Animation Apprentice Goes to Japan

Digital Hollywood University

This September Animation Apprentice is heading to Tokyo, to take a close look at the current state of Japanese animation. 

We'll be attending animation lessons in Manga and Anime at Digital Hollywood University in central Tokyo. We'll also be visiting The Answer Studio (formerly Walt Disney Animation Japan) in Ogikubo.

Animation Apprentice Visits King Bee Animation

King Bee Animation and Martyn Niman

Animation Apprentice visited King Bee Animation last week, for a one day animation workshop introducing students to the art and craft of animation.

King Bee is located in the historic Elstree Studios in North London, notable for being the location of the original 1977 Star Wars movie.   

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. 

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. 

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.

"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".  

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. 

Sean the Sheep Animation Workshop on April 1st

Aardman Animation model workshop 1 April

The Cartoon Museum in Fitzrovia is hosting an Aardman Animation model-making workshop on April 1st, demonstrating how to make your very own "Sean the Sheep" plasticene model.  

For our students based in or near London this is a rare opportunity to engage with the stop-motion pipeline, learning to make a physical maquette suitable for animation. 

Get yourself a tripod and a smart phone - now you're ready to animate.  You can sign up for the workshop here - it costs just £18.86. 

Summer Class Starts 4 May 2026

Animation by Lee Caller

Our Spring/Summer Animation Class begins on Monday 4th 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.

Escapeverse Live Continues Today

Escapeverse Live, the in-person and (free) online event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, continues today. 

Escapeverse Live shares insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today's lineup starts with Haz Dulull on "How to Set Up an Indie Game Studio". Then, at 12.30pm Simon Carr introduces "Invisible VFX". 

At 2.30pm Dan Shutt explains "How to Create Live Events".

EscapeVerse Live Starts Today

Escapeverse Live starts today

Escapeverse Live, the in-person and online (free) event hosted by Escape Studios, celebrating VFX, animation, games and tech art, starts today. 

Escapeverse Live  runs from today. Tuesday 24th February to Thursday 26th February 2026.  

Escape Studios will be sharing behind-the-scenes insights from the best of the screen industries, including which parts of the industry are growing, and where the opportunities lie for graduates.  

Today starts at 10.30am with "My Journey to a Career in Animation" with Rebecca Meilak.  At 12.30pm Charmaine Chan from ILM will present "Jurassic World: Rebirth". 

London Animation Club is Back Monday 23 Feb

London Animation Club meetup on 23 February 2026

Calling all our London-based students and alumni! Why not come to the next London Animation Club meetup on 23 February 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. 

Judging the "Young Cartoonists of The Year" 2025

Cartoon Museum hosts Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards

Last night was the judging for The Young Cartoonists of the Year Awards, the annual competition hosted by the Cartoon Museum and the British Cartoonists' Association. 

This year the deadline for submissions was 31 January 2026; the winners will be announced at the Cartoon Museum on Thursday 26th March.

Festivus Returns on 24 Feb 2026

Festivus: Tuesday 24 February 2026 at The Porterhouse

Festivus is back! 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. 

The latest Festivus event takes place on Tuesday 24 February 2026 at The Porterhouse, 21-22 Maiden Lane, London WC2E 7NA from 6pm.  

MIP London is a multi-genre international market at IET London and The Savoy Hotel designed to unite digital creators, television producers, platforms, distributors, buyers, and brands from across the globe. 

Yibi Hu Explains Why Animators Need to Pitch

Yibi Hu, founder of Future Power Station

At yesterday's University of Hertfordshire annual student show, animator Yibi Hu, founder of the animation studio Future Power Station, explained the importance of crafting a great pitch. 

As Yibi Hu put it succinctly: "Pitch is a Bitch" - in essence a great deal of unpaid work for a potential client who might - or might not - like your creation. 

The conundrum is that you have to pitch to get the job, but all the work might be in vain. Pitching is free work, but you have to do it anyway.

Teamwork Panel at EscapeVerse Live

 

For anyone who missed the EscapeVerse Live Festival at the end of February, Escape Studios has now uploaded the full schedule of talks, panels and webinars to our YouTube channel.  Above is the Teamwork Panel I hosted on 25 February, with Escapees Adam Dewhirst, Ricardo Ferreira, Stefano Ferron and Harry Symonds.  They were all great guests and had many entertaining insights into the importance of good teamwork - as well as some horror stories about teamwork gone wrong (such as Adam's fishy tale at 31:31).  You can find the full EscapeVerse 2025 playlist here.