Felted Stop Motion Character Animation Class
7 Week Class
Location: Online
Taught by Lumi Barron
Level: Beginner, Advanced Beginner
Age: 15+
Cost: $570
There are two class times available to choose from:
Tuesday Evening Class:
7:30pm – 9pm CST | January 13th – March 3rd
Sunday Morning Class:
11:30am – 1pm CST | January 18th – March 8th
Open Studio Hours (Optional):
Sundays 1:30pm – 3pm CST
Tuesdays 11am -12:30pm CST
(No class or open studio February 8th and 10th)
7 Week Class
Location: Online
Taught by Lumi Barron
Level: Beginner, Advanced Beginner
Age: 15+
Cost: $570
There are two class times available to choose from:
Tuesday Evening Class:
7:30pm – 9pm CST | January 13th – March 3rd
Sunday Morning Class:
11:30am – 1pm CST | January 18th – March 8th
Open Studio Hours (Optional):
Sundays 1:30pm – 3pm CST
Tuesdays 10am -11:30am CST
(No class or open studio February 8th and 10th)
Class Summary
This class is designed for students who want to learn tools and techniques for creating felted stop motion character animations. This is a fast paced class as we will be covering *a lot* of ground, but students can implement what they learn at their own pace.
Topics Covered: Needle Felting Basics, Stop Motion Puppet Making, Animation Set up, Stop Motion Puppet Rigging, Dragonframe, Animation Basics and Not-so-basics (ex: working with reference footage), Rig Removal, Basic Post Production (After Effects) and Tips and Tricks for continuing animating beyond the class.
By the end of the course students will have learned how to create their own felted character animations from start to finish.
Class – We will cover the production process from start to finish for creating and animating your very own felted characters. These classes will include topic demonstrations, group walkthroughs for set up and software, hands on time to work on new concepts, and time to ask questions about each new learned topic. *See Schedule for more details.
Open Studio Hours (optional):
These are an optional part of the class. During open studio hours a class link will be available for students to join and work on their projects in company, ask questions about their animations and lesson topics, grab a cup of tea and craft along with the teacher and classmates.
Materials
Materials Provided (sent to you in a nice little box!): Felt and Felting Materials, Puppet Making and Wire Armature Materials, Rig Making Materials, baseboard, table clip adjustable animation light. Dragonframe for the duration of the class.
Additional materials required:
- After Effects – We will be working with Adobe After Effects software for this class. A 1 month subscription costs $34.49 (Don’t get it yet! we wont be using this until the latter part of the course) Link
- Computer or laptop that can Support Dragonframe and After Effects – This is most computers but please check system requirements here: Dragonframe 2025 System Requirements and Adobe After Effects System Requirements
- *Please note that Chromebook does not support Dragonframe
- Camera: See list of supported cameras HERE. iPhone and Android Cameras work as well! (I use my phone all the time)
- Tripod for your camera (or phone if using as camera).
- USB Cable for your camera to computer connection.
- Glue – Regular Elmer’s glue, Tacky glue, etc will work just fine!
- Tape – I recommend masking tape
- Table – To animate on!
If you would like to be added to the mailing list for future class announcements, or have any questions, please feel free to reach out on the contact form below!
If you would like to be added to the mailing list for future class announcements, or have any questions, please feel free to reach out on the contact form below!
Please make sure to read the policies below before registering!
Outside the US? Send me a message on the form below for class options
Registration closes December 23rd or when class is full
Registration
Registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Balance is due upon registration.
Please note that this class is for for students age 15+
Refunds and Class Cancellation
Please contact me at least 14 days before the start date of the class for a full refund. Unfortunately due to to limited class size and shipment of course materials refunds can not be processed after this time.
It is possible that a class is cancelled if an inadequate number of students register. In this case, tuition will be promptly refunded.
Missed Classes
Life happens! If you need to miss a class please contact me ahead of time. I am not able to offer make-up classes, but if you come to the Open Studio time following the class missed and I can give a brief overview of the new material.
Community and Class Guidelines
In order to effectively maintain a safe, equitable, and supportive learning environment, students and teachers are required to abide by the following community guidelines. By enrolling in this class you are agreeing to adhere to these expectations.
Maintaining a Safe Space
A healthy creative community is a safe creative community. We uphold a zero tolerance policy for any acts of racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, xenophobia, ableism, bullying, harassment, threats, or violence.
Perpetuating Respect
A lack of kindness and respect interferes with both a student’s ability to participate and learn and the instructor’s ability to conduct positive programming. Disruptive or harmful behaviors of any kind are not permitted.
What Happens if I Violate these Guidelines?
If you violate these guidelines, you will be issued you a verbal or written warning, or ask that you not return, depending on the severity of the violation. Multiple warnings will result in removal from the class. No refunds will be given in these instances
Thank you for helping us keep this class a safe and enjoyable space for all!
Recording and Digital Content Policy
Any recording (audio or visual) of the classes and open studio hours is strictly prohibited.
Any digital materials provided by the instructor may only be used for the purposes of the individual student’s study in the course and may not be distributed or shared with any wider audience.
Class full? Join the waitlist/email list for new class notifications.
Schedule
Class 1 – Class and Student Welcome and Introduction to Needle Felting
Class 2 – Felted Stop Motion Puppet Making
Class 3 – Dragonframe, Animation Set-Up, Prep and Rigging
Class 4 – All About Animation! Bringing things to life
Class 5 – All About Animation… continued!
Class 6 – Rig removal
Class 7 – Sharing our projects with the class and tips for going forward and animating beyond the class.
Tuesday Evening Class Dates: 1/13, 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, (No Class 2/10) 2/17, 2/24, 3/3
Sunday Morning Class Dates: 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, (No Class 2/8), 2/15, 2/22, 3/1, 3/8
Open Studio Dates:
Sunday ~ 1/18, 1/25, 2/1, 2/15, 2/22, 3/1
Tuesday ~ 1/20, 1/27, 2/3, 2/17, 2,24, 3/3
No Class or Open Studio February 8th and 10th
Any Questions? Send me a message!
Previous Student Testimonials
This class is structured to inspire and maximize creativity! Lumi covered the wide-ranging ways stop motion and felting can be used, but also made sure we walked away from each session proficient in each step, balancing technical skills with artistic intent. While each of us started with different levels of familiarity with felting, animation, software, etc. we each made something completely amazing and totally unique – this isn’t a class where everyone makes the same thing. Lumi kept us all together and on the same page and encouraged our individual ideas, answering questions and giving extra support during weekend office hours, which were not only helpful but also great crafternoon hangouts to see what everyone else was working on. As a teacher, Lumi has such a bright presence, and bridged whimsy and technical skill – I walked away from the class with real, practical knowledge in animation, puppet design, needle felting techniques, rig removal, and a huge amount of inspiration for what to make next! –Anisha
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Going into the class I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to produce anything remotely good since I had basically no prior experience in stop motion animation. After this class, I now feel confident to make short videos, with characters I created with my own hands, that are nowhere near perfect but cute and wholesome enough to make me and my friends have a good laugh together. –Yifang
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Lumi is such an incredible and enthusiastic instructor!! I feel like this class has really surpassed my expectations and has given me so much inspiration to continue with this in the future 🙂 –Laura
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This class was an excellent start to finish animation journey from puppet fabrication to animation to post production. –Mary
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Compilation of student videos from Class 1