one of my fav ways to animate is connect different body parts (head, torso, hands, etc) with lines, hard code key frames and put an outline around it to make it look like a single sprite.
then lerp frames
i can easily switch parts (e.g. add armor) & add new frames/animations.
spent too much time making everything 3D, but noone would use the rotate function
so i forced it instead in this boat-finding mechanic to justify making it 😬