• 80 ideas

Flipbook Animation Ideas for a 24, 40 or 60 Page Pad

Three premises per press, each sized in pages, with the first and last drawing to pencil in before you start.

Flipbook Animation Ideas for a 24, 40 or 60 Page Pad

Show all 80
  1. Zoom from space down to one ant60 pages. First: Earth as a small circle. Last: an ant filling the page. New scene every 10: coast, town, garden, leaf.
  2. Stick figure drawing its own balloon and floating away60 pages. First: figure with a pencil. Last: empty page, pencil on the floor. The drawn circle fills out over 10 pages.
  3. Stick figure lifting a barbell and wobbling40 pages. First: crouched at the bar. Last: bar overhead, knees shaking. Bend the bar more the higher it goes.

Next step Tell a longer gag in panelsFind an animal to set moving

All 80 ideas

About 24 pages 30

  • Apple eaten down to the core 24 pages. First: whole apple. Last: core and one pip. A new bite every 3 pages. Nothing moves, so it is forgiving.
  • Bat hitting a ball out of the page 24 pages. First: batter ready, ball entering. Last: batter watching the top corner. Contact lasts one page.
  • Big yawn that takes over a face 24 pages. First: sleepy face, mouth shut. Last: the same, eyelids lower. Open for 12 pages, hold 4, snap shut.
  • Birthday candles blown out one by one 24 pages. First: five lit candles. Last: five wisps of smoke. A flame leans over for 2 pages before it goes.
  • Bubble rising and popping at the top edge 24 pages. First: small bubble low down. Last: a ring of tiny dashes. It wobbles wide, then tall, as it climbs.
  • Bud opening into a flower 24 pages. First: closed bud. Last: open flower. Peel one petal outward every 4 pages. The stem never moves.
  • Candle burning down to a stub 24 pages. First: tall candle. Last: a stub and a wisp of smoke. Shorten it a hair per page and wobble the flame.
  • Dot growing to fill the page and shrinking back 24 pages. First and last: a dot. Grow for 12 pages, shrink for 12. Draw round a coin for the middle sizes.
  • Fish swimming in at one edge and out at the other 24 pages. First: a nose at the edge. Last: a tail leaving. Swing the tail to the other side every 3 pages.
  • Five-point star spinning 24 pages. First and last: one point straight up. It only has to turn 72 degrees to loop: 3 degrees a page.
  • Giraffe stretching up to a leaf 24 pages. First: leaf just out of reach. Last: leaf gone, giraffe chewing. Only the neck gets longer.
  • Heart swelling and bursting into little hearts 24 pages. First: small heart. Last: a ring of tiny hearts. Swell for 16 pages, burst in 2, drift for 6.
  • House drawing itself one line at a time 24 pages. First: one ground line. Last: finished house with smoke. Each page adds a stroke, so nothing moves.
  • Ice cream scoop sliding off its cone 24 pages. First: proud scoop. Last: empty cone, splat below. Lean for 14 pages, hang for 4, drop in 3.
  • Light bulb flickering on 24 pages. First: grey bulb. Last: bulb with long rays. Flicker twice before it stays lit: rays, none, rays, none.
  • M-shaped gull flapping across the sky 24 pages. First and last: wings up in a wide M. Flatten to a line, dip to a W, come back. Three flaps in all.
  • Shooting star crossing a night sky 24 pages. First and last: the same fixed stars. The streak is long mid-page and short at both ends.
  • Smiley face that winks 24 pages. First and last: both eyes open. Close one eye over 4 pages, hold it shut for 3, then open it.
  • Stick figure backflip 24 pages. First: standing, arms up. Last: landing crouch. Tuck tight at page 12 and never move the ground line.
  • Stick figure jumping jacks 24 pages. First and last: feet together, arms down. Open over 6 pages, close over 6, then do it again.
  • Stick figure kicking a ball off the page 24 pages. First: figure beside a ball. Last: figure alone, leg high. Swing the leg back for 6 pages first.
  • Stick figure on a swing 24 pages. First and last: swing at the back of its arc. Space the pages wide in the middle, tight at each end.
  • Stick figure tripping over a line 24 pages. First: mid-stride. Last: flat out, one foot in the air. The walk takes 15 pages, the fall only 5.
  • Stick figure waving hello 24 pages. First and last: arm up, hand tilted left. Only the forearm moves, so trace the body every time.
  • Stopwatch hand sweeping one full turn 24 pages. First and last: hand at the top. It moves 15 degrees a page. Mark 24 ticks round the rim first.
  • Sun rising over a hill 24 pages. First: a glow on the horizon. Last: full sun with rays. Lift the sun by the same small step each page.
  • Tunnel of rings rushing past 24 pages. First and last: four nested rings. Each ring grows off the page while a new dot starts in the centre.
  • Wave rolling along the bottom of the page 24 pages. First and last: crest at the left edge. Slide it right each page. A new crest enters as the old one leaves.
  • Wobbly tooth falling out of a grin 24 pages. First: full grin. Last: a gap, and a tooth on the floor. Four wobbles, each wider than the last.
  • Your name writing itself stroke by stroke 24 pages. First: blank. Last: the whole name, underlined. Trace what is there, then add one more stroke.

About 40 pages 28

  • Butterfly fluttering round the edge of the page 40 pages. First and last: top left corner. Ten pages a side. Wings shut on every other page, open on the rest.
  • Car stopping to let a duck cross 40 pages. First: empty road. Last: car leaving, duck on the far side. The duck crosses in 16 pages. Nobody hurries.
  • Cat stretching, circling and curling up to sleep 40 pages. First: standing cat. Last: a loaf with a Z above it. Long stretch, two slow circles, then down in 6 pages.
  • Countdown from five that ends in a bang 40 pages. First: a large 5. Last: a star burst. Each number shrinks away over 6 pages and the next one pops in.
  • Dandelion clock blown away seed by seed 40 pages. First: full round head. Last: bare stalk. Each seed lifts off, drifts right and is gone in 6 pages.
  • Face turning from calm to furious 40 pages. First: neutral face. Last: steam from both ears. Brows drop first, then the mouth, then the head shakes.
  • Hourglass running out and flipping over 40 pages. First and last: sand all in the top bulb. Drain for 30 pages, then rotate the whole glass in 10.
  • Ice lolly melting off its stick 40 pages. First: whole lolly. Last: bare stick in a puddle. Drips run down first, then the top slumps sideways.
  • Moon going through its phases 40 pages. First and last: empty sky, the new moon. The lit edge grows in from one side and leaves by the other.
  • Popcorn kernel heating up and popping 40 pages. First: one kernel. Last: a fluffy piece landing. Tremble for 25 pages, swell for 5, burst in 1.
  • Rabbit popping out of a magician's hat 40 pages. First: upturned hat, nothing else. Last: rabbit out to the waist, waving. The ears appear alone for 10 pages.
  • Rocket lifting off and leaving the top of the page 40 pages. First: rocket on the pad. Last: empty pad, settling smoke. Shake it for 8 pages before it rises.
  • Sailing boat crossing the page as the sun sets 40 pages. First: boat left, sun high. Last: boat right, sun half sunk. Two slow moves at once, both in tiny steps.
  • Seed growing into a sunflower 40 pages. First: bare soil line. Last: open flower facing you. Stem for 25 pages, leaves on the way, petals last.
  • Spider dropping on a thread and climbing back up 40 pages. First and last: spider tucked at the top edge. Fast drop, small bounce, long pause, slow wriggling climb.
  • Stick figure basketball shot with a swish 40 pages. First: knees bent, ball low. Last: net still swinging. The ball follows one smooth arc: dot it in first.
  • Stick figure carried off by an umbrella 40 pages. First: figure in the rain, umbrella up. Last: a dot in the sky. The feet leave the ground one at a time.
  • Stick figure cartwheel across the page 40 pages. First: arms up at the left edge. Last: arms up at the right. Hands and feet land like wheel spokes.
  • Stick figure climbing a ladder that keeps growing 40 pages. First: foot on rung one. Last: still climbing, clouds going by. Scroll the ladder down, not the figure up.
  • Stick figure dive off a high board 40 pages. First: toes on the board end. Last: splash rings, no figure. Bounce twice, tuck, open out, enter straight.
  • Stick figure lifting a barbell and wobbling 40 pages. First: crouched at the bar. Last: bar overhead, knees shaking. Bend the bar more the higher it goes.
  • Stick figure long jump into a sandpit 40 pages. First: start of the run-up. Last: sitting in the sand, arms up. Run for 20 pages, fly for 8, then slide.
  • Stick figure on a skateboard popping an ollie 40 pages. First: rolling in from the left. Last: rolling out to the right. Crouch, pop, level the board, land bent.
  • Tadpole growing legs and hopping away as a frog 40 pages. First: tadpole. Last: empty pond, ripples. Back legs at page 10, front legs at 20, tail gone by 30.
  • Teacup morphing into a cat 40 pages. First: teacup, handle right. Last: sitting cat, tail right. The handle turns into the tail. Hold both ends.
  • Volcano rumbling and erupting 40 pages. First: quiet cone. Last: lava down both sides. Smoke puffs for 15 pages, then the top blows in 3.
  • Worm eating a hole through the corner of the page 40 pages. First: clean corner. Last: a big drawn hole and a fat worm. Shade the hole so the page looks bitten.
  • Zip opening to show a second drawing 40 pages. First: closed zip down the page. Last: wide open, a night sky inside. Draw the inside scene once and trace it.

About 60 pages 22

  • Biplane looping the loop 60 pages. First: plane enters low left. Last: plane exits right. Pencil the loop as a circle and turn the plane on it.
  • Caterpillar, chrysalis and butterfly in three acts 60 pages. First: caterpillar on a twig. Last: empty twig, butterfly leaving. 20 pages an act. The twig never moves.
  • City skyline going from day to night 60 pages. First: sun up, blank windows. Last: moon up, windows lit. After page 30, light one window every 3 pages.
  • Dog sent for a stick and returning with a branch 60 pages. First: stick flies off the right edge. Last: dog drags in a whole branch. Leave 10 empty pages in the middle.
  • Eight-step dance that repeats 60 pages. First and last: the same start pose. Seven pages a step, 4 to settle. Draw the 8 poses first, then fill in.
  • Face ageing from baby to grandparent 60 pages. First: round bald baby. Last: round bald grandparent. Hair comes and goes. Change one feature per 5 pages.
  • Figure pushing the edge of the page until it bends 60 pages. First: figure notices the border. Last: the border bulges and springs back. Draw the border on every page.
  • Gymnast vault with a stuck landing 60 pages. First: start of the run. Last: arms up, feet together. Run 25, hands on the vault 5, twist 15, hold 15.
  • Marble zigzagging down ramps to the bottom 60 pages. First: marble top left. Last: marble in a cup. Draw the ramps on every page first, then add the marble.
  • Morph chain from fish to bird to plane to rocket 60 pages. First: fish facing right. Last: rocket leaving. 15 pages a shape. Fins turn to wings and back to fins.
  • Penalty kick where the keeper dives the wrong way 60 pages. First: kicker and keeper facing. Last: kicker's arms up. A long run-up, a quick shot, a slow sad keeper.
  • Roller coaster seen from the front seat 60 pages. First: track climbing to a crest. Last: track levelling at the station. The rails meet at one dot that swings.
  • Staring contest that ends in one blink 60 pages. First and last: two faces nose to nose. Eyes water, a brow twitches. The blink on page 55 lasts one page.
  • Stick figure drawing its own balloon and floating away 60 pages. First: figure with a pencil. Last: empty page, pencil on the floor. The drawn circle fills out over 10 pages.
  • Stick figure finding a door and falling through it 60 pages. First: figure walks in. Last: door swings shut on an empty page. Walk 20, puzzle 15, open 10, fall 15.
  • Stick figure obstacle run over three hurdles 60 pages. First: set on the start line. Last: arms up past the third hurdle. Clip the second one for a stumble.
  • Stick figure surfing a growing wave 60 pages. First: paddling on a flat sea. Last: riding out of the curl. The wave rises behind for 30 pages, then breaks.
  • Stick figure tennis rally 60 pages. First and last: left player about to serve. Six hits of 10 pages. Space the ball widest at mid-court.
  • Storm that ends in a rainbow 60 pages. First: one small cloud. Last: clear sky, full arc. Gather 20 pages, rain 25, and the arc grows left to right.
  • Tower block building itself floor by floor 60 pages. First: a foundation line. Last: ten floors and a flag. Six pages a floor: two walls, a slab, then windows.
  • Wall that builds itself, and unbuilds flipped backward 60 pages. First: one brick. Last: a wall of 60 bricks. One brick a page. Flip from the other end and it comes down.
  • Zoom from space down to one ant 60 pages. First: Earth as a small circle. Last: an ant filling the page. New scene every 10: coast, town, garden, leaf.

How it works

A flipbook fails when the pad runs out before the action does, so these flipbook animation ideas are sized in pages: about 24, 40 or 60 sheets of a sticky-note pad. All 80 name the first drawing, the last drawing and how to spend the pages between. The Loops, Stick figures and No character to draw groups narrow the list.

Read the full guide

The page counts are our suggestion

No rule says how long a flipbook is, so the three sizes are ours. About 24 pages holds one action: a backflip or a wink. About 40 adds a wind-up or an aftermath, such as the rocket that shakes for 8 pages before it lifts. About 60 holds three beats or one slow change, like the zoom from space to an ant. Count your pad's sheets first.

Start on the bottom sheet

A sticky-note pad is usually flipped from the back, letting sheets fall off the thumb one at a time, so the first drawing belongs on the last sheet. Work upward: each new sheet drops over the drawing before it, and the paper is thin enough to trace whatever stays still. Spacing is speed. Move a thing a hair per page and it crawls. Move it a finger width and it shoots.

  • Keep the drawing in the half of the sheet furthest from the glue strip. The glued end barely opens when the pad is flipped.
  • Pencil the last drawing on a spare sheet and keep it in view. Knowing where the rocket must end stops it running out of pad.
  • Choose the Loops group for a first book. A loop ends where it began, so photographed sheet by sheet it makes a clean GIF.

Questions and answers

How many pages should a flipbook have?

There is no standard, and the reference named under the list gives no page count, so 24, 40 and 60 are only our suggestions. If the motion flashes past, the change from page to page was too big: halve it and the same action fills twice the pages.

What are the easiest flip book animation ideas?

Turn on No character to draw and look for premises where nothing moves and something is only added or taken away: the house that draws itself, the apple eaten to the core, the birthday candles going out. Every page is a tracing plus one change.

Who invented the flipbook?

The first on record is John Barnes Linnett's, patented on 18 March 1868 and named the Kineograph, or moving picture. German has the friendlier word, Daumenkino, a thumb cinema, and the thumb really is the projector: it lets the pages go one at a time while your other hand grips the spine.

More tools

Show 8 more

Browse Drawing Ideas