Sprite Animation Lesson 3 of 4

Walk and idle cycles

The two cycles every character needs, and how to loop them.

A cycle is an animation that loops seamlessly — the last frame flows back into the first. The two you will make constantly are the idle (a subtle breathing/bob so a standing character is not a dead statue) and the walk (the legs-and-arms cycle for movement).

A simple 4-frame walk

  1. Contact — front foot lands, back foot pushes off
  2. Down/passing — weight is lowest, legs pass each other
  3. Contact (mirrored) — other foot lands
  4. Up/passing — body rises to its highest point
Tip Even a 2-pixel vertical bob turns a static idle into a living character. Small motion reads as "alive"; no motion reads as "broken."
Quick check

A looping animation is called a cycle because:

▶ Build a 4-frame walk Contact → passing → contact → passing, then loop it.
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