless they’re asleep, which I learned a while ago.

Just a small update today. My posts here aren’t going to be very regular or scheduled.

I made some additional changes so the rabbit animation and the concept cartoons I draw look even more different, but it’s all for the sake of making it easier on me. I am trying some new slightly more reckless ways to animate. Today I finally planned how to use the exported canvases feature thanks to the change. I should have more to show for this soon.

The outline almost right in my previous animation. I made an HD version with features from every angle. Then I decided I should trace the image again and use the new outline.

The look is finally born.


[size=85]Copyright 2014 Joseph Corcelli[/size]

Any advice or comments on Synfig use or this current animation’s appearance is appreciated.

Final edit: I decided to import separate files for details. On the third gif I copied the nose and the eyes from my original template drawing that has the rabbit turn 180 degrees.
I use a time loop to stick the eyes into a single direction.
The nose doesn’t animate, but later I’ll make it move slightly while it’s out of a time loop so he appears to be sniffing.
Both are filtered “onto” the body behind the outline.

Animation is fine, rabbit cute :smiley:
Just one comment. I would like the tail a bit higher and with a mushroom like shape (well a classic rabbit tail). It would have made it cutter even!
-G