This looks great! Any chance you could clarify the frame order for me? I want to duplicate your example gif and I see the ice version has 12 frames. 

Are you saying this is 3 variations, each with its own row?

@1800thewolf: Yes, there are 3 variations, each with 4 frames of animation. Individually, each of the 3 sprite variants have 4 frames, but the variants go through a 6-frame cycle: 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, none:

The animation is divided into columns, where each new column goes through the 6-frame cycle, and each column is a different variant than the column to each side. So, the first (fully visible) column in Clint's example animation is Variant B. When the next column appears to its right, the new column is Variant C, then Variant A, then B again and so on.

The sprites in each column cycles through the 6-frame animation 1, 4, 3, 2, 1, none, but always staying within that column's variant.

Note also that, although the sprites are 64x64 pixels, the columns are 32 pixels apart, so there is a 16-pixel overlap on each side to get the ice to look like one contiguous chain of ice without actually making any one peice of ice move laterally.

Hopefully that helps you understand how to replicate Clint's example animation above. Let me know if you have other questions.

Wow, MedicineStorm! That's way more detailed a response than I was hoping for. This is exactly what I wanted to know though. Thanks so much for breaking it down for me (and the slower gif too). This definitely helps me use this excellent artwork.