Animations: Thaumatropes & Zoetropes

 

As a child, I would be up with the sun watching cartoons every Saturday morning. Scooby-Doo, The Flinstones, Ducktales, Looney Tunes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the ThunderCats were among my favorites. I loved Walt Disney movies too. Today's generation of kids are growing up watching cartoons like I did, but may not recognize the artistry behind their beloved animated cartoons.

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions to create an illusion of movement. Animators typically draw 12 frames/pictures for each second of animation. For 60 seconds of animation, the animator(s) draw 720 pictures! That is a lot of drawing.

Students in 3rd and 4th grade were introduced to the animation unit by creating thaumatropes, which were popular toys in Victorian times. Thaumatropes are 2 images that effectively create the illusion of movement.  After successfully creating thaumatropes, students created Zoetropes, which were invented in 180 AD. For their Zoetrope, students drew 11 frames for their animations. Below are examples of the students' zoetropes that I scanned and animated on my computer. There are also links for tutorials on creating both types of
animations

DIY:  Students can make a spinner for their animations at home with a small plastic take-out container lid, tape, and black construction paper.  Enjoy!

Draw Something!

 

Last week, my cousin introduced me to an app on the iPhone called "Draw Something." I have not stopped playing since. Yes, I might be addicted. Draw Something is a smartphone version of Pictionary where you select an easy, medium, or hard word to draw. When you have completed your drawing you submit it, and your opponent tries to guess what it is as they watch you draw it. The best part is that the app is FREE! You can also buy the app for 99 cents (on sale) to remove those annoying pop ups. This small investment gets you a larger word bank.

I love technology and the "Draw Something" app is a fun opportunity to draw and be creative outside of the classroom. In the game you have to read and spell, so there is some literacy practice as well. Here are some of my drawings. Don't judge me to harshly. After I invested in more colors and started playing on my iPad, I am now able to get more depth in my drawings, but I must say it's hard trying to add depth and details on an iPhone.

 

   

iPhone Drawing vs. iPad Drawing

Below are some of the best "Draw Something" pictures I found while surfing the internet:

 

Cardboard & Paper Mache' Pop Art Sculptures:

The City of Rockville and the Rockville Art League are hosting the annual Rockville Student Art Show this month at the Glenview Mansion Art Gallery.  Three of my students entered artwork in the show, and one received a 3rd place ribbon for the Pop Art sculpture she created in class.  All of the students received a certificate for participating.  My hope is that seeing the success of their peers will encourage more students to participate in contest/exhibitions as an opportunity to showcase their work. I will be on the lookout for upcoming contest/exhibitions in the near future. If you know of any in the area, please feel free to share them with me. The student artists showcased will be in display in the Glenview Gallery until March 27th. I encourage you to take a peak! Below are pictures of some of the 5th grades pop art sculptures, including the sculpture entitled "The Hungry Artist," that won a ribbon.

 

The Hungry Artist

 

  

  

 

Teaching Tip: Ross Craft Paper Mache art paste is inexpensive and easy to mix. I called it "slim," because the consistency isn't like the traditional paper mache mixture made of flour and water. The kids seemed to like that.

Fun Run

 

The PTA recently asked me to create a running cougar for our schools field day "Fun Run." The "Fun Run" will help raise money for our school. If we reach our school's target goal, our principal and assistant principal will dye their hair BLUE! Below are images from our "Fun Run" kickoff assembly. I hope the life size cougar cutout and cougar temporary tattoos will help generate some buzz and excitement so we can reach our goal.

 [Left:] Mrs. Till, Assistant Principal, and Mrs. Gregory, Principal with the Fun Run Cougar Mascot. [Right:] Mrs. Gregory, Principal, at the Fun Run Kickoff Assembly. 

It's Not to Late to "DOODLE 4 GOOGLE"

Over the weekend I read an article in the Washington Post about Jennifer Hom, a core member of of the Google Doodle team. After doing a few web searches, I came across a "Doodle 4 Google" competition open to K-12th grade students. Submissions are due on March 23. While it's very short notice, your child still has time to put together a masterpiece! I will share information about the competition with my classes tomorrow to see if anyone is interested in participating. Below are some important links, and an embedded video of a description of the contest.




Important Links:
Doodle 4 Google Home
Info for Participants  

The Winner From Last Year: