This lesson plan was a process for me. I first started out teaching myself how to make a phenakistoscope. Here is a video of examples.
First, I tried to recreate this example of moving images.
GIF of images:
Here are some videos of my Phenakistoscope in motion. It is spun in front of a mirror so the reflection captures the moving images.
After getting this project done, I moved on to Zoetrope design. I used TinkerCAD, because I thought it was a great process of drawing in virtual space, as well as using the program as a tool for precision. After designing my project on TinkerCAD and it was printed, I struggled with what to animate within the tiny 1″ by 0.78″ frames. Some classmates suggested working larger and then scanning in the project and photoshopping the images to the correct size. This worked well. Here are the painted images. I decided to go with something simple like a jar spilling.
After I painted these, I scanned them, resized them, printed, cut and paste them onto my Zoetrope. Setting up the motor wasn’t too difficult, since I had multiple experiences in this class using motors. I thought this was a great way to bridge the gap of historical animation devices with students current knowledge of GIF, Comics and animation.
Final Video of Zoetrope on Motor
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