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Bring your drawings to life with this fun and easy project
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A flipbook is a small stack of image-filled sheets of paper that reveal an animation when you flip through them. Making your own flipbook animation is easy and super fun to do! All you need is some paper, a writing utensil, and some creativity. In this article, we’ll take you through the process of making a flipbook step-by-step. Plus, we’ve even thrown in a few alternative ways to create a digital flipbook.
Easy Way to To Make Your Own Flipbook
- Collect a small stack of paper.
- Draw an image on the bottom corner of the top sheet of paper.
- Draw the same image on the next sheet of paper with a slight variation.
- Keep drawing slightly different images in the corners of each sheet.
- Flip through the pages to watch your animation once it’s finished.
Steps
Section 1 of 2:
Drawing Your Own Flipbook
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Get a small, thick stack of paper to make your flipbook with. You can use a notebook or pad of sticky notes or bind your own stack of paper using glue, staples, or a paper clip. Look for paper that is around 3 x 5 inches (7.6 x 12.7 cm). Something slightly smaller or larger can also work.- Use lightweight paper for your flipbook so the pages are easy to flip.
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Draw an image on the bottom sheet of paper in the stack. This image will be the first sequence of your flipbook animation, so draw whatever you want to be the starting point. Draw the image toward the bottom right corner of the sheet of paper so it’s visible when you’re flipping through the book later on.- Draw in pencil so you can erase any mistakes you make along the way. Go over the pencil with ink once you’re finished with your animation.
- Keep your drawing in one area of the paper. This way, your animation will always be in one location, making it easier to see when you flip the pages. [1] X Research source
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Draw the same image on the next sheet of paper, varying it slightly. Draw the image around the same spot on the page as the first image you drew. This image will be the second sequence in your animation, so it should display a minor shift from the first image.
- Use a lightbox under your sheets of paper in order to create an “onion skin” to be able to see the image on the previous sheet. [2] X Research source
- Alternatively, you can also retrace the original drawing by pressing down hard to create an indent of the image on the next page.
- For example, to create an animation of a stick-figure person waving their hand, you’d start by drawing the figure with their hands down at their sides on the last page of the stack. On the next page up, you’d draw the same stick-figure person in the same spot on the page, but this time, one of his hands would be slightly moved upward.
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Continue drawing slightly varied images on each subsequent sheet of paper. Always draw the next image or sequence of animation on the page that’s on top of the previous image you drew. These slightly varied images will create the animation when you flip through your book.
- For example, in the waving stick-figure person animation, you’d continue to draw the stick-figure person on each subsequent page, with his hand gradually moving higher up in each drawing.
- Once his hand is fully in the air in an image you draw, start to draw images of his hand moving back down to his side. This creates the look that he’s waving his hand up and down in the final animation.
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Use color to make your flipbook animation more interesting. Try using markers or colored pencils to fill in the images you draw. Use the same colors in each sequence of your animation so your animation looks fluid and continuous when you flip through your flipbook. [3] X Research source
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Create elaborate drawings so your flipbook is more complex. Once you’ve mastered the basics, move on from drawing stick figures and start drawing interesting scenes and characters with dimension. Use shading and perspective to make your animation look more realistic. [4] X Research source- Keep background shading consistent. If the moving item itself is casting a shadow, like a bouncing ball, then move the shadow with the item.
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Flip through your flipbook to watch your animation once it’s finished. Hold your thumb on the bottom-right edge of the stack and slowly pull upward, flipping through each page of the book. Flip through the pages fast enough that your animation looks fluid but not so fast that you accidentally skip over pages in the sequence. [5] X Research source
- If the pages are slipping too much, secure them along the top edge with a binder clip or a staple.
- Ensure no pages are sticking together so your flipbook can be as fluid as possible.
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Section 2 of 2:
Other Ways to Make a Flipbook
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Print out images to create a physical photo flipbook. If you’re not the best drawer, have no fear! There’s a creative way you can still make a flipbook. Take a series of photos of yourself (we recommend taking a burst photo while doing an action to get multiple images). Then, print out the photos so they’re all the same size. Arrange the photos in order and glue, staple, or bind them together. [6] X Research source- Try taking photos of you making a heart with your hands, signing “I Love You,” or making a silly face.
- Remember, if you’re taking individual photos, make sure to take a photo of every slight movement for a smooth animation.
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Create a digital animated flipbook with FlipaClip or Canva. FlipaClip is an app that lets you animate anything and everything! This app allows you to create your own flipbook or animation without needing paper or writing utensils. Simply draw whatever you want and follow the app’s instructions. -
Use an online PDF flipbook converter. In the business world, flipbooks are digital books or PDFs with a “flipping” animation that makes it look like a page is turning on screen. While these aren’t specifically designed to make animated flipbooks, they could work in a pinch! Simply upload a series of drawings as a PDF to Flipsnack.com , InstantFlipbook.com , FlipHTML5.com , or Heyzine.com . Follow the website’s instructions, download your PDF, and then quickly hit the forward and back pages on the flipbook to make the animation come to life.- Keep in mind that this isn’t a foolproof method and may be trickier to navigate for smaller drawings.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I make a flipbook in a pocket diary?Community AnswerYes, you can definitely use a pocket diary if the pages flip easily.
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QuestionHow many sheets of paper should I use?RubyTop AnswererThere isn't really a number, use how many you think will be suitable for your animation. Bear in mind that the flipbook will flow better if you have lots of images with small changes rather than a few images with less subtle changes.
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QuestionCan you publish a flip book?Mallory MyersCommunity AnswerYou can publish any type of book that a publisher wants to take up. Although if you are looking for a publisher, don't give up if you get rejected the first 500 times. Keep going.
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The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- If you're making a long flipbook, I would recommend numbering the pages in the corner. This way, you can do different sections and put the pages in the right order.
- Try using Post-It notes instead of loose leaf paper, as they can be easier to flip.
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Things You’ll Need
Drawing Your Own Flipbook
- Loose leaf paper or pad of sticky notes
- Glue, staples, or paper clips
- Pencil and pen
- Lightbox (optional)
- Markers or colored pencils (optional)
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/F0T8cs3WOmU?t=39&feature=share
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/shorts/F0T8cs3WOmU?t=13&feature=share
- ↑ http://blog.schoolspecialty.com/art-craft/flip-books-101/
- ↑ http://blog.schoolspecialty.com/art-craft/flip-books-101/
- ↑ https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/flipbook-animation-techniques-and-examples/
- ↑ https://www.nyfa.edu/student-resources/flipbook-animation-techniques-and-examples/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/D6b_eLsxWfk?t=76
About This Article
Article Summary
X
If you want to make a flipbook by hand, get a small, thick stack of paper, then use a pencil to draw an image on the bottom sheet of paper in the stack. Keep the image in the bottom right corner of the sheet so it’s visible when you’re flipping through the book. Draw the same image on each page, but vary it slightly so the image will appear to move. For instance, you could draw a ball bouncing. Flip through the pages from top to bottom to see the movement. To learn how to turn a video into a flipbook, read on!
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Reader Success Stories
- "It really helped, I found a site with flipbooks on it and I just feel in love with all of them. I went crazy searching for how to make a flipbook and this is the place I found it. Really. Thanks. " ..." more
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"It really helped, I found a site with flipbooks on it and I just feel in love with all of them. I went crazy searching for how to make a flipbook and this is the place I found it. Really. Thanks. "
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"Awesome article. Helped me a lot and it is very helpful for real beginners. Brief but informal, simply perfect. I love how it makes you feel confident of yourself in each sentence. Thanks a lot!"
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"Using the paper cutter is helpful, as I am using printed photos of my stepbrother's first dance at his wedding. My camera takes 20 pics at a time in rapid succession!"
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"So helpful. I have been meaning to make one of these for ages but I just hadn't found the right website until I found this one! Highly recommend. "
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"I found this article to be very informative and helpful. I started with no clue at all. Now I'm about to try my luck with making one. Thank you."
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