Animation Short Course Starts October 1st

Our next animation short course - three months of intensive training in 3D animation - starts on 1st October 2018.

We're honoured to partner with London animation & VFX powerhouse Cinesite, who will be mentoring our trainee animators and our MA students. Cinesite's Head of Animation Eamonn Butler has been a regular visitor to our Holborn campus, and we can't think of anyone better to help nurture our next generation of animation talent.

Animals & Creatures Animation Webinar

Check out our latest animation webinar; this one is titled "How to Animate Animals & Creatures", and is based on a panel discussion at this year's Annecy film festival.   The Webinar isn't a tutorial as such, it's more a discussion (with lots of Q&A throughout) of what the best approach might be to tackle the animation of non-human characters. Every animation challenge is a little different, and each requires a slightly different approach. You can find the video - along with our other webinars and tutorials, at our Animation YouTube Channel.

Michael Davies - Our Newest Animation Tutor

Michael Davies

We're extending a warm welcome to our newest full-time animation tutor at Escape Studios,  3D Artist and rigging specialist Michael Davies.

Michael has worked on many VFX blockbusters such as Batman vs Superman, Doctor Strange and Thor Ragnarok.

Michael has been a regular guest tutor at our High Holborn campus, and brings a very versatile skillset to the animation classroom. 

Animation Taster Day Saturday 22 September

Learn to animate a bird in flight in just one day

We're running an Animation Taster Day here at Escape Studios on Saturday 22 September.

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?

Concept Art: Student Showcase

Artwork by Xu Xing

We recently concluded an 8 week class in Concept Art, taught by the very talented Cenay Oekmen, veteran of X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy.  It was the first time we have run the class, which is aimed at helping students break into one of the most creative parts of the development process. Concept artists work closely with the director to determine the look and feel of a project, helping to bring the director's vision to life. Among the many excellent pieces of work produced by our students was the evocative painting above by Xu Xing.

Escape Studios Animators Visit Blue Zoo

Will Cook, Lee Caller, Nicola Ferrari, Jay Cajigao, Chiara Lurgo and Tom Box

Last week our latest graduating class of animators went to visit Blue Zoo, one of London's leading animation studios, for a one-on-one critique of their work.

Our students got some great feedback on their shots from Blue Zoo co-founder Tom Box, and animation director Will Cook, both of whom gave up a morning of their time to help our animators hone their skills.

Acting for Animators Starts 18th February 2019

Sarah Perry of Shapes in Motion is returning to Escape Studios to teach an 8 week evening class titled "Acting for Animators", starting on 18th February 2019.  Sarah is an expert on teaching acting skills to animators, having taught classes at MPC, Framestore, and many other leading UK animation and VFX houses.  To find out a little about the class, and about Shapes in Motion, watch the video above.

Z Brush Evening Class Starts 2 April 2019

We're launching a new evening class in Z Brush on Tuesday 2nd April 2019. Taught by Escape Studios' Games tutor Phil Meredith, this class is an introduction to the art and craft of sculpting with ZBrush, one of the most popular sculpting tools currently available for 3D artists.

Producing Animation Webinar 23 August 2018

Learn from the producer of Ultramarines

Veteran animation Producer Bob Thompson is hosting a webinar on Producing Animation on Wednesday 23 August at Escape Studios.

Like all our webinars, this one is completed free. The webinar is titled "An Artist's guide to Animation Producers".  

 Bob Thompson is an industry veteran with a long and successful track record of producing animated feature films, commercials and VFX projects, including Ultramarines and the Bionicle series.

Producing Animation is returning to Escape Studios on 16th October 2018. Our 8 week evening class will take place at our 190 High Holborn campus. 
 

Toonboom Harmony Class Starts 8 Jan 2019

Artwork by our industry mentor, Blue Zoo

We're launching a new 2D Animation course in Toonboom Harmony on 8 January 2019.

This class runs for 8 weeks, one evening a week (tuesdays), and is an introduction to animating in Toonboom Harmony, one of the leading software packages for the creation of 2D animation.

Farewell Shepherd's Bush Party on 13 Sept

Save the Date! Thursday 13th September is our last night in Shepherd's Bush. Most of our students, Escapees and friends now know about the upcoming closure of our West Campus at Shepherds Bush; but don’t despair, Escape will live on - in our Midtown Campus at 190 High Holborn.  Shepherd's Bush isn't going with a whimper, but with a bang, so come along on thursday 13th of September and say goodbye to The Bush.  The party kicks off at 6.30 pm.

Nesta Cites Animation as Top Digital Skill

Nesta - Innovation Foundation

Nesta, the innovation foundation, has produced a study of 41 million jobs, revealing the most important digital skills in today's economy.

Not all digital skills are born equal, and guess which one Nesta thinks will be the most valuable? Step up....Animation.

Anchor Transform Plugin Stops Feet Sliding

Anchor Transform by Robert Joosten stops feet sliding

Sliding feet can be a problem when animating a character walking.

You start off by animating a character walking on the spot, and everything looks fine. But, once you add a forward translation, to have the character move through its environment, the feet slip around and everything starts to go wrong.

Fortunately for Maya animators, Robert Joosten’s new Anchor Transform Maya plugin offers animators a simple solution.