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"Flip-O-Rama" Funhouse - Animation Games in the Tradition of "Dogman"

This engaging introductory animation course is for kids who can work with Sharpie pens and folded paper. Fans of "Dogman" books will recognize the animation style, and the teacher will explain and demonstrate the process in great detail.
Randy James, MEd
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(351)
Class
Play

What's included

1 live meeting
30 mins in-class hours

Class Experience

Class Activities

In this very hands-on class, the teacher demonstrates the craft of basic cartooning and short-format animation.  Students develop unique ideas and rudimentary characters specifically intended for animation.  They then draw and test their animated two-page sequences using traditional “onion-skinning” and page-flipping techniques.   


- Circle-Character Animation

Following a demonstration from the teacher, students learn to draw very simple characters.  Using fundamental "onion-skin" tracing and page-flipping techniques students see through the paper to make tracing decisions for movements they wish to create.

Students are encouraged to move their body parts and visually act-out the kinds of basic movements they will animate.  They also learn to consider the limitations of two-page animation, and practice how to maximize simple methods to create the illusion of exaggerated movement. 


- Bounce, Bounce, Bounce!

The teacher demonstrates fundamental "squash-and-stretch" techniques to achieve the illusion of a bouncing ball and other circular shapes.  By animating a "cycle" that repeats indefinitely, students practice one of the most fundamental aspects of animation.

They also apply the lesson to create the visual illusion of "weight" or "gravity".  Students are always encouraged to use creativity and imagination to imagine other circular shapes they can bounce such as; a pizza, the moon, bicycle tires, silly cartoon heads, tomatoes, etc.


-  "Potatomations" and other (slightly) movable feasts

Animating wacky cartoon fruits and vegetables is a time-honored tradition.  The teacher will demonstrate methods for quickly and easily illustrating funny 'toon potatoes, banana, eggs, broccoli, pomegranates, etc.

These kinds of strange shapes allow for a wide variety of simple repeating animation opportunities in a repeating "flip-o-rama" format.  Students are encouraged to innovate and amplify upon these produce-based character ideas.


NOTE: This is a live class, and the instructor uses a 2-camera system to feature specific illustration styles and techniques.  Students are encouraged (within reason!) to spontaneously interact with the instructor and others during most exercises, and this workshop can be interactive and lively.
Learning Goals
- Following examples, students learn to realistically conceive of  animated sequences that can be accomplished in two pages

- Students practice traditional page-flipping animation techniques to simulate movement

- Relying on traditional techniques, students demonstrate the use of repeating animation "cycles"
learning goal

Other Details

Supply List
Required Materials:

- Thick black Sharpie pens or similar
-Several sheets of blank white paper
External Resources
Learners will not need to use any apps or websites beyond the standard Outschool tools.
Joined December, 2021
4.9
351reviews
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Master's Degree in Education from San Francisco State University
Randy James, MEd 
Creativity Coach, Cartoonist, Animator, Word-Nerd

Hi, please call me Randy!  As a college professor of game design and animation I mentored the artistically gifted for over 20 years.  I have a Master's Degree in education and recently taught over 5,000 ESL classes to more than 1000 VIPKids.  Parents routinely praise me for my humorous and creative classes and I love to keep things lively!

Much of my creative arts curriculum stems from experiences as an award-winning cartoon animator and educational game producer in San Francisco.  I rely on these professional skills and instincts in the classroom to identify your child's artistic potential, and it's always a joy to nurture their creative abilities. 

As a kid myself I always enjoyed language games that reward clever wordplay like "telephone" and "madlibs", and have designed a series of word games and activities that really spice-up vocabulary and grammar classes.  Students who may think vocabulary is "booooring!" can abruptly devour their nomenclature (eat their words) as they learn how the English language is alive and composed of fragments from world history!

Reviews

Live One-Time Class
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$11

per class
Meets once
30 min

Completed by 114 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 7-11
1-6 learners per class

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