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How to Make an Animation Character Frame-by-Frame the Easy Way

Animating characters can be a daunting prospect. When you look at the amount of work that goes into animation it can seem like an impossible task, but by starting small with a flip book you will find that its not so hard and only a little time consuming. Flip books are the simplest form of animation, consisting of a series of drawn images in a notepad. When the pages are quickly flipped the image will appear to move if done correctly. For this tutorial we'll stick to the basics and animate a ball rolling across the page.

Things You'll Need

  • Notepad
  • Pencil
  • Pen
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Instructions

  1. Creating a Flipbook Animation

    • 1

      Turn to the last page of the notepad. The first drawing will go on this page, so that when the pages are flipped back to front the image will appear to move.

    • 2

      Draw part of a circle on the far left edge of the page with your pencil. It should look as though the circle is at least halfway off the page.

    • 3

      Flip to the next page in the notepad, then draw the same circle but move it about 1/8" to the right. It is important to draw each subsequent circle the same size and shape as the first one to maintain fluidity in your animation. If your paper is thin enough you should be able to see the previous page under the current one to guide your hand. If your paper is too thick to see through, quickly flip between pages to see your previous drawings.

    • 4

      Repeat step three for each subsequent drawing, moving the circle to the right each time until it is completely off the right edge of the page.

    • 5

      Flip through your drawings from back to front. If you are happy with the result, trace over the drawings with a pen to complete your flip book.

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Drawing

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