Echidna (Patreon)

These round little waddlers are the champions of my heart. I can't believe I haven't animated one before now (save for a near-static one in the background of Throat Notes).

The ripply effect traveling down its back would normally be standard fare for me- though usually when I build an effect like this, there's a degree of blind experimenting, and however it turns out I roll with it. In this case though I was looking at video references and trying my best to copy the actual swaying of an echidna, so it was interesting using these sorts of techniques for actual observation.
This would almost be a completely faithful echidna if I didn't stick a mouth under its beak at the last second, and I have no regrets.

Anyway what's this for??? Officially, nothing yet, but much like that fern I did it thematically fits into some ideas I've got in the back of my head, so it's more than likely that this is going to end up in something bigger. But before I get too carried away with context and concepts and all those exhausting things I'm just drawing what comes naturally, which is echidnas. We will see what comes next!