This week’s task was to choose an animal model and create a loop animation. I chose a lion. Since we had already learned about creature study and analysed feline body structure and movement in previous weeks, I wanted to continue practising with a feline animal.
Before making the animation, I looked at reference videos of lions walking. I observed the rhythm of the body, the order of the legs, and the shift of body weight. A lion’s movement has some similarities with a domestic cat, such as a flexible body, subtle spine movement, and coordination between the front and back legs. However, because a lion is much bigger, its movement feels heavier and more powerful.
In this animation practice, I mainly focused on making the loop feel natural and checking whether the contact points of the four legs worked correctly. I needed to keep the character stable in the loop and avoid sudden jumps or broken rhythm. This exercise helped me understand timing, spacing, weight shift, and body mechanics in animal walk cycles more clearly. Through making the lion loop animation, I also realised that creature animation is not only about moving four legs, but about making the whole body work together.