Pain is, for the most part, unavoidable when you stub your toe, break your arm, or cut your finger open. It's instantaneous and, in some cases, long-lasting, but it only feels as bad as you want it to. Yes, that's right—that pain is all in your head. Now I'm not saying that p ...more
Watch this video to learn how to make a simple stop motion animation using a drawing of a knight. It took approximately 90 minutes to make. Use your own drawing to make a stop motion animation movie!
Many people deal with motion sickness on a daily basis, and if you're reading this, chances are you're one of them. Kinetosis can make your stomach roll, your entire body sweat, and make you feel fatigued and dizzy at even the slightest movement, whether it's related to carsic ...more
LEGOs are more than just a toy for young children— it's an emerging art form combining photography, stop-motion (i.e., brickfilms), and imitative models that portray today's pop culture as it is. It's something visual culture analysts are sure to be studying over the next deca ...more
If you've seen ParaNorman or Fantastic Mr. Fox, then you have some kind of idea of what stop-motion animation is. Basically, these artists make objects, or small figures, appear to be moving on their own by manipulating and repositioning them in the smallest increments, then c ...more
Here's a beautiful stop motion instructional video on how to fold a paper Koi fish. Origami a Koi fish. Click through to watch this video on flickr.com
Largely self-taught, Ryan John Kothe is an animator working out of Auckland, New Zealand. After picking up some rudimentary After Effects skills, he went on to create an impressive portfolio of beautifully rendered stop-motion animations with a distinctly tactile feel. Curious ...more
Learn about the basics of weaving with this stop motion weaving tutorial video. Several different weaving and knot techniques are demonstrated, even showing common mistakes in the weaving process. Watch and learn a simple technique for weaving on a cardboard loom.
This three part instructional sculpture video demonstrates how to make a two part plaster mold. Make a plaster mold to make stop-motion animation puppets from clay models. A plaster mold can make casts out of almost any material. This model will be cast out of foam rubber with ...more
Watch this great stop motion animation tutorial to learn how to make a wire armature for a stop motion puppet. Also, learn some tips on adding clay to the armature and animating the puppet.
Stop-motion animation is somewhat out of favor in the digital age, but there will always be a demand for its timeless look. This video will teach you one important technique for making stop-motion animation out of Legos: how to make them fly. Or at least appear to by flying in ...more
This short construction tutorial video shows how to build a small, simple stage from scratch specifically for animating a claymation or stop motion animation project. Construct the ideal world for your claymation characters or stop motion animation armatures and puppets. All y ...more
One word to sum up this batch of Snapchat lenses: complex. Lens creators like ApocTheLegend and Jinnie the Wew have been at it long enough to start making some really cool stuff, stretching the limit of what's possible using Lens Studio. I'm really looking forward to what they ...more
As inspiration for the Levitation Challenge, a demonstration of pure stop motion genius: Jan Kounen's Gisele Kerozene, the tale of four extremely odd witches "flying" on motorized brooms. If Tokyo's Levitating Girl has to jump 200 times to get the perfect shot, imagine how man ...more
Create and animate a stop motion LEGO brickfilm! Yes, that's right... you can make your very own animated brickfilm, but wait... what exactly is a brickfilm? Brickfilms are animated films using LEGO, Mega Bloks, or other plastic construction building block toys. Most are stop ...more
In this extreme origami video tutorial, brought to you by New Theatron, you'll see how you can create an extreme origami 3D human head sculpture. You'll see exactly how to sculpt an awesome, one-of-a-kind, extreme origami 3-D human or humanoid head for a stop motion, animation ...more
Smartphone videos get better and better each year. Seven or eight years ago, who would have thought iPhone and Android phones could support 4K video recording. Some phones can even shoot slow-motion at 960 fps. But no matter the resolution or frame rate, a phone's rolling shut ...more
Here is a video tutorial that offers basic tips on crafting a simple claymation character using everyday, household objects. Soften a single chunk of material and pull your claymation character's limbs and head from it. Insert a toothpick (or armature) to stabilize the body an ...more
Far-out animation entitled "Love and Theft" by Andreas Hykade of Germany. Careful - there's some slightly risqué imagery in there (depending on how liberal-minded your boss is). Apparently Hykade was inspired by Bob Dylan: "And I'm still carrying the gift you gave, it's a par ...more
Want to draw a stop motion animation but need some advice as to how it's done? This animation tutorial video shows you how to create a simple set up and provides you with 9 creative techniques that will help you get started on your own stop motion animation video. Watch this i ...more
This how-to video uses the magic of stop motion to demonstrate a recipe and the techniques for making some good pancakes. The 5th of February is Pancake Day - make sure to celebrate it by cooking up a batch of pancakes, and trying some new toppings. Watch this video cooking tu ...more
How do you show that you love your job? You get "sleeved", like photographer Dabe Alan who has lined his arms with tattoos of all his favorite things in life, with the help of Toledo-based tattoo artist Tony Touch. Every time Dabe visits Toledo, he gets another photography-rel ...more
In this clip, learn how to import stills into Adobe Premiere CS4 for stop motion animation. Whether you're new to Adobe's popular non-linear editor or a seasoned video professional just looking to better acquaint yourself with the program and its various features and filters, ...more
It's once again Monday, which means it's time to highlight some of the most recent community submissions posted to the Math Craft corkboard. Since two of these posts were on polyhedral versions of M.C. Escher's tessellations, I thought we'd take a look at building a simple tes ...more
Stop motion animation can actually be created at home. Build an armature out of wire and epoxy. Follow along with the step by step directions in this instructional video and learn how to build an armature. Watch this video and start shooting some stop motion animation. Part 1 ...more
Check out this video for stop-motion instruction on how to make The Prison Break Origami Swan. Diagram: http://www.fcowm.com/pdf/prisonbreakduck.pdf but extend the neck a little in step 3!!
Learn how to use 16" gage aluminum wire to make stop motion puppet armatures. It is very easy to do, and wire works great for anyone just starting out. You can also see how to make basic wood feet using tie downs.
You may be familiar with the graffiti art practice of light painting, or light writing (1, 2, 3, 4). Essentially, it is a practice that employs the manipulation of light, photography and stop motion animation. WonderHowTo's latest favorite light painting guru, freddiew, breat ...more
This video animation tutorial demonstrates the process of sculpting a human face out of polymer clay as part of an armature for stop motion animation. The demonstrator begins by molding a piece of polymer clay into the general shape of a human skull and neck, and impresses the ...more
What happens when you combine Super Mario Land with Minecraft? Maybe some awesome pixel art, but how about if you go a step further? What if you add the computer game within a computer game idea and throw in a little stop motion? You get one hell of an impressive spectacle—yo ...more
Whittling seems hard, but not with this video tutorial... watch to learn how to carve a teeny wooden mouse with a small knife, sander and drill. These are stop motion animated instructions. See how to carve a miniature (under 1-inch) mouse out of wood with Steve Tomashek. Th ...more
Mouths are so expressive, which can be tricky to animate. A simple way to capture the movement is to craft several mouths to alternate. Watch this video animation tutorial and learn how to make replacement mouths for stop motion animation armature puppets. Part 1 of 2 - How to ...more
Take one down, pass it around, 99 bottles on which to play classical music? As someone who has studied music extensively, I've seen many interpretations of famous pieces of music played on glass bottles, but hearing these four interpretations of famous pieces (not all classic ...more
This is more stop motion than instructional. But we enjoyed it nonetheless. Watch and learn how to construct a Lego airplane in one minute.
If you've played with Legos for long enough, you know that there are few things in this world that cannot be replicated in the medium. This video is a demonstration of how to build a working replica soda machine out of Lego blocks. While you may not be able to serve guest in y ...more
Parkour + Papercraft + Animation... what could be better? Truly original piece of work entitled "Parkour Motion Reel" by Serene Teh and Noel Lee. Previously, Sick. Decapitating-Head-Exploding Paper Animation (NSFW!) Trip Out On This (Perhaps NSFW). Evil Pixels Demolish New Yor ...more
We've seen several examples of light graffiti on WonderHowTo (1, 2, 3), but this one is truly eerily beautiful. Australian photographer Denis Smith pushes the envelope with his project Ball of Light. "The Ball of Light is a mysterious portal into my world. It, and its friends ...more
Armatures basically stand up on their own, but while animating, the balance might become uneven and precarious. An easy way to keep the puppet standing is to give the armature large feet. Watch this video animation tutorial and learn how to build an armature puppet that will s ...more
As a beginning stop-motion animator, there's a lot of trial and error. What tools and materials do you use? How do you sculpt realistic clay figures? This video tutorial walks you through some of the essential materials, and demonstrates sculpting a torso out of Super Sculpey.
There's something magical about stop-motion animation made with clay, it's an ideal medium for depicting strange transformations. In this short tutorial you'll learn how to make a simple claymation movie of your own. The video introduces you to some of the materials you'll nee ...more
This video tells you how to make a Lego stop motion animation using Windows Movie Maker. The tutorial focuses more on how to create a stop motion film with Windows Movie Maker as the tool, and assumes you have basic knowledge of how to use Movie Maker already.
Does that (hopefully somewhat correct) tune ring any bells? Here's a reminder: Once upon a time there were two Italian plumbers named Mario and Luigi. Mario and his sidekick resided in the Mushroom Kingdom, a monarchy ruled by the beautiful Princess Peach. Mario's mission: st ...more
How many trips up and down the stairs do you think it took artist Janne Parviainen to create this incredible topographical light painting? Apparently, quite a few. Using only one LED, he moves around his house, tracing all of the surfaces. Sometimes the exposure times are up t ...more
Flash CS4’s new inverse kinematics tools allow users to create and arrange symbols in a collection called an Armature. These armatures contain bones that have relationships with other elements which can be animated. Users can create and control their own dancing puppet. You co ...more
Here are a few stop motion animation tips. You will need a digital camcorder, editing software, and clay or Legos. This video lends advice for basic stop motion animation. Avoid common mistakes if you are a beginner animator.
Rocket Racer was the lead bad guy in "Lego Racers", a 1999 video game where players could race Lego go-karts. You faced off against him in the game's final race, and he was surprisingly tough to beat. But no matter how many times he beat you, you had to admire his cool car. Th ...more
Snowflakes aren't much to look at during a storm, but when you look real close, you can see just how marvelous they really are. But winter is over and most of us can no longer enjoy the intricate nature of ice crystallization, unless you're sticking your head in your freezer. ...more
This software tutorial shows how to make stop animation movies with Windows Movie Maker and a digital camera. Learn how to shoot the frames of motion with your camera, import them into Windows Movie Maker and turn them into a stop motion animated movie.
The SCRABBLE Brand trademark has been around since 1948, but video advertisements for the popular board game didn't appear until the start of this millennium. Although there may be a few SCRABBLE video spots out there that predate 2000, I haven't come across them. Aside from ...more
This clever stop motion film by comedy duo Rhet and Link uses 222 t-shirts and few special effects. To learn more about the process, check out the second video in the gallery below. Says Rhet and Link: "We changed shirts over 100 times each, taking individual pictures of eac ...more
WonderHowTo is made up niche communities called Worlds. If you've yet to join one (or create your own), get a taste below of what's going on in the community. Check in every Wednesday for a roundup of new activities and projects. This week: A nostalgia-themed cell phone photo ...more
Watch this in-depth video tutorial on how to animate LEGOs for stop motion animated brickfilms. This is a detailed peek behind the scenes of stop-motion animation from the director of the "Circle Circle Dot Dot" music video, Blunty3000. Brickfilms are animated films using LEG ...more
Check out this fun animation tutorial video that shows you how to build a simple stage that sits on a table for your animation using a stop motion puppet. It will be a small, compact and easy to make stage. You will need a sheet of plywood and some screws. Follow the step by s ...more
If you're into animation, you can't pass this up... see how to widen a LEGO mini-figure's arm motion for brickfilms. Brickfilms are animated films using LEGO, Mega Bloks, or other plastic construction building block toys. Most are stop motion, but some brickfilms are even made ...more
You don't need a ten-figure budget to make a great movie! With nothing more than iMovie, a camera, and your imagination you can make a stop motion animation. With stop motion, you can bring anything to life. This is a really fun project for aspiring directors of all ages.
Add some flames to your brickfilms! A little fire always helps light up a scene, especially in your legomation creation. Check out this video tutorial to learn how to create a stop-motion Lego fire. This Lego animation technique will show you how to start the fire and keep the ...more
This video demonstration series shows the process of creating an armature for stop motion animation, claymation specifically, out of aluminum foil and polymer clay. Armatures need to be flexible to withstand the positioning and repositioning required to make stop motion animat ...more
This week has been awash with iPhone camera tips: Decim8, the digital glitch art generator; Bakari's 10 Uses for the Front-Facing iPhone Camera; and FiLMiC Pro, a professional app for shooting industry standard video. To wrap up our mini survey on iPhone camera apps & tips, on ...more
Construction paper animator Jen Stark teams up with electronic music composer/rabble-rousing party-demigod Dan Deacon in the video below, titled "Believer". The animation is fantastic—likely constructed in a process not entirely unlike animator Ryan Kothe's paper Waves and Wea ...more
Kids! They grow up so fast! While parents have traditionally used growth charts to document their children's development, modern moms and dads have a far better tool: YouTube! The process is a simple one: take a snapshot every day—or nearly every day—and then, after a set inte ...more