Artistic

Everyone is familiar with flip books, I'm sure. They're those fun little drawings painstakingly drawn on each little slip of paper, so when you flip them, a little animation comes out of it. I've always been fascinated with flip books...


Flip books were invented, or, rather, they first appeared, in September of 1868. A man by the name of John Barnes Linnet claimed a patent on the system, calling it a kineograph. It essentially meant 'moving picture'. Unlike the phenaskitoscope, which was circular in the way it animated objects, the kineograph was linear. Later on, things were formed from this idea such as the mutoscope, and also, the new film projector.


Since their creation, flip books were marketed off fairly cheaply. They're given off as small toys, for example, like the prizes in Cracker Jacks. Occasionally, you can find evidence of flip books in corners of books. I remember how the Animorphs series used to have a little running thing in the corner of the pages as you went along.

Flip books were the main idea that founded the animation that we see today. Meaning, that little bundle of papers has done a lot for us. It has also helped promote things such as cars. There are even flip book conventions, two having been held in Stuttgart and Austria.

We'll have the running animation theme continuing. Submit any art or work that you have relating to animation and we'll put it up. Any links, or comments, you may have as well will go on here.

And, of course, submit any other work you're willing to show off.