How Much Do Animators Get Paid?

How much do animators earn? This 2025 salary guide from the Animation & VFX Union BECTU gives a good picture of the current market rates in the UK.

Salary transparency is something our industry doesn't always do well, so rates cards like this are very useful, especially for junior artists negotiating a salary for a new role, trying to get a realistic idea of what they can expect to earn. 

Note that much depends where you live in the UK. The difference in the cost of living between London/the South East and the rest of the UK is significant.  If you're further away from London, your expenses are usually lower, but salaries also tend to be lower. 

So whether these are good rates really depends a lot on your location.  In addition rates are, of course, lower for junior roles, for folks looking to break into the industry for the first time. 

Roger Allers Legacy Scholarship: Deadline 4 July

The Roger Allers Legacy Scholarship Award 

The Roger Allers Legacy Scholarship Award is now open.  Applications for upcoming Directors, Story Artists and Librettists can be made here at the official CTN site. The deadline to apply is 4 July 2026. 

The Roger Allers Legacy Scholarship Award honours the legacy of Roger Allers, "an acclaimed filmmaker whose work has shaped generations through the power of stage, screen, and storytelling". 

Roger is best known for directing the global blockbuster film The Lion King (1994) and earning a Tony Award nomination for adapting it into the highest grossing Broadway musical of all time. 

Character Poses by William Thomas

Above is a nice example of character poses by Animation Apprentice student William Thomas. The poses are done on Stepped Curves (see more about those here) and the purpose of the exercise is to create a series of poses with the character (in this case, Mr Buttons) that show character and emotion; each pose is held for approximately one second. This exercise is a warmup for the "Phone Booth" exercise in which students tell the story of a telephone conversation using only a series of character poses - no dialogue or audio allowed. 

Does My head Look Big in This? @ Cartoon Museum

Does My head Look Big in This? - The Art of Caricature is on at the Cartoon Museum in London's Fitzrovia.  Come along and enjoy an exhibition of the best caricatures going back over three centuries. 

The Cartoon Museum can be found at 63 Wells St in Fitzrovia, and is dedicated to the history of British cartooning.  The permanent exhibition was curated by The Guardian's Steve Bell.

Political Cartooning is arguably the only art form invented in Britain; The UK was the first country to end censorship in the 18th Century, giving rise to political satire and a free press.

The Cartoon Museum celebrates cartoons, comics and caricatures, and is the only museum of its kind in the UK.

Emily Shilling at Electric Theatre Collective

Emily Shilling

At the recent University of Hertfordshire annual Expo, UH graduate Emily Shilling gave a talk about her work as a concept artist at the Electric Theatre Collective (ETC), with some helpful advice for students on how to break into the industry - at a time of rapid technological change.

Emily Shilling studied 3D animation at UH but focused on concept art.  Emily managed to find work at ETC when she heard that ETC were looking for a technical artist, doing fur and muscle systems. "I love doing that kind of work", said Emily - even though "this was a total lie".  Once in the door at ETC, Emily was able to transition to doing concept art - her real passion. 

Bring Your Own Animation 16 June

BYOA (Bring Your Own Animation) is back on Tues 16 June

Calling all London-based Animation Apprentice students and graduates -  BYOA (Bring Your Own Animation) is back on Tuesday 16 June. 

Organised by the London chapter of SIGGRAPH,  the next BYOA takes place on Tuesday 16 June 2026 upstairs at the Nell of Old Drury 29 Catherine Street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5JS from 7pm. 

"OpenToonz" - Free Software for 2D Animation

OpenToonz Software

2D animation can be done in a variety of different software packages.  One interesting option is the "OpenToonz" Software, free software for the production of 2D animation.

Based on the software "Toonz", developed by Digital Video S.p.A. in Italy,  OpenToonz has been customized by Studio Ghibli, and used for the creation of its films for many years.  Dwango has launched the OpenToonz project in cooperation with Digital Video and Studio Ghibli. 

Void Interactive and "Ready or Not"

Mark Ranson and Joel Gray from Void Interactive

At the Hertfordshire University annual Expo on Thursday 21st May, game designers Mark Ranson and Joel Gray from Void Interactive talked about their careers at the video games company, producing games such as the First Person Shooter "Ready or Not".  

One of the key messages of Mark and Joel's talk was the importance of optimising game assets for real-life game play, ensuring that the user experience is successful even on sub-optimal platforms. 

Blue Zoo Summer Internships Now Open

Blue Zoo's 2026 summer internships are now open

Calling all Animation Apprentice graduates - Applications for Blue Zoo's 2026 summer internships are now open, and close on Friday 29th May at midnight.  

As always, we encourage our students to apply for internships like this one.  Even if you don't succeed, you will learn valuable skills along the way. 

The internship roles available this year at Blue Zoo are: 3D Animator, Social Media Intern and Production Assistant Intern.

All information needed to apply is at Blue Zoo's careers website along with the application pages.  Applications for Blue Zoo's 2026 summer internships can be made here at the official Blue Zoo site.

Blue Zoo Animation and The "AI Manifesto"

Blue Zoo's AI Manifesto

Blue Zoo , one of the UK's leading animation companies, has published their "AI Manifesto".

The AI Manifesto sets out how artists and animators at the studio can navigate the world of artificial intelligence "ethically...leveraging technology for the betterment of society and creativity".  

Studio AKA and The Future of Animation

Philip Hunt, Marcus Armitage and Kevin Richards

On Tuesday 12 May animator and director Philip Hunt, the creative director and founder of the Emmy and BAFTA-winning Studio AKA, and Marcus Armitage, animation director at Studio AKA, gave a talk to students at Escape Studios in London. 

Studio AKA is one of London's most innovative animation studios, and one of our long-standing industry partners.   Philip Hunt and Marcus Armitage talked about the work of Studio AKA, the current state of UK animation - and how animation graduates can flourish in a rapidly-changing industry. 

Festivus is Back Thursday 11 June in London

Festivus is back in London on Thursday 11th June from 6pm at the Betjeman Arms on the Euston Road, N1C 4QL. 

London's regular animation networking event is an opportunity for our students and recent graduates to get to know people in the animation industry, find out who is hiring, and where the jobs are. 

Festivus is all about meeting people in our industry, networking, and - of course - enjoying a drink with friends.

Festivus is an opportunity to meet people from animation studios in the UK and overseas, see what job opportunities there are, and maybe even get some showreel feedback.

Summer Class Starts Monday 6th July 2026

Animation by Lee Caller

Our Spring/Summer Animation Class begins on Monday 6th May 2026.

It's not too late to book a place; all you need to do is visit the main Animation Apprentice site and go through a few simple steps.

If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.

Young Animator of the Year UK 2026

Young Animator of the Year Awards 2026

The Young Animator of the Year Awards are back, with a remit to foster and encourage emerging animation talent in the UK. 

This free nationwide competition invites young animators aged 11-22 to showcase their skills in stop-motion, 2D or 3D animation. The deadline is 1 Sept 2026. 

The successful winning films will premiere in November at the Manchester Animation Festival, the UK’s largest animation event.  As always, we encourage our students here at Animation Apprentice to enter competitions like this one. 

Soho Animation Studio Space Seeks Animators

Shared Soho studio for London animators

A group of London-based animators, part of the London Animation Club, are looking for freelance animators to join their shared Soho studio.  

If you'd like to join a group of animators & artists working in the heart of London, the group has some available (full or sharing) desk spaces for anyone who might be interested. 

Prices are very reasonable:  Full desk: £215/mth. Half desk: £108/mth

It's a perfect spot for freelancers and creatives looking for a welcoming place to work and connect.  

If interested, please contact Beatriz Antunes Ribeiro. You can find her at Linkedin.

"Adobe Next Live" at Tate Modern - AI & Creativity

"Technology Evangelist" Emily Bisset  at Adobe Next Live

At today's "Adobe Next Live" event at London's Tate Modern, software giant Adobe have been presenting their insights into changing technology and how educators and creatives can take advantage of the big changes currently facing the creative industries.  

"Technology Evangelist" Emily Bisset gave the keynote speech exploring how creatives can learn from and embrace the change.  She was followed by Laura Jordan-Bambach,

founder and CCO of the creative agency "Uncharted".  

Horse Legs Are Straight When Bearing Weight

One common mistake made by junior animators when animating horses is to permit the front legs of the horse to bend when bearing weight.  

This seems logical to us because our knees bend when we walk, but the front legs of a horse stay straight when they are load bearing. 

The front legs should never bend while the legs are taking weight. Once the front legs bend, it starts to feel wrong - too much like a pantomime horse.

Bring Your Own Animation 28 April 2026

BYOA (Bring Your Own Animation) - 28 April 2026

Calling all London-based Animation Apprentice students -  BYOA (Bring Your Own Animation) is an event that takes place every month (usually the third Monday of the month) at a London pub. 

Organised by the London chapter of SIGGRAPH,  the next BYOA takes place on Tuesday 28 April 2026 upstairs at the Nell of Old Drury 29 Catherine Street, Covent Garden, London WC2B 5JS from 7pm. 

London Animation Club Returns 27 April 2026

London Animation Club meetup on Monday 27 April 2026

Calling all our London-based students and alumni! Why not come to the next London Animation Club meetup on Monday 27 April 2026 at The Green Man pub, 36 Riding House St at 7.30pm.

To find out more, visit the London Animation Club Facebook page here. 

How to Add a Colour Layer in Photoshop

How to add a color layer in Photoshop. This is a free beginner tutorial showing how to add a colour layer in Photoshop.  Photoshop is the grandaddy of most of the computer software that we use today. It is a very flexible tool that can be used for all sorts of tasks - including animation. 

Cutting Your First Games Animation Reel

Spidey by Anand Sembhi

What should go into a games animation reel? An animation reel for the games industry is basically a stunt reel - it should include a variety of physical actions, as games animators need to be very proficient in body mechanics.  

Games animators are not (for the most part) actors, rather they are "stunt co-ordinators". It takes a while to break into the games industry so you need to be uploading your work to games sites and showing your progress over time; recruiters and industry folks will watch your progress and keep an eye on you.