Deconstructing a Jump

The jump is another very common type of animation to do for a character. Just as we did with previous animations, we will take the time to review each key pose in the animated jump before you actually do the animation with one of your characters. Here is a break down of those poses:

Anticipation

By now, you will have encountered anticipation in much of the animation you have seen. Before the character takes action, he will anticipate that action. This will be evident in the animation and you need to plan it out.

Push

This push is the opposite of the anticipation. Instead of crouching to take in the energy needed to jump, the character will now push it all toward its destination (in this case, he is jumping straight up).

Stretch

The stretch is that very moment where all the energy is released and the character is at its highest. Then, as the second image is showing, the charcter will start being pulled again by gravity.

Impact

Finally, there is the moment of impact, when the character needs to squash again because of the weight of its body hitting the ground. Following the impact, he can get back up again.