If you’re anything like us, you probably spent a lot more time than usual in front of the television over the past year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In that way, the U.S. launch of Disney+ in November 2019 came at just the right time — and many of us have a newfound appreciation for the fine art of animation.

After rewatching so many of our favorite animated movies, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Lilo and Stitch, the 3Doodler team is more excited than ever to celebrate National Cartoonist Day this month. From the oldest animated cartoons to more recent hits, animation has captured our attention since the early 1900s — and cartoon drawings have kept us spellbound for even longer.

Introducing the Flipbook

Have you ever wondered how cartoon animations were created?

A flipbook is a great example of an early animation technique. It is a series of images that gradually change from one page to the next. When you flip through the pages, the images appear to move.

Here is an example of an early vintage cartoon flipbook.

In honor of National Cartoonist Day, we encourage you to create your own flipbook. Instructables has a great tutorial on how to make a high-quality flipbook with pen and paper. Keep in mind: the average 25-second animation takes around 130 images! That’s a lot of drawing! But, the end result is something to be celebrated.

Animation techniques have become more sophisticated over the years. However, we still rely on cartoons as a foundation. Here’s an example of how the Walt Disney Company used to animate its cartoons. Computers have made this process a little easier over time, but there’s still a lot of creative effort necessary to make the quality animations we look forward to watching today.

Creating a 3D Flipbook

We thought it might be interesting to take our exploration of cartoon animations off the page. We wondered: What’s the 3D version of a flipbook?

Join us in creating your own 3D flipbook in honor of National Cartoonist Day! Download this free stencil to help you create your own cartoon character, and we’ll show you how to easily animate it with a unique stand that you can Doodle yourself.