What is a Phenakistoscope?
Back when screens and cameras were still not invented, humans had other ways to experience the illusion of motion. In the 19th century physicians, inventors and artists were experimenting and designing the so-called “optical devices”, the Phenakistoscope was one of the earlier devices.
Invented by the Belgian physicist and mathematician Joseph Plateau in 1832, the Phenakistoscope was the first device designed to create the illusion of continuous motion. Unlike earlier optical toys, which only showed a few images in sequence, the phenakistoscope allowed viewers to see a smooth, moving image by spinning a wheel with a series of drawings and looking through small slits that framed each image. This simple principle of separating images over time and space is one of the earliest foundations of modern animation and cinema.
Required materials:
- Printed phenakistoscope template (download)
- Thick paper or cardboard (preferably black)
- Scissors or cutter
- Pencil and eraser
- Small ruler
- Drawing tools: pens / markers / crayons
- Glue stick
- A pushpin or thumbtack
- Wooden pencil with eraser or sturdy straw or wooden stick
- Mirror
How to do it
- Take the phenakistoscope template and glue it onto thick paper or cardboard.
2. Carefully cut out the circle and the small slits along the edges.
3. Using a pencil and a ruler, lightly draw lines to divide the circle into sections- like pizza slices! (Don’t press too hard, you’ll erase these later.)
4. Think of a simple, looping sequence to draw. It could be a bird flapping its wings, an eye blinking, or a bouncing ball. Draw each stage of your animation inside the “pizza slices” using a pencil. PS: Try to draw in the same spot for each slice.
5. Once you’re happy with your draft, go over your drawings with markers or crayons.
6. Let the ink dry for a moment, then use an eraser to remove those light “pizza” guidelines.
7. Push a pin through the center of the circle and into the eraser of a wooden pencil (on the back side) to create a handle.
8. Stand in front of a mirror, spin your phenakistoscope, and watch through the slits to see your creation come to life!
