How to Make a Flipbook by Hand or Online

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Bring your drawings to life with this fun and easy project

Co-authored by Aly Rusciano Reviewed by Kelly Medford

Last Updated: December 9, 2024 Fact Checked

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Drawing Your Own Flipbook

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Other Ways to Make a Flipbook

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Q&A

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Tips

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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.

Section 1 of 2:

Drawing Your Own Flipbook

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1
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.
2
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]
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3
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]
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- 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.
4
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.
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]
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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]
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- Keep background shading consistent. If the moving item itself is casting a shadow, like a bouncing ball, then move the shadow with the item.
7
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]
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- 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.

Section 2 of 2:

Other Ways to Make a Flipbook

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1
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]
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- 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.
2
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.
- Similarly, you can create graphic designs on Canva and upload them.^{[7]
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- Keep in mind that this is a digital flipbook. You won’t have to flip pages to see your drawing come to life—just hit the play button!
3
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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Can I make a flipbook in a pocket diary?

Community Answer

Yes, you can definitely use a pocket diary if the pages flip easily.

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How many sheets of paper should I use?

Ruby

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There 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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Can you publish a flip book?

Mallory Myers

Community Answer

You 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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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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