Motion Graphics Webinar on 31 July

Thiago Maia - head of Motion Graphics

We're hosting a free webinar in Motion Graphics tomorrow, Tuesday 31st July.

In this webinar you will learn how to apply the 12 Principles of Animation to motion graphics work.

The webinar is taught by Escape Studios' head of animation Thiago Maia and takes place at 6pm.
To sign up for this free webinar, follow this link.

Save the Date: BlueGFX Expo 21 Nov 2018

Registration will open soon for the Blue GFX Expo, taking place in London on Wednesday 21st November 2018.

We'll be suspending classes at Escape on the day, so that all our students can attend this excellent event.

Character Design Showcase

Character Design Escapees with tutor Andrea Torrejon

We recently concluded an 8 week evening class in character design, taught by the very talented Andrea Torrejon.

Andrea is an experienced industry professional, currently working on a Disney project for Passion Pictures in London.

The class has produced some stunning work - check out the student work below.

Daniel Amor at Technicolour Academy

Many congratulations to Escape Studios graduate Daniel Amor, who recently started a new paid training contract as an animator with Technicolor Academy in London.

Daniel took our animation short course at Escape Studios earlier this year, and joins his fellow Escapees Melissa Coarezza and Chan Sagoo at Technicolor. 

Royce Wesley - Pixar Animation Workflow

Incredibles 2

Pixar animator Royce Wesley was at Escape Studios recently, talking about his experience working on Incredibles 2, and also explaining his own personal animation workflow.

Royce is an experienced character animator whose animation credits include Brave, Coco, Robots and Inside Out. He visited us in London to mentor our animation students and help make sure we are hitting the highest levels of quality in character animation.

Understanding how to plan your work is one of the key parts of the animator's skill set. Every animator has their own unique approach, and it's important to develop a workflow that you can rely on to get your shots approved without too much stress.

Animation Taster Day Tuesday 24 July

Learn to animate a bird in flight in just one day

We're running an Animation Taster Day here at Escape Studios on Tuesday 24 July.

Taster Days are a great chance to learn about character and creature animation, and find out what an animator's job is all about.

You will learn how to use Autodesk Maya and get a hands-on introduction to 3D Animation techniques, all for just £25.

By the end of the day you'll have your own piece of creature animation - a bird in flight - uploaded to your YouTube channel.  No prior knowledge of Maya - or any software - is required.  So, how do you sign up?

Steve Edge Director at Tiger Aspect

Many congratulations to Escapee Steve Edge, who is currently directing "Aliens Love Underpants" for Tiger Aspect Productions in London.

Steve studied animation at Escape Studios and used the training to launch his career.

Advanced Animation Starts 22 August

Head of Animation: Alex Williams

Our newly launched Advanced Animation course starts on 22 August 2018.  Advanced Animation is a new course, aimed at students who want to polish and develop their 3D animation skills.

This 6 week intensive class builds on the lessons learned in the 12 Week Animation Short Course,  developing and enhancing existing skills and making sure that all our students are job-ready by the end of the course.

Anim TD in Maya & Houdini Starts 9 Jan 2019

Dan Shutt

Our newest animation evening class, Animation Technical Direction with Maya and Houdini, starts on 9 January 2019. The tutor is one of our most long-standing and experienced staff members, Dan Shutt, who will be introducing students to the fast-growing field of technical animation.

That is to say, all the physics-based stuff that traditional keyframe animators tend not to have to deal with - such as fur, hair, cloth and muscle systems. This is a part-time course, running on Wednesday evenings from 7-10pm, for 8 evenings, designed to fit around jobs and families.

Melissa Coarezza at Technicolour Academy

Many congratulations to Escape Studios graduate Melissa Coarezza, who starts work today as an animator with Technicolor Academy in London.

Melissa took our animation short course at Escape Studios earlier this year, and we asked her a few questions about the new position, how she got it, and what advice she might give to other students hoping to break into the industry.  

Webinar: "Animating Non-Humans" 24 July

Sea Serpent - Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I'll be hosting a webinar on animating non-human characters on Tuesday July 24th. Like all our webinars, this one is completely free, and there will be plenty of time to take questions during the talk.

How does an animator approach the challenge of animating non-human characters? After all, you probably can't film yourself acting out the scene, so you will need to find other solutions.

Emma Riddell Animator at MPC Vancouver

Many congratulations to Escapee Emma Riddell who is heading to MPC Vancouver to work as a Technical Animator on a six month contract.

Emma has been working on Christopher Robin at Framestore this past year in London, and finished work on Andy Serkis's Mowgli at the end of March. Emma took our short course in animation back in 2016, and from there landed a training contract at Framestore along with fellow Escapee Francesco Nevi.

Fred O'Rourke Storyboard Artist at Blue Zoo

Fred O'Rourke

Many congratulations to Escapee Fred O'Rourke who has recently started a new position as a storyboard artist working at Blue Zoo.

Fred took our evening class in Storyboarding in 2017, and polished his portfolio during the aftercare stage of the course. Later, he did storyboards for an indie feature film, landing the gig through www.mandy.com.

To read about how Fred broke into the industry, as well as his advice on how to get that crucial first job, read this post.