No Fancy Frills :)

Was told the bouncing on the screen edge wasn't allowed.
Also tweaked quite a bit of the tail, and the pacing.

Getting Closer

The animation is getting refined, with a few extra pauses and some better roll at the end.

Not sure if the tail is actually long enough..i'm trying to think of things to change, and that might be hte most beneficial...though i think the tail is in relation to the ball.
Might do another test with this included...

Tweaked Bits.

Have had a quick go cleaning up stray lines, and getting some of the pauses sorted.

I think this is nearly there, there's a little more cleaning needed...possibly some more squash and stretch if i decide to. But i'm very happy with it now.

[edit] I think i'm going to focus on that 'pause' at the top, where he's losing balance. It's a bit off. Might make him fall slowly, while he's trying to grab on to the edge...

Fox Tail Test

The planning stages were fairly short, though i'd made quite a few tests.
This is the main plan for the animation.

This is the first fox-tail test.
I'm struggling to find something i can tweak on it.

I kinda like the pause at the top..though perhaps there's not enough follow through on the tail...

Showing off :(

We were told not to show off, and i made the decision to start again, as the tail wasn't really in-brief and there were too many 'background actions'.

This is the animation where too much is going on.

Will start again with a more fox-like tail. (note: also forgot the tail in the cut).

The First Full Attempt

This was my first go at the whole animation, which due to the little pauses and breathing, made it to 540 frames.
I was told in class that i wasn't allowed to make him swing around the middle column, as it wasn't part of the brief.
This is the first one, where he (it's male) swings.

I really like the little effects, the stones that come out of the column and add to the solid nature of the ball. (though that's something i WON'T be using in maya...)

Squirrels!!

Some extra research on squirrels' tails.

It's a lot more to think about, as the tail looks to be longer, and more cumbersome. Possibly a little less inherent 'spring' than my 'tadpole' one. Though i do like the dimensionality to the squirrel tail, the inner lines suggesting form, though worry about animating it smoothly.
Also going to play with extra scenes and a few mini effects :)

This is a video of a squirrel tail i found on youtube
This is another, though it's only at the end, when the fox is on a lead, that there's a little 'bounce' of the tail.