Flipbooks Teach Animation
Draw a quick action in sequence, for students ages 8-17
Animation is a unique art form that creates the optical illusion of movement and action by combining single, similar images in sequence. Our eyes blend together the images to create the illusion of a moving or motion picture. This art project for students age 8-17 teaches how to make an animated flipbook using paper and pencil.
Begin the class by asking for a few examples of student’s favorite cartoons. Students know what cartoons are but may not be familiar with the process of animation. Include a basic vocabulary of animation in your discussion. Each drawing in an animation is known as a frame or cell.
Show the students what a basic flipbook looks like. There are several free flipbook resources on the internet where you can print out, cut out and assemble flipbooks. Below are just a few examples:
This place has several cool flipbooks that you can print out as well as a blank template.
Provide each student with a piece of card stock that is already divided up into eight or nine cells. Include a number in the lower right or left corner to help students keep track of their frames after they are cut. Have students sketch their ideas lightly in pencil before adding color.
This project works best with the largest number of frames, but even 8-9 frames is enough to give students an idea of how a flipbook works. Keep the action of your animation simple. Remind students that whatever subject matter they draw, they will have to do it repeatedly so it should be something they are confident drawing many times.
Suggestions for successful animations include: a rainbow that gets longer and arches across the page, a night ski that fills up with stars, a cookie that gets bites taken out of it until it disappears, an ice cream cone that increases in scoops, a plant that grows and blooms, a ball that bounces across the page and back again, and a volcano starts erupting.
After the student has completed drawing their flipbook, they may want to add color with colored pencils or crayons. Remind students that the accuracy of how they cut out their frames is important so that the books flip smoothly and accurately. Staple together the pages in sequence to complete your flipbook.
Even these simple pencil and paper animations can produce astonishing results that can get kids excited about art. It also introduces students to the concepts of animation, working in sequence and optical illusions.
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