You can start animating today, even if all you can draw are stick figures. In this kid-friendly class, flip book artist Amy Pirkle shows you how to create an animated flip book, step by step. All you need is a pencil, some note cards, and your imagination!
Class Sessions
Introduction to Animation
2:59
Amy kicks things off by giving a brief introduction to the art of animation. You'll see how animating with flip books is a great way to start your artistic journey and bring your drawings to life.
Give It a Shot
9:08
Okay, enough introduction. Let’s make a flip book! Get started by tapping into what Amy calls your "imagination animation intuition." Then, grab a marker or pencil and some white notecards (a sticky note pad also works) and let your imagination run wild. Afterwards, Amy shows off some sample flip books (made here at Bluprint!) and goes over the tools of the trade.
Squash & Stretch
8:51
Explore one of the most important animation techniques, the squash and stretch. It creates the illusion of flexibility, weight, speed and momentum. Apply your skills as your start your first flip book project: a classic bouncing ball.
Anticipation
5:42
Amy talks about anticipation: the movement and/or motion that informs viewers about an action before it takes place (e.g. moving your leg back to kick a soccer ball). After sharing some fun examples, Amy shows you how to animate a bottle rocket that's about to blast off.
Secondary Action
3:57
Now turn your attention to secondary animation. This technique is about adding more frames to an object's movement to make it look more realistic. For example, hair blowing in the wind as someone runs. Practice your skills as you learn how to add fur to that bouncing ball from the previous lesson.
Exaggeration
8:50
Finally, discover the importance of using exaggeration in animation. Exaggerating movements helps communicate what you're trying to show. Look at some real-life examples, and then dive into your final project: a flower wilting in the sun that is brought back to life by a raincloud.
Your Instructor
Amy Pirkle
Amy Pirkle is an art professor at the University of Alabama, where she also earned her MFA. Amy entered the world of flip book animation through her love of book making and the ultimate challenge of coming up with a new, creative way to show her husband how much she loved him on Valentine's Day. You can view Amy's hand-drawn flip books on her Instagram, @perkolatorpress.
Bonus Material
Flip Out: Learn to Animate - Class Materials
Bonus Materials available for download after purchase.
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