Sketchy Leaps

A study of ninja leaping. 

So I intend to cheap out on animating... I'll still need a few poses and things to link things together (standing, leaping, gripping side, gripping ceiling, reaction to being hit) and then hopefully I can just hide transitions with effects or blurriness.

This would the leaping pose. The main consideration is that this will be used no matter what the direction the character leaps, so it has to look normal for a forwards leap as well as a straight up leap. Its not everything it could be but it'll be fine. The smaller version needs more of a touch up before I'll consider that a finished frame, I was only just using that for colour tests.

Also, despite my "little animation" goal, I am strongly considering having some kind of midair somersault kind of action going on, because that's pretty much the only way ninjas get around. Well that and cartwheeling, but I'm saving that for the sequel.