Things to do · Arts and crafts
Make a stop-motion animation
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Stop motion brings a lump of plasticine, a paper puppet or a pile of sand to life one frame at a time, and seeing your first few seconds of movement can be oddly thrilling. A beginners' class gives you the studio, the camera and the software, so you can try cut-out, model and drawn animation before buying anything.
Gentle£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksIndoorsAlone or with othersUK and US
What a first class is like
You try several kinds of stop motion rather than just one. City Lit's one-day Try it out course covers drawn animation with sand, charcoal and paint, cut-out shapes and figures, and animating 3D objects, captured with Dragonframe and DSLR cameras, then edited in Premiere Pro. All materials are provided, and it is a beginners' course with no experience needed.
You do not need a studio to carry on. Oklahoma State University's online stop-motion class has you make a jointed paper puppet and film it on your own phone or tablet, and recommends iMotion, which it says is free, for iPhone and iPad, and Stop Motion Studio, also free, for Android.
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| City Lit, London | Try it out: one Saturday, 10am to 5pm (September 2026 run); beginners; all materials provided | £149 |
| City Lit, London | Stop motion animation: four Saturdays, 10.30am to 4.30pm (2024 run); cut-out, pixilation, sand, drawn and model animation | £329, or £263 senior and £214 concession |
| Aardman Academy (online) | Four weeks of filmed masterclasses and a weekly task; week one uses clay or any mouldable material; you choose your own app or equipment | £310 |
| The Jewish Museum, New York | Adult studio workshop, 11am to 4pm (November 2025 run); all skill levels; cut-paper puppet, pixilation and drawn animation; materials provided | $200, or $175 members |
| Oklahoma State University arts centre (online) | One-hour evening class (July run); paper puppet kit provided; bring scissors and a phone or tablet with a stop-motion app; from age 16 | $20, or $15 members |
Aardman Academy's programme is pitched at people who have always wanted to animate with clay but did not know where to start; after finishing you keep access to the course and its online community for seven months.
How to start
- Book a one-day taster or a short beginners' course: an adult education college, a museum studio workshop or an arts centre class.
- Check what is provided. Some studios supply cameras, Dragonframe software and all materials; online classes may ask you to use your own phone or tablet.
- To practise at home, try a free stop-motion app on your phone with a lump of plasticine and something to keep the phone steady.
Where to go
- City Lit: Try it out, stop motion animation (London) UK
- Aardman Academy: four-week online stop motion programme
- The Jewish Museum, New York: Animation and Family Stories adult studio workshop US
We opened these links on 12 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
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Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Do I need any experience to try stop-motion animation?
No. City Lit's Try it out course says you do not need previous experience, and the Jewish Museum's adult workshop welcomes all skill levels.
What software do stop-motion classes use?
Studio courses such as City Lit's use Dragonframe with DSLR cameras. Oklahoma State University's online class uses free phone apps, recommending iMotion on iPhone and iPad and Stop Motion Studio on Android.
Do I need to buy plasticine for a stop-motion course?
Not always. City Lit and the Jewish Museum provide materials. For Aardman Academy's online course, plasticine or clay is suggested for week one but is not essential.
What should I bring to a stop-motion class?
City Lit suggests a memory stick or portable hard drive to take your work home. For online classes, you may need your own phone or tablet and scissors.
Where this comes from: City Lit, Try it out: stop motion animation; City Lit, Stop motion animation; Aardman Academy, online stop motion programme; The Jewish Museum, Animation and Family Stories adult studio workshop; Oklahoma State University arts centre, Stop motion basics online. Opened 12 November 2026.
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