How to create an animation for free?

The computer program is not the only way to create an animation. At the beginning of the 20th century, cartoons were made from celluloids , transparent sheets that allow the static part of the design to be traced and that provide a certain stability to the cartoon.

This traditional technique is obsolete today. However, if you want to get started in the animation world and you don’t have a very high budget to invest in paid animation software , or you love the traditional drawing method, why not do your animation the old way?

You can start by making a flipbook or folioscope , that is, a small book made up of sheets with drawings that by scrolling through all the pages quickly allow it to give an animation effect.

It is also possible to use white foils thin enough to have a transparent effect. Then just make several pictures, scan them, and then put them together. All you have to do afterwards is add some sound to it.

In addition to the flipbook, there is another traditional method widely used in animation: stop motion.

Used in the movie Chicken Run , this inexpensive method allows for the animation of modeled characters. You can use modeling clay, shape your characters and settings, and then snap a photo of each scene by moving your characters from scene to scene. Later, join all the photos with a free access software and that’s it!

You can also make cartoons using one of the online programs (some were free) that we mentioned above for beginners. However, don’t get your hopes up either, it’s your first animation. Of the expert programs, only Pencil2D is freely accessible.

As for the technique of drawing, you can learn to draw for free using the many resources available online. Whether they are YouTube videos or cartoon blogs, you will find everything you need to learn how to draw the characters, their expressions and the settings of your movie.

What you have left is to find a good setting!