not the best animation, but its the refrence video iw as using
i knew the poses were unnatural and went on anyway.
One of the most profound things my life painting instructor ever told me was: “At some point, you stop painting the model, and start painting the painting.”
I guess the animator’s equivalent would be: “At some point, you stop animating your reference, and start animating your puppet.”
I’m not going to provide a detailed critique, because it sounds like you already know what you want to improve. I am looking forward to seeing the improvements. You have a cute character there.