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Person holding flip book showing movement of airplane sketch with colorful sharpies and other supplies near by.
Print Recipe

How to Make a Flip Book with Index Cards

Here’s How to Make a Flip Book with Index Cards step by step. A flipbook is like creating your own short homemade animated cartoon! So cool!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Craft, Paper Craft
Cuisine: Craft
Keyword: DIY flip book, DIY flipbook, example of a flip book, flip book video, flipbook DIY, homemade flip book, how do you make a flipbook, how to make a flip book, how to make a flip book out of paper, how to make a flipbook
Servings: 1 Flipbook
Author: Shelly
Cost: $1

Equipment

  • Light box (optional)-

Ingredients

Instructions

  • A good place to start with your first flipbook is with 25 index cards. First stack the cards landscape direction. Then number them from one to 25 with very small numbers in the bottom left-hand corner.
  • On a separate piece of paper, make a template of the main object you would like in your drawing. Take your index card number one and put it over your template and on top of a light source.
  • Draw your object in the first place it needs to be in in the series of action steps that you want to create. With 25 cards that’s 25 steps of movement.
  • Now use card number one underneath card number two. Shift your second card over the first card and then trace your object in its second location or second step of movement. 
  • Repeat and trace the object in its' third step of movement, fourth step of movement, and so on until you have moved and traced your object 25 times. Watching the video really helps to understand how this works.
  • Stack the cards from 1-25 so the right hand side are even. Add about 5 to 10 extra blank cards at the back.
    Tap the cards on the table on the right hand side so that that it is the most even edge.
    Place your binder clip on the left hand edge of the cards.
  • Finally, hold your booklet firmly with your left hand around the binder clip and use your right hand to flip the right hand edge of the index cards. I use my thumbnail to do the flipping.

Video

Notes

FIY, you can add color and more details to your drawings if you would like to.