Initial Research / Inspiration:

Reference Images:

Reference Videos:

Sketch:

Oliver ~ Walk Cycle - [10 Frames]

Principles Applied:

I decided to use follow-through, overlapping, and secondary action. I didn't really want to do squash and sketch because I didn't have time to mess with it, and I also didn't feel like it fit what I wanted, since the aesthetic is not going to be really bubbly but still cartoonish. Oliver the cowboy wasn't going to be a bubbly guy, so I felt like squash and squish didn't fit him or the ecstatic I am going for. 

The way that I used overlapping was the arms swinging back and forth while he was also walking and taking a step forward, making contact with the ground, going down, and then passing up to take that step back to the ground.

Next, I’d say the follow-through and secondary action are all about the Hat. The secondary action is the Hat bouncing up and down as he moves, taking that step and going up and down. The follow-through is the Hat lagging behind a little bit and staying back on his head when he takes that first step. 

Reflection / Secondary Actions?

If I were to add a couple more secondary actions, I would probably make an NPC that has a feather on top of their hat and make the feather move differently compared to the rest of their body, depending on what action they're doing, swinging about or walking.

Another one could be dust clouds when the player is walking; that's a common one in video games, a dust trail. 💨

For a third one, maybe a sign swinging from the breeze outside, making the world feel more alive, like there's an atmosphere, wind, and then it can also go together with the Tumbleweed that I made before, where it just scrolls or moves across the screen. 🛞

Oh, and one last thing! Oliver is missing certain details, like his highlights/shadows and his boots, because I felt like it was hard to implement that while I was trying to initially make his walking cycle. I don't want to add that additional detail yet because I'm not sure if I'm going to fix or change some of his walking frames, so that's why he is the way he is now, with no shoes and fewer highlights and other colors. ✒️