Reference
In this part, I filmed myself as a reference for my animation. I set up my phone to capture a full-body shot and practiced taking a step to the left, just like I want my character to do. I focused on how I shift my weight before lifting my foot and how my foot moves in the air and lands. Watching it back, I slowed it down to catch all the details. This quick reference helps a lot and gives me a real movement to follow for my blocking.
Some additional tutorials are also necessary. I got some inspiring guidance from the tutorial below
Planning
Based on the references I shot, I drew the Planning.
Processing
In this part, I’m working on blocking a simple step to the left for the ball walker. First, I set the starting pose with both feet on the ground, standing straight. Then, I shift the weight over to the right leg, getting ready for the left leg to lift. This weight shift is key; without it, the character would look like it’s floating instead of grounded. Next, I lift the left leg and stretch it out to the side for the step, rotating the hips a bit to follow the movement. The right leg bends to support the body as the left foot reaches out. Once the left foot touches down, I adjust the hips slightly towards it, as if the weight is about to shift. Finally, I set the character in a resting pose with the weight now fully on the left leg, and the right leg relaxed. This is just the blocking stage, so it’s rough, but it captures the main poses and weight shifts. Later, I’ll add in-betweens to make it smooth, but for now, this gives me a clear picture of the step. Blocking like this helps me see if the main action looks good before adding details.