Animation craft instructions

For a word document version of this activity, please click here:
Animation craft instructions.doc

Creating an animation using two sheets of paper.
This is an easy activity that even young children can enjoy trying out.

You will need
1 piece of stiff paper (no larger than A5)
2 pieces of white copy paper (also cut to A5)
s
tapler
pencils/pen
markers/crayons/coloured pencils
glue stick
tracing paper (optional)

Instructions:
1. Draw a simple picture on one of the sheets of copy paper. Keep the drawing fairly basic so the animation is easier to see, for example just changing the position of the arms on a person works well. You can colour the drawing now or wait until you finish the second drawing. Remember to colour both pictures the same.

2. For the second picture of the animation, you need to keep the drawing almost the same as the first, but change just a few details to make it appear to move. Sketching the arms in a different position or changing the position of the head are both easy amendments that work well.

You can either trace or draw your picture freehand.
(If you trace remember not to copy the parts that will change).

3. Once you’ve drawn all of the parts that aren’t going to change, put the two drawings together and draw the parts that will change position on the second one.

4. Glue the original picture to the stiff paper. This will help keep the picture flat whilst you are moving the second picture to create the animation.

5. Staple the second picture to the top of the first picture, so the first picture is underneath.

6. Now use a pencil to tightly roll the top page up. Next, move the pencil quickly up and down repeatedly. This will trick your eye into thinking that the image is moving. Keep at least a bit of the top picture wrapped around the pencil while doing this.

As you become more confident you can add background details to the picture that can also be made to appear to be moving.