Bringing Drawings to Life
Flipbooks, stop-motion, paper puppets and apps: the ways a flat drawing can be made to move, with honest notes on what works and what ends in a drawer.
How to Animate Your Child's Drawing (Four Ways, From Paper to App)
Flipbooks, cut-out puppets, stop-motion and apps can all make a drawing move. Here is what each really takes, and which one suits your child.
9 min read
How to Make a Flipbook With Kids (A Sticky-Note Version That Works)
A pad of sticky notes, one pen and about twenty minutes. Plus the mistakes that make flipbooks flicker, and how to avoid them.
8 min read
Stop-Motion at the Kitchen Table, a First Project for Kids
A phone, a few books and a paper cut-out are enough for a first stop-motion film. Here is the setup, the maths in kid terms, and the fixes for a shaky first try.
9 min read
Turn a Drawing Into a Paper Puppet (and Put on a Show)
Backing, cutting, sticks and split pins: how to turn a child's drawing into a puppet that survives a show, plus a box theatre and a tiny first script.
9 min read
How to Photograph a Child's Drawing So It Looks Like the Real Thing
Window light, a flat table and a straight-down phone beat any gadget. Here is the setup, the fixes for shadows and glare, and what to do with big or bumpy artwork.
9 min read
How to Keep (and Thin Out) Your Child's Artwork Without Drowning in Paper
You cannot keep everything, and you should not try. A simple keeper rule, a photo archive, a rotating display and the right box will do.
9 min read
Apps That Bring Drawings to Life: What to Look for as a Parent
Plenty of apps promise to bring a child's drawing to life. These are the eight questions worth asking before one of them gets your child's art, or their voice.
9 min read
How a Drawing Gets Animated, a Plain-English Explainer for Curious Parents and Kids
Still pictures that move are built from a few simple ideas: frames, key poses, joints and puppets. Here they are in everyday words, with a bit for kids to read aloud.
8 min read
Turn a Child's Drawing Into a Gift Grandparents Will Keep
A child's drawing makes a gift nobody can buy. Here is what suits each format, how to prepare the file, and what to check before you order.
9 min read