Flip-book fun

Do you watch your favourite Dora the Explorer, Ben 10 or The Simpsons episodes on TV and wish you could make your own cartoon characters come to life? We’ll show you how to make a fab animated flip book.

Gather your supplies

Paper pad; tape; pencil; rubber; marker pens

STEP 1

Secure the side of your pad with tape so the pages won’t fall out when you flip your book.

STEP 2

Pick a simple cartoon you would like to animate and draw a picture on the last page of your pad. Remember to use a pencil so you can rub it out if you need to.

STEP 3

On the next page in, draw a picture that is almost identical but slightly different from the previous picture. For example, if you want to draw a man skateboarding, start by drawing him standing by the side of his skateboard. On the next page, draw his leg slightly raised, then gradually make him move so 1 leg is on the skateboard. Continue drawing 1 figure on each page, making slight changes each time – maybe draw him with his foot pushing off the ground, then with both feet on the board. You could even make him do a jump!

STEP 4

Have a go at flipping your book, from back to front, to make your figure move. Once you’re happy, trace over the drawing with pen. And there you have it… your own animation!

3-D theatre

Take your cartoons to the next dimension and go 3-D with your very own miniature theatre.

Gather your supplies

Shoebox (about 30 x 25cm); ruler; pencil; scissors; scrapbooking papers; card stock; scrapbooking stickers; black acrylic craft paint; coloured craft paint; paintbrush; PVA glue; red fabric; lengths gold ribbon (2); bamboo skewers; sticky tape

STEP 1

Remove and discard lid from your shoebox and turn box on its side. Measure, mark and cut out a 7 x 15cm rectangle at the bottom of each side. Paint box black and let dry.

STEP 2

Measure the back of your box, then cut a piece of scrapbooking paper to this size and paint a background picture onto the paper. Glue in place to create a backdrop. Do the same for the floor. We used a sunny beach theme.

STEP 3

lue pictures, such as trees and a sun, onto card and carefully cut out. Glue onto your backdrop or make stands with folded card to help them sit on the stage.

STEP 4

Make curtains by cutting two 32 x 15cm rectangles out of the red fabric. Gather shorter sides and glue under the roof of each side of the stage. When glue has dried, tie the gold ribbon in bows around the middle to hold curtains open.

STEP 5

Flip through magazines to find pictures of your favourite cartoon characters, or draw your own. Stick them onto card and carefully cut out.

STEP 6

Cut skewers to remove sharp ends. Tape 1 end of a skewer to back of each character so it sticks out sideways near their feet, and poke the other end through cut-outs in side of box. Make some stick out from left and others from right, so your characters can enter the stage from different sides. Now, let the show begin!

Stockist: Craft supplies, Riot Art & Craft, (03) 9555 7350 or www.riotstores.com.au