There are several approaches in making your initial composition. You have already seen examples of this in our lecture and are currently working with figure/ground in the studio class. For our purposes this works perfectly as we will be exploring how one composition with a clear figure ground relationship can “morph” itself into a full reversal, leaving us with a completely new image. Each page of a book has an image that changes slightly from one page to the next to create the illusion of movement much like stills in a film. The flip book is one of the earliest forms of animation. Todd Lambrix Parsons The New School for Design 2009 You will make 36 images to make the transition. Perhaps one comes from behind or one comes from off the page and enteres the scene.

Think of it as a slow ballet that transforms one shape and allows another to be revealed. Here is an example: Now imagine what must happen between these two images for one to become the other. The two images should differ in composition, but incorporate the same elements. One should read as black as ﬁgure, the other should reveal the white as ﬁgure. Image Here Staple or binding here Making the pages Create the ﬁrst page and the last page of your animation.

A long format works best as it allows for easier ﬂipping and a smaller book means the pages are less ﬂimsy and will perform better. Whatever format you choose, make sure to leave about 25% of the space blank for binding.

Do we see the black elements in the piece as ﬁgure? Is there ambiguity here? Do the black and white elements still appear to be balanced even though one or the other reads as the ﬁgure? Remember that the ﬂip book will need a place for binding or staples and still have room for the image to be seen. You may use text, shapes or lines as the elements in your composition as long as the ﬁgure ground relationship is clear. Figure Ground Reversal Flip Book Getting Started There are several approaches in making your initial composition. You have already seen examples of this in our lecture and are currently working with ﬁgure/ground in the studio class. For our purposes this works perfectly as we will be exploring how one composition with a clear ﬁgure ground relationship can “morph” itself into a full reversal, leaving us with a completely new image. Each page of a book has an image that changes slightly from one page to the next to create the illusion of movement much like stills in a ﬁlm. Todd Lambrix Parsons The New School for Design 2009 The ﬂip book is one of the earliest forms of animation.

Mitosis flip book directions