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.