What is a thaumatrope?
A Thaumatrope is an optical toy that was invented in 1827 by the English physician J.A. Paris. The name translates roughly as “wonder turner”, from Ancient Greek: θαῦμα – “wonder” – and τρόπος – “turn”. It is a disc made of cardboard with one image on each side; when the disc is rapidly turned, the optical effect creates the illusion that both images are combined into one single image. This effect, called “persistence of vision”, is caused by the retention of the first image by the brain long enough to superimpose it on the other side, making the two parts of the image appear together. Persistence of vision is one of the main reasons why Animation works.
Required materials:
Colored pencils, crayons or markers;
Round glass or compass (to create a circle);
Cardboard;
Scissors;
Glue;
Straw;
How to do it
1 – Cut two circles of the same size in cardboard.
2 – Think of two images that could be combined together; examples: a bird and a cage, a vase and a flower, a tree trunk and foliage – or you could even camouflage a secret message split in two sides.
3 – Make a drawing divided in two parts, each part drawn on each circle.
4 – Glue each circle together, both drawings visible on the outside, and with the straw vertically glued between both circles.
5 – When the glued parts are set and dry, rapidly turn the straw between your hands and watch the magic happen!
Share with us
Send us photos or videos of the exercise you did to info.fananimation@gmail.com.
