Max Fleischer was a great artist — but he wasn’t born that way. From the time he was a boy, he loved to draw, but he had no formal art instruction as a child. Instead, he taught himself the basics by drawing things he found around the house.
As a self-taught artist, Max loved encouraging others to exercise their own artistic impulses and ambitions, and that's precisely what Betty Boop's Movie Cartoon Lessons kit was all about!
Above is the cover of the original animation kit. It featured Betty Boop sitting in a movie theater with cartoon animals watching a cartoon featuring Betty, Koko and Bimbo riding on a whale with the caption "Having A Whale Of A Time!" Contents include a 9"x12" softcover 32-page illustrated guide subtitled "How To Make Movie Cartoons" , a 8"x11" Betty Boop drawing pad with stiff paper covers, a bottle of waterproof cartoon ink, a drawing pen, tacks to mount the drawings on a board, and a ruler.
We hope you enjoy these rare, very special, instructional materials and the creative activities they inspire. With so many folks staying close to home right now, Betty Boop's Movie Cartoon Lessons offer hours of fun for fans of all ages and serve as a reminder that your next great adventure may be just a pencil and a few sheets of paper away.
This gorgeously illustrated book, which was part of the original Movie Cartoon Lessons kit, includes step by step instructions for drawing Betty Boop, Koko the Clown and Bimbo, along with a menagerie of Betty Boop's cartoon friends. Three pages at the end of the book were designed to be cut out and arranged in order to create a simple, animated action "flip book" with a storyline that involved Betty, Koko and Bimbo. Scroll down to find downloadable versions of the flip book pages. We've even included along with a blank page to serve as a template for your own original flip book creations.
Create Your Own Flipbook!
Download and print the numbered sheets below (we've included a blank one for your own creation) and then follow Max instructions:
Cut along the dotted lines, with a scissor, separating the page into twelve pictures. Place drawing 1, face upward, on top, drawing 2 underneath, drawing 3 underneath that, etc. Fasten them together (using staples along the bottom). To flip the drawings, hold the set in your hand with your thumb on top, covering the edges of the twelve drawings. Bend the pages back, releasing number 1, then 2,3,4, etc., in rapid order and you will see Betty Boop walking as she would in any one of her movies.
DOWNLOAD & PRINT FLIP BOOK PAGES below
Make Any Book a Flipbook!
Max originally created this fanciful sheet of clowns on pages with gummed backing, like old stamps, so they could be cut and pasted on the corner of any book. While we can’t provide you with gummed paper, you can still print and glue or tape this images in the corner of any book you like for a little extra entertainment while you read!
