Push/Pull Animation

Using my reference videos and sketches I made, I have animated 2 versions of a push and a pull. Let's start with the pushes. Firstly the object the stickman is pushing is missing from both push attempts. This makes it hard to see the effort the stickman as too but into pushing the invisible object. Also he seems to push the objects with too much ease. He lacks anticipation which would make the push look more like a struggle. The first animation is a bit unclear. It is supposed to look as if he is walking up a hill. However, that is a bit difficult to see without a horizon line. By simply adding in this line I can make my animation a lot clearer and easier to communicate. For my second attempt, I would say that the struggle is a lot more effective although the object is really needed to show the full extent of the weight acting on the stickman.

 

For the pull, I think that the sense of anticipation is a lot more successful. You can clearly see the struggle of the weight even though the weight isn't evident in the actually frame. The tope that the man is pulling goes a bit wild in the last few frames - making it look as if the weight has suddenly become lighter. I need to make sure that the rope line stays consistent throughout to maintain the illusion of weight.